Press Kit

Biography:

Ballurio picked up the guitar at the age of five and progressed to the bass at seven when he started music lessons. He went on to study classical music on the piano, but strings was his thing so it was back on the guitar by the age of twelve and shortly thereafter playing in local bands - local being New Jersey. He hit the pavement performing with east coast bands such as Monarch and Mantis. At the age of twenty-two, he moved to England where he continued with the guitar, although he traded his electric for an acoustic. He played throughout Europe - at times busking in England for extra cash. England was where he studied under several influential teachers who Introduced him to the music of the sitar and slide guitar.

Returning to the United States in 1979, he continued traveling with his acoustic, playing in the Orlando area. After a move to Virginia, his emphasis changed to synthesizers and he released his first music compilation called "Musica Ambience" in late 1989. The recording contained ten songs and was a combination of new age and rock, a music genre he called "Composite Music". In 1997 he began his second recording focusing on a raw instrumental exploration of guitar rock with intense melodies and orchestrated guitars. He built his first studio where he spent three years pulling wires and laying tracks. In June of 2000 mastering had started and by September the CD was in production. The new CD, Spider Dance, debuted November 4, 2000.

Always a musician on the move, he has just completed building his second studio and is currently working on his next CD combining melodic guitar work with a hard edge.

On The New CD:

Three years in production, Spider Dance contains ten songs for just over 40 minutes of sound, ranging from hard-edged rock to blues with jazz undertones. The CD was recorded at Lake Jackson Studio in Virginia and released on the independent label Eigg Island Sound. All of the tracks on the CD are instrumental written, arranged, performed, produced, engineered and mixed by Ballurio. The CD is kick-started by the track "cadillac mountain" [track 1] a fast-paced rock tune showcasing Ballurio's "finger-nastics" working the guitar's frets to fill the air with sound. The title track "spider dance" [track 3] is a rock ballad blending a hint of middle eastern spice with well-orchestrated rock. The songs "dakota flats" [track 6] and "carbon based" [track 7] show some interesting curves and rhythms with complex bass and drum patterns adding punch to the mix. The song "blues lament" [track 9] is a soulful anthem that uses the guitar to evoke powerful memories of the turbulent 1960s. Harry Brookes of Sunset Productions in Annapolis, Maryland provided the final mastering.

CD Availability:

The CD has sold well, hitting the Most Overall Popular and Most Popular Heavy Metal lists on Guitar9. The songs "cadillac mountain" and "carbon based" entered the Top 100 on MP3.com.

"Instrumental rock guitar with a furious groove is how I would describe Ballurio. The music is a screaming ride through virtuosity, while stopping from time to time to smell the roses. The interesting thing about this music what the great harmony work. Two leads working different spectrums is a very difficult thing to get to sound good. Ballurio makes them fit so well together and sound like they were so simple. That is true craftsmanship. This virtuoso pulls out all the stops and shreds through the tracks with the greatest of brilliance. The one thing I look for in instrumental rock is whether or not the music contains feeling. This music definitely presents a mood with every song. I truly enjoyed this music and believe that any guitar enthusiast with find a large amount of inspiration here."

- Michael Allison - THEGLOBALMUSE.COM

"… a new talent whose debut album is a positive barnstormer of mixing melody, ferocity, dynamics, power, restraint and compositional skill. Right from the start, the multi-layered rampaging guitar work takes you by the throat, but with a whole stack of melodies and some quite unique work in the old bass department, while the drummer anchors the thing to the floor, as the guitars take off and sparkle, all in a shade under four minutes, and the perfect start to a thoroughly quality album. Consisting of forty minutes across ten tracks, you'll find a range of styles from metallic and bluesy, but all delivered with a passion and love for the music the guy has created. Superbly played throughout, there is a master guitarist at work here…."

- Andy Garibaldi, CD Services Mail Order, Scotland, www.cd-services.com

"Ballurio is one of these people that are multi-purpose with playing, writing and even producing/recording. This 10-track CD reflects all these qualities and balances musically jazz, rock, metal and contemporary to balladic passages, making this very entertaining with a vast range of ideas melded together…this guy has the talent with great fretwork and the emotional chasm of haunting melodies to psychedelia to blues influence and songwriting…"

- Wayne Klinger, Quintessence 2000

"Ballurio's bluesy hard rock guitar style emphasizes melodic motifs, while leaving plenty of space for rapidly picked guitars soles and strict ascending and descending minor key flourishes. Specifically formulated to be played loud, the ten tracks comprising Spider Dance are directed towards the fan of up-front and raw orchestrated guitar work in an instrumental rock setting."

- Dan McAvinchey, Guitar9 Records, www.guitar9.com