Description
For over fifteen years David Wilcox has been making music that bravely navigates a path through the emotional static of modern life towards a better place. With a style that The Boston Globe says "Combines the best of both pop and modern folk aesthetics," he writes songs that are wake up calls to the heart, balm for the soul.
"For me, it feels like when I look out at the world there's just a need for people to be talking about where they get their hope now," Wilcox says, "That's what my music has always been about. These days, there's so much adversity and loss of hope that anything you can offer that's on the positive side is a welcome relief."
David's own musical story began in college, when he took up the guitar after hearing a fellow student playing "Buckets Of Rain" by Bob Dylan. It was the first time he had ever experienced music as something that anyone can do. He picked up the guitair and began to experiment. Within a few months, he was writing his own songs. Drawing on influences from James Taylor to Motown to Joni Mitchell (she inspired him to explore alternate tunings), he created a sound that is both highly personal and emotionally forthright. "I'm drawn to artists who disclose something about themselves and let you in their world," Wilcox says.
From his debut in 1987 with The Nightshift Watchman through standouts such as How Did You Find me Here (1989), What You Whispered (2000) and Live Songs And Stories (2001), he has consistently delivered music that The New York Daily News credits with giving "Sensitive singer/ songwriters back their good name."
For more information, visit davidwilcox.com/
Peppino D’Agostino is a Renaissance man. This is not just because he was born in Italy. Everything about the longtime California resident and his art -- virtuoso acoustic guitarist, composer, singer, teacher and all-around entertainer -- is rooted in his heritage. It’s fitting then that his new CD is titled Made in Italy. It’s his first CD release since 2005’s Bayshore Road, a collaboration with longtime friend, electric guitarist Stef Burns.
The material focuses on Italian folk songs and pop songs from the past few decades as well as works by classical composer Gioachino Rossini and legendary film score composer Ennio Morricone, D’Agostino’s musical hero. D'Agostino put his personal stamp on these songs, capturing the spirit and sound of the standards he rearranged while keeping his acoustic guitar work at the forefront. Guest musicians add extra textures on many of the compositions by playing traditional Italian instruments like the organetto and the launeddas.
“All the different parts of me are out there -- the singer, the composer, the guitarist, all together. I’m all of those. I really believe in that because I like to entertain an audience. I usually talk and try to make them laugh. Sometimes I tell jokes. The audience wants an experience where they feel connected to the performer and moved by the music. Otherwise people would just buy the CD and listen to it at home. I’m a medium -- a filter between the music and the audience,” said D’Agostino.
It doesn’t matter what order the projects flow out of D’Agostino. All of them are guaranteed to entertain and enlighten us.
For more information, visit www.peppinodagostino.com