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BANDS: Punk
& Ska INTERESTS: Venues ETC... About LOTD
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Steven Dillon: First of All
Writing a
review for an instrumental record can be a fairly daunting task. Not only is so
much attention given to the singers voice, but song lyrics are how the
majority of people find their connection with a particular song. Well, not
only is Steven Dillons debut record lacking vocals, but it doesnt have
bass, drums, keyboards, saxophone, trumpet, mellotron, banjo, xylophone, pedal
steel, accordion, violin or even a maraca. Yes, First
Of All is just Steven, playing his acoustic guitar. All by himself. Alone.
He doesnt even go back to overdub any extra guitar parts, which is amazing,
considering how complex his songs are. This is basically a live album, as he
recorded all 11 tracks in a single take without using any punch-ins, overdubbing
or cut and pastes. Sure, the album art is pretty lame, and the guy sort of has a
mullet going for him, but you gotta hand it to the guy, he is an extremely good
guitar player. Dillons
unique fashion of acoustic fingerstyle guitar stands up nicely next to the likes
of Leo Kottke and Norman Blake, blending their progressive folk and
bluegrass-tinged sounds into his own. Upon listening to Dillons fingers
ripping across the guitar frets, one can only be amazed that the sounds produced
come from a single person. Even though First Of All is just the product of one mans guitar, dont
automatically assume that this is sleepytime fire-side music; Summertime
Rain is a stark and beautiful work that can send chills down the listeners
spine, which leads into the blazing Flying Low, a blur of fingers and
fretwork. Dillon has a knack for writing instrumental songs that are melodic and
cover enough territory to keep the listener entertained, but at the same time
are cohesive enough not to leave the listeners wondering where the song is them.
This album can be purchased at Amazon, CDBaby, Guitar 9, and CDStreet LEFT OFF THE DIAL's Steven Dillon page About LOTD Contact/Staff Advertise Home All content © LEFT OFF THE DIAL 2001-2005. All rights reserved. |
