Painting A Dream

Painting A Dream
Reviewed by: JJ McMoon
H e a r i n g B r i a n Fechino play the guitar is like having a coffee in Paris. It’s not the gaudy spark of Starbuck’s, or that bitter aftertaste that makes your head spin. You simply hear the perfect blend of notes, played in exactly the right way, every time.
Every time.
In his 3rd release, Painting A Dream, Brian doesn’t rely on fret board acrobatics to get his point across, and he doesn’t incorporate lyrics into his songs. These may seem to be essential ingredients for the auditory diet of today’s listener, and you Indeed, it is. “For me, the
might ask why someone There is no better w h o c o m p o s e s s u c h guitar is my voice. way to describe beautiful, and at times, his music than to It’s all about the s a y i t ’ s a g u y h e a r t ‐ w r e n c h i n g melodies, would abstain singing his heart melody.”
from getting a singer?
out through his “For me, the guitar instrument. Every is my voice,” is Brian’s t r a c k o f f o f reply. “It’s all about the melody.”
Painting has a melody that will stick in your head long after you hit the pause button on your iPod, which for this writer is a Jirst for an entirely instrumental CD. Painting a Dream is a masterpiece in its own right, communicating mood through its eleven tracks so perfectly that vocals would actually subtract from its musical summation. If you haven’t heard this guy yet, you really need to check him out.
Prior to his most well‐
known guitar work in the Pat McGee Band, Brian was a session musician for many years, and he’s sat in with such notables as Blues Traveler and Vertical Horizon. The experience forced him to become versed in as many styles as possible, many of which we heard on his second release, Brian Fechino. Brian has been o b s e s s e d w i t h t h e guitar since the single digits, and has followed and assimilated the work of every great guitarist he could Jind: H e n d r i x , C l a p t o n , Gilmore, Vai, Belue, Beck, Lifeston… On Brian Fechino, we can hear every one of these guys fused into Brian’s style, and it is a s p l e n d i d s h o w c a s e o f h i s versatility.
Painting a Dream, however, is a return to the emotion we heard on his Jirst release, Warm Water. But unlike Warm Water, which focused more on guitar (well of COURSE!), Painting more emphasizes the totality of the music itself. Brian not only shares his leads with other instruments, namely the saxophone (expertly played by Michael Ghegan), he also shares his guitar leads with other musicians, such as Ryan Newell of Sister Hazel (Ryan plays slide on Fog Lights). “I spend most of my time writing,” Brian told me. “In that I wind up challenging myself.”
A n d y e t i t s e e m s s o effortless. The challenge lies in the feel of the notes, rather than the quantity of them. This writer’s personal favorite, Window Seat, is a prime example. Starting off with an acoustic lullaby, it progresses to a not‐quite‐country dobro, and then Jills a mighty crescendo with a c h o r u s o f i n s t r u m e n t s . O
n
l
y s o u n d t r a c k s could be more memorable, and t h a t ’ s e x a c t ly w h a t B r i a n wants. For you to hum it as you drive, feel it as you relax, and remember it in your sleep. Brian dedicates his latest CD to the late Chris Williams, drummer for Pat McGee Band, who’s drumming samples graced three tracks. “I had to Jind a way to get Chris on the record,” Brian says. “I know he’d be proud of it.” On percussion, Chardy McEwan adds his signature, and Brian is quick to give him ample credit. “Chardy did a lot for this project. What he added to ‘Snow’ was awesome. It really shows how he can take a drum track and spice it up.” Also joining Brian on the project were Doug Derryberry on keyboards, Matt Calvarese on drums and percussion, and Kristen Forsberg on bells and spoken words. (You won’t understand her, though… Brian sampled her and plays her backwards on Silver Ball).
From the ethereal lounge‐act homage Snow; to the jazzy Silver Ball; to the haunting melody of Window Seat; to the driving classic rock rhythm of Fog Lights; to the subtle charm of Kmas; to the electronica arpeggiation of Wack; to the hypnotic Someplace Else; to the funky Dawn of CW; to the pop sound of Way Back; to the classically‐inspired Fly Time; and concluding with the acoustic wonder of Manhattan Clouds, you will deJinitely remember having heard the work of Brian Fechino.
And you will wait in baited anticipation for his next release.
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Brian Fechino is based in New York City
Painting A Dream is available at www.brianfechino.com