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Old School Metal Rises Up
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The ghost of Iron Maiden (wait, aren't Iron Maiden still alive?) is what first strikes you upon first listen to "Gettysburg", the opening track on the group Twilight Odyssey's three song demo CD-R. Not so much for the intertwined, twin guitar leads Maiden was noted for (though the group does sport two guitarists, founder Ben Asaro and Dan Castro), but for the galloping rhythms and overall '80s-metal vibe. The intro and rhythmic riffage heard on song two, "The Endless Days Of A Stranger", will also resonate familiarly in the ears of Maiden aficionados. Getting Pamela Berlinghof on vocals was a masterstroke, as she can wail with the best of them, in the Leather Leone tradition. Asaro makes sure the guitars get plenty of sonic space, offering extended solo sections and overall heaviness. Here is a group just needing an outside production boost coupled with the songwriting experience to shake off their influences to go to the next level - look for their debut CD on Italy's Steelheart Records.
A love for music was instilled in guitarist Ben Asaro from a very early age, listening to the Beatles and other artists from the 1950s and 1960s through his parent's record collection. He became aware of guitar music about the age of 9 or 10 by listening to classical guitarist John Williams' Bach Lute Suites. Ben started taking guitar lessons as a teen, and was able to attend master classes with guitarists such as Pat Martino, Tal Farlow and Arlen Roth. Musically, he strives to write songs that are guitar-heavy, melodic and memorable, but still have a hard edge to them.
Currently, Twilight Odyssey is seeking management, and are recording their 10-track debut album for Steelheart Records in a New York studio.
Contact Information
Ben Asaro
359A 14th Street
Brooklyn, NY 11215
United States
E-mail:
Twilight Odyssey
Web site:
www.twilight-odyssey.com
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One Of New York's Best Kept Secrets
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Time Will Tell, the new CD from New York Dom Minasi, blends the guitarist's controversial intensity with a nod towards commercial crossover. Minasi's guitar and cellist Tomas Ulrich are the primary melodic and solo instruments here, but since this isn't cello9.com, Minasi's technical gifts will command our special attention. The third track, "DMP" features enough six-string fireworks to light up New York Harbor on July 4th, while the sensual, angular comping and tastefully restrained soloing of "My Soul Cries Out" offers yet another side of this multi-layered musician. Also heavy on the guitar histrionics is "Be Op Be Op Be Ah", where Minasi takes no prisoners and delivers some of his most furious lines. If you have yet to experience the work of his virtuoso avant-jazz guitar legend, Time Will Tell would be a great place to start.
Dom is a 44 year veteran of the music scene, with a history and scope of activities as varied and jam-packed as his native New York City. Backing up top singing groups at rock 'n' roll shows, church dances and the like while still in his early teens, Dom has maintained a jazz trio with bass and drums since he was 15 years old. He recorded two jazz albums for the Blue Note label in the mid-'70s, but left due to less than ideal circumstances for musical expressiveness. From 1976-1993, Dom involved himself in a variety of pursuits, freelancing, performing, providing the music for a variety of off-Broadway shows, authoring three books on technique for Sunrise Artistries, and returning to school where he studied with Academy Award-winning composer John Corigliano at Lehman College, receiving his degree in composition in 1990. He also composed over 300 vocal and instrumental compositions during those years.
Minasi currently maintains five separate groups - two duos, with saxophonist Blaise Siwula, and vocalist Carol Mennie; and two trios, DDT with bassist Ken Filiano and cellist Tomas Urlich, his regular group with Filiano and drummer Jackson Krall, and his jazz collective, NICE (New Improvisational Composers Ensemble) with Mark Whitecage (reeds), Steve Swell (trombone), Cameron Brown (bass) and Harvey Sorgen (drums).
Contact Information
Jim Eigo, Jazz Promo Services
269 S Route 94
Warwick, NY 10990
United States
E-mail:
Dom Minasi's DDT+2
Web site:
www.domminasi.com
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