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Eclectic Instrumental CD Oozes Raw Energy
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After composing over 150 songs and touring and recording with members of Billy Joel's, Iggy Pop's and Steve Vai's bands, New York guitarist Ray De Tone decided it was time to release his opening solo statement. The result is Once More...With Feeling, an eclectic album fusing the elements of blues, alternative, progressive, African, country, metal and bluegrass with a kick-ass rock'n'roll backbeat. De Tone harnesses over twenty years of guitar playing and serves up some great listening on the ten instrumental tracks. Generally favoring a slightly overdriven tone over the compressed distortion sounds of his contemporaries, songs such as "Ray's Stew" and "Up On The Wire" carry De Tone's distinctive mark, yet display the intensity one expects from a guitar addict.
After a one year apprenticeship on the accordion, Ray literally demanded guitar lessons at the tender age of eight, setting the stage for his first professional gig -- in sixth grade! Attending a musically competitive high school, Ray wrote his first instrumental song, and since that time has proven to be a prolific writer, while keeping active in the performing world as well. He has toured with Iron Maiden's Paul Dianno, CBS recording artist Drive, She Said and rock icon Ronnie Spector. His goals for his playing were rock-steady: to be diverse, eclectic, contemporary, and to never, ever be repetitive.
De Tone is presently seeking a record label or distribution company with strong promotional and marketing ideas to exploit both Once More...With Feeling and a number of future projects. His CD serves as the ideal calling card to entice future partners.
Contact Information
Dancetone Music
P.O. Box 714
Yonkers, NY 10704
United States
Web site:
www.raydetone.com
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Surf Meets Jazz -- South Of The Border
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From San Jose, California comes the Chris Shahin Band, a guitar, bass, drums and sax ensemble who have released their first full-length independent release, The Tenth Degree. A musical hybrid, the CD features elements of surf, jazz, rock, psychedelic and Latin styles. All the songs are instrumental, which gives Chris Shahin's guitar the spotlight as he incorporates his varied influences into the songwriting and solo passages. Fans of modern surf music will appreciate the band's original approach to the genre, especially the jazzy colorations of songs such as "Surf's Down" and the ethnic quality on tracks such as "Baja Cactus". Band personnel incudes Shahin, Scott Johnson on saxophone, Eric Wilson on bass and Sameer Gupta on drums and percussion.
Chris got started in music playing classical guitar in high school. His main influences were (and still are) Pat Metheny, Steve Morse, John McLaughlin, Jim Hall and Tuck Andress (who he studied with for several years). Chris tries to incorporate all these influences into his music, while maintaining many of the sonic signatures of surf, including guttural, low register lines and reverb-drenched, open string fusillades.
Shahin's goals are to continue to play his music, sell CDs and to strive grow as a musician. The band's second CD is in the works and should be completed by spring of 1999. It's tentatively entitled "Left Of Center", which Shahin feels is an apt description of his music.
Contact Information
Chris Shahin
5586 Woodhurst Lane
San Jose, CA 95123
United States
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Vol. 17, No. 2: Feb.-Mar. 2012
