Peppino D’Agostino & Stef Burns

Bayshore Road, the explosive, highly anticipated duo recording from Peppino D’Agostino and Stef Burns, is certain to fascinate music lovers while featuring two of the most innovative and critically acclaimed guitarists working today.

That just scratches the surface of a collection celebrating technical virtuosity and the melodic and rhythmic joys of the acoustic (D’Agostino) and electric (Burns) guitar. The two wrote and recorded the collection -- which features seven originals and three covers, including a snappy, ultra-percussive twist on Joe Zawinul’s classic “Birdland” -- at the studio they share, located on Bayshore Road in a small town near San Pablo Bay just north of San Francisco.

D’Agostino and Burns fast became friends in 2000 when a mutual friend introduced them. Burns came to see D’Agostino perform solo and immediately invited the acoustic guitarist to see one of his gigs with Huey Lewis & The News, with whom Burns has now toured with for five years. The two quickly realized their children attended the same school, and first joined musical forces for a benefit concert for that school. Burns asked D’Agostino to be a partner in his studio, and before long, the two were performing sold out shows. Burns’ popularity in Italy, where he is the longtime guitarist for Italian pop/rock superstar Vasco Rossi, helped secure a sold-out Italian tour for the duo in early 2003—and soon, they were contemplating a recording project together. “Even though we’re well known in very different worlds with different guitars,” D'Agostino notes, “we know and like so much of the same music, from Bach to The Beatles. We both love melodies and improvisation, and more importantly, like and respect each other as people. Bayshore Road is driven by a sense of mutual respect and a good balance between the polyphonic approach I take to the acoustic guitar, and the heartfelt approach Stef takes to melodies on the electric. We were most interested in connecting with people on an emotional level. Working on this album has also deepened our friendship significantly.”

Burns agrees with his partner about the complementary role their instruments play in creating a sound that emerges as natural, organic and seamless: “All of the tracks feature a perfect mix of our styles and everything from the melodies to the chord changes reflect our similar musical tastes. Burns also echoes D’Agostino’s thoughts about the central importance of melodies on Bayshore Road. “On the songs Peppino writes, I interpret the melody in my style, and he creates musical tapestries with mine.”

Other key tracks on Bayshore Road include the moody and mystical “Better World; the haunting and pensive ballad “Inner Sanctuary,” with D’Agostino tapping percussion on the body of his acoustic; a snappy and percussive electric folk exploration “Beyond The Dunes”; a graceful and romantic Brazilian excursion to “Manha de Carnaval”; the soulful and ambient “A Night in Manarola,” featuring Burns' steel guitar-like textual treatment; “Venus Over Venice,” an hypnotically romantic composition with Burns’ distorted rock edges; and a wild and speedy burst of rolling bluegrass energy chronicling the joyful insanity of “Jerry’s Breakdown.” Italian born D’Agostino was first drawn to the guitar after watching his cousin perform during church services in his hometown of Torino; the self-taught musician began picking out tunes by ear, and inspired by legends like Paco de Lucia, Leo Kottke and Carlos Santana, was composing and recording solo throughout Italy by the age of 18. Immigrating to San Francisco in 1984 to pursue his dream as a composer and performer, he paid his dues as a street musician before developing into a world renowned recording artist and performer critics have long hailed as “a poet…among the best talents around” (San Francisco Chronicle) and “one of the most capable composers among fingerstyle guitarists” (Acoustic Guitar magazine).

In addition to regularly performing concerts throughout North and South America, Canada and Europe, D’Agostino has released ten critically acclaimed albums and a DVD worldwide. He has been featured on numerous guitar samplers alongside greats like Pat Metheny, Mike Stern and John Scofield; written numerous guitar instructional books and videos; and in 1997 wrote, composed and produced a soundtrack for the feature length Italian movie Ardena, directed by Luca Barbareschi. D'Agostino is currently a featured guitarist in the World Guitar Ensemble, an ensemble composed of seven of the world's top classical guitarists and D'Agostino on steel string. His most recent solo recording is 2002’s Every Step of the Way on Favored Nations Acoustic. When Stef Burns gets a chance to perform live with his own Stef Burns Group, the crowds still go wild for the dynamic music from his lone independent release Swamp Tea. Finding time to record his own material has always been a challenge for Stef, who launched his sideman career in 1982 with Jesse Colin Young and has jumped from one superstar album and tour to the next ever since. From Young’s band, the versatile guitarist moved on to Pablo Cruise (1983); Sheila E. (at the height of the Prince/Purple Rain phenomenon, 1984-85); Berlin (1986-87); Michael Bolton (1988); Y&T (four albums) and Alice Cooper (1991-95), including an appearance in “Wayne’s World”.

Burns has also worked on albums, TV and radio commercials, film scores and live shows with Narada Michael Walden (who appeared as a drummer on Swamp Tea), Quincy Jones, former Yellowjackets saxophonist Marc Russo, and others. He participated in VH-1 Honors, performing with Stevie Wonder, Steve Winwood, James Taylor and Sheryl Crow.

In addition to his 100 dates a year with Huey Lewis, Burns has toured on and off with Italian superstar Vasco Rossi since 1996. After Favored Nations founder Steve Vai had shown initial interest in the Bayshore Road project, he was completely sold when he experienced the overwhelming audience response to Burns’s guest appearance at the G3 date in Rome, where he sat in with Vai, Joe Satriani and Robert Fripp.

D'Agostino and Burns eagerly anticipate performing tracks from Bayshore Road live. “It’s easy to tour with it,” D’Agostino says, “we think people everywhere will respond well to this very unique combination of sounds. Stef’s one of the best players on the planet, not to mention a good, no ego kind of guy. We really care so much about each other.” And, Burns adds, “strong melodies and improvisations. I love the spontaneous things that happen with us onstage, the way we’ll suddenly go off into a whole new direction. We want to share that rapport and sense of fun with the audience.”