August (In Memory of Colin Tench)

“August (In Memory of Colin Tench)” is the first single from Andres Guazzelli‘s forthcoming album “World Citizen,” released on February 3, 2018 via Melodic Revolution Records.

“August” is a clear showcase of Andres‘ paradigm change regarding his compositional style, straying away from sheer progressive and symphonic rock and venturing deeper into a more argentine folkloric-based music. Inspired by the works of Astor Piazzolla, Brian May and John Williams, the track combines the graceful yet passionate sound of the piano with the brooding melancholy of the bandoneón to craft the perfect blend between a jazz ballad and argentine tango.

A haunting and poignant piece of music, “August” is a musical journey through the five stages of grief. The five stages, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance are a part of the framework that makes up our learning to live with the one we lost.

Track credits:

Andres Guazzelli: Piano, keyboards, programming.
SherMan D’Aloia: Fender & fretless bass.

Recorded by Andres Guazzelli and SherMan D’Aloia at REDRUM and Estudios Platonicos, Mar del Plata, Argentina.
Mixed by Andres Guazzelli at REDRUM, Mar del Plata, Argentina.

Produced by Andres Guazzelli

In a statement from Andres Guazzelli:

“Since 2011, Colin and I had worked on three albums together, Wish You Could Hear, Return to Mingulay and Corvus Stone II, so I asked him to join in the multitudinary ensemble that was “Wötan: the Untold Story“. He recorded guitars for 7 tracks of that album, making it our fourth collaboration together.  The Overture was released on september 2015, but Colin was not on it.

In 2017, I asked him to be the main guitar player for my lastest album “World Citizen,” which he agreed to as soon as he had finished “minor Masterpiece“. I decided its first single would be “August” and to be released on January 2018.

In the last minute, after hearing of his passing, I wanted to cancel the release altogether, but after much deliberation we decided there would be no better way to honour him than to release it in his memory. Colin was the person who basically kickstarted my career, and “August” would be the first time in seven years his guitar playing wasn’t on an album of mine.

I stripped “August” down to its core, removing  every single guitar and re-worked it to be more intimate and nostalgic. “August” was meant to be a farewell. A warm goodbye in a cold winter morning in Argentina (August being the coldest month in the southern hemisphere). A journey through the different stages of grief. I wrote a farewell before knowing who I was saying goodbye to.

Now I know. Godspeed, my good friend.“