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Andrea Balestra Creates An Audio Canvas Of Sounds On New CD

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."



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