Guitarist
Andrea Balestra Creates an Audio Canvas of Sounds on New CD, Painting on
Silence,
Coming
September 24
Latest Album
from Instrumental Guitarist Features Special Guests Scott Henderson,
Dave Hill,
Julien Kasper, John Pisano, Steve Trovato and Carl
Verheyen
Special CD
Release Show Set for September 28 at the Piano Bar in Hollywood at 9:00
PM
NORTH HOLLYWOOD, CA – Guitarist Andrea Balestra announces a
September 24 release date for Painting on Silence, an
all-instrumental solo album issued on his Spleen Records label. The new CD
includes rearranged covers of the Beatles’ “Come Together” and Thelonious Monk’s
“Round Midnight,” plus seven original compositions, and features special guest
guitarists Scott Henderson, Dave Hill, Julien Kasper, John Pisano, Steve Trovato
and Carl Verheyen. Balestra is also accompanied by an extraordinary rhythm
section of bassist Matias Alvear Fall and drummer Dario Benzoni.
Andrea Balestra will celebrate the release of his new
album with a special CD release show on September 28 at the Piano Bar in
Hollywood, starting at 9:00 PM. Several of the special guests who performed on
the new album are expected to sit in.
Painting
on Silence was recorded at Dave Hill's home studio in North Hollywood,
during which a few guests sat in with the trio. World-renowned session man and
guitarist for Supertramp, Carl Verheyen, plays on the funky cover of the
Beatles’ “Come Together;” jazz guitar legend John Pisano (Joe Pass, Benny
Goodman, Sergio Mendes, Herb Alpert) sits in on the title track; Scott Henderson
(Tribal Tech, Chick Corea, Zawinul Syndicate) jams on the hard-grooving
“Bulldozer;” fusion guitarist extraordinaire Dave Hill plays on “Anubis;” and
country guitar god Steve Trovato plays on a haunting, bluesy version of Monk's
“Round Midnight.” Balestra's former teacher and mentor from the Berklee College
of Music in Boston, Julien Kasper, joins his former pupil on the ballad, “Dark
White Skies,” that features a two-part counterpunctual melody as well as
unexpected improvisational free form sections that truly represent the spirit of
this album.
“This record
was cut almost entirely live, in the arc of four sessions by musicians sharing
the same room at a home studio, with no click track, with minimal editing and
overdubs,” says Balestra about the sessions. “I believe it was the right method
to render the concept of this album, to better serve the music on it and respect
the listener the most.”
Andrea Balestra
is a session guitarist in the Los Angeles area, who moved to the United States
from his native Sicily to pursue his dream of being a musician. A Berklee
College of Music graduate, he had the honor of being chosen to perform at his
school’s annual “Rock Guitar Night Showcase” in 2007. Since relocating to
Southern California, he has already shared the stage and/or recorded with many
legendary musicians (Dick Dale, Melvyn "Deacon" Jones, George Lynch, Keb Mo'),
played numerous premier venues in southern California, had his music featured in
documentaries and toured across the country as well as
internationally.
As on his first
CD, Fine Arts Avenue, the new disc showcases
Balestra’s ambitious mix of progressive rock and experimental/improvisational
guitar tones, as he moves seamlessly through a variety of styles combining them
together in a very unique voice. His writing varies from down-to-earth grooves
to cinematic compositions, characterized by lyrical melodies, shifting moods and
nuanced, toneful guitar playing that serves his vivid music.
“Writing is the
focus of all my work,” says Balestra about Painting on Silence.
“When I compose or arrange a song, I think of the sheet music as a visual
rendition of its skeleton, which is brought to life only when played by
musicians who are truly listening to one another. The reason I decided to invite
other players to sit in with my trio on this album is because by bringing
different personalities with us into the studio it gave every song more
character.”
To hear the
song, “Bulldozer,” featuring the video of Andrea Balestra with Scott Henderson
recording the track, click on this link: Andrea
Balestra - Bulldozer
Painting on Silence will be available for sale
on CDBaby, iTunes and other outlets. For more information, visit www.andreabalestra.com; and also on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/people/Andrea-Balestra/1629283729.
