Lawrence LaFerla
Full bio
Hi. I'm Lawrence LaFerla. The following may be the most self-revealing bio I've ever shared on social media.
At first glance, I might seem a bit like Detective Columbo — unassuming and slightly scattered — but much like him, I’m often focused and adept at piecing things together in unexpected ways. I grew up in Boston, raised by three older sisters who introduced me to a world of music before I even knew what each record was about. My earliest memory is playing an imported Beatles EP on my Bozo’s Big Top record player just a few weeks before the Fabs first landed in the U.S., a moment that shaped me in ways that of course I couldn't foresee at age three years, three months. But it meant that my childhood would unfold in the 1960s along with record releases by all the usual suspects.
I’ve been living and working between Osaka and Kobe for the past three decades. I run JAPANtranslation, a specialized division of WIP Japan. Most of what makes me valuable in this business comes from real experience—years of working directly with overseas clients, listening carefully, building systems that make things smoother, and saying no to mismatches early. I’m not flashy about it, but I’m good at reading the room, staying reliable, and helping people solve problems quietly in the background. I’ve shaped our intake process, messaging, and even trained an AI intern to support the way we work. It’s a boutique model, but with real infrastructure behind it. That combination—personal trust and real capacity—is what makes the whole thing work. Check me out on LinkedIn if you need to know more. Need to reach me? Please use my contact form.
Today, while I’m a sort of Beatles "journalist-scholar," my musical tastes go far beyond them. I’m more likely to queue up the Rolling Stones or dive into Mississippi blues, Chicago blues, London dub, avant-garde composers or experimental grooves.
My life has been full of finished and unfinished projects, from being a vocalist in a post-punk band during the vibrant ’80s scene to hosting a podcast nowadays. The podcast, Beatles60 isn't just about them, but about the world they inhabited and shaped 60 years ago. It explores the cultural and historical forces of the time using a “context in sequence” approach to history. It's not a fan group but I'm lucky to be connected with so many Beatles uber-fans, maniacs, experts, and authors. Without them, I'd have only childhood (and pre-teen) memories to go on.
When I’m not creating, I try to stay grounded through cycling, yoga, and Buddhist practice — activities that (if I fit them into each day) keep me healthy and balanced as I navigate life at 64. I value thoughtful conversations and embrace the ideals of an open society. Above all, I believe in confident understanding and bridging divides. I welcome intellectual friendships with people from most perspectives. You don't need to be a coastal elite to approach me. (I can hang with regular folk!) For me, what keeps me going are the insights that arise, connections made, the finding of meaning in the details. I'm surprised to find how much others tend to overlook.
Many thanks to Vivian Zito for writing a recent long-form archival narrative about my 80s band. Her piece, Lives in Dub, is a fun read and everyone’s encouraged to check it out.
I released a single with my band a few years ago. Loosen Up with The Kessels was actually recorded back in the mid-80s on analog tape in Boston, but it was shelved before release and then lost for over 30 years—until the original reel finally resurfaced and was restored in the UK. The Kessels (previously known as 007 and Dub7) were a Boston band blending punk, new wave, dub, and pop with a mellow edge. At the time, the track was considered “too pop” for indie radio, and after we quietly disbanded, the song faded into obscurity—until 2023, when the tape was found, baked, digitized, and mastered with care. You can hear me singing on that final restored version. It’s a little time capsule—equal parts charm, loss, and belated rebirth.