A 20-year-old Ogunquit guitarist got the surprise of a lifetime Wednesday after her cover of Aerosmith’s “Walk This Way” was shared by the iconic rock band on social media.
Allivia Lorusso had responded to an Instagram post by Aerosmith asking fans to post their own covers of Aerosmith songs with the hashtag #aerosmithcovers. After posting her clip about two weeks ago on YouTube, she pretty much forgot about it because she assumed nothing would come of it.
But that changed when Aerosmith shared Lorusso’s clip on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. On Facebook alone, Lorusso’s video has been shared 350 times and liked 1,700 times. Instagram views are nearing 60,000 and on Twitter the clip’s been liked almost 700 times and has been retweeted 124 times.
Lorusso began playing acoustic guitar when she was 10 years old, but switched to electric when she was 16 after discovering Aerosmith.
“They’re the entire reason I started playing guitar,” she said. The first Aerosmith song she learned to play was “Mama Kin,” still her favorite of their songs. When asked why she chose “Walk This Way” as the one to share publicly, Lorusso said it has her favorite guitar solo.
“I just feel like it’s so Joe Perry,” she said of Aerosmith’s guitarist. “I’m a huge fan of him and how he plays and I love the way that solo is constructed.”
The song is from Aerosmith’s 1975 album “Toys in the Attic” and is one of their many hits.
Lorusso works as a screen printer and sign maker at Ocean Graphics in Wells and was at work when her phone started blowing up with the news about Aerosmith sharing her clip.
Check out @AlliviaLorusso; rocking this way! Post your cover with #AerosmithCovers; and tag @Aerosmith; to be featured. pic.twitter.com/mNwXABf4Fo
— Aerosmith (@Aerosmith) March 21, 2018
“I freaked out and I put Aerosmith on full blast and jumped around for two hours,” said Lorusso, who added that all her coworkers are also musicians, and they shared in her celebration.
As for her own music, Lorusso said she’s a bass player shy of forming her own band and has been working on original material in her home studio. She’s also been helped by well-known blues musician James Montgomery and has joined Montgomery and his band onstage on several occasions to play lead guitar and sing on a few songs.
“He’s my mentor and has taken me under his wing,” she said.
Lorusso has yet to see Aerosmith live but has seen a solo show by lead singer Steven Tyler. She also has tickets to see Joe Perry at Hampton Beach Casino Ballroom on April 19.
“It’s my dream to get up on stage and play with him” she said.
Considering how much visibility her “Walk This Way” clip has gotten, she’s hoping this particular dream might come true.
She added that Aerosmith is her favorite band for a simple reason.
“I love them because they are the pure essence of rock and roll.”
Aimsel Ponti can be contacted at 791-6455 or at:
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