NYC based singer, songwriter and pianist Jason Vitelli captures listeners’ attention with dramatic, highly emotive soundscapes while telling stories focused on themes of facing adversity and overcoming all obstacles. Head Above Tide is the name of the new album and it is packed full of unpredictable sonic twists and turns.
Lying somewhere on the genre spectrum between art rock, chamber pop and progressive rock, Vitelli stays in his own lane with a distinct sound featuring an equally distinct blend of instrumentation and lyrical concepts.
About his song The Persecuted, which discusses the New York State Supreme Court’s decision concerning marriage equality, Jason says,
When you are going through a difficult moment, it helps to realize that persecuted people, even in the throes of despair, have found ways to overcome their struggles.”
The song Labyrinthine is influenced by the protagonist in William Styron’s novel Sophie’s Choice. You can feel the instrumentation pulling you deeper and deeper into the character’s tumultuous fate.
Combining his masterful piano work with orchestral ensembles, soaring rock guitars, folk-esque storytelling, and an undeniable ability to pull listeners into the drama surrounding the rhythms, melodies and harmonic moments found throughout Head Above Tide, Jason Vitelli has created an album that is deeply emotional, intensely cinematic and an incomparable layer cake of well arranged frequencies.
The concepts, historical moments and characters that influence his creations are just as interesting as the song’s they inspire.
After working as a composer and scoring for various films, documentaries and mixed media projects, Jason soon gave into his growing urge to shift into solo singer/songwriter mode and begin connecting with audiences through live performance. He self-produced his full length 2009 debut No Photographs which inspired producer and engineer Barry Diament to produce a live direct-to-stereo recording of Jason’s music. His sophomore effort, Confluence, allowed Jason to exercise his skills as bandleader and live performer. For Head Above Tide, Vitelli decided to use a combination of traditional overdubbing techniques and live stereo tracking. In his words,
I want the musicians reacting to each other in real time as much as possible. Often the interaction is what makes something distinctive and alive.”
Continuing on about his music, Jason states,
The reason that we love film and art is that they bring us out of ourselves, show us someone else’s reality, and in doing so, allow us to understand ourselves more through the process. It is my goal to help people open their eyes to a broader horizon. As hard as life can be, grace and compassion will always keep our heads above the rising tide.”
The above quote will have a lot more impact after you listen to Head Above Tide.
Find it on Spotify or Bandcamp.
Connect directly with Jason Vitelli on his official website, FB, IG or Twitter.
