Album Notes

The L.A. Sessions: surf music with a Latin twist

Brazilian guitar player Joao Erbetta releases his first album of "Latin Americana" in the U.S.

New York, Feb 24th - Forget guitar heroes and long solos. Joao Erbetta's first CD release in the United States, "The L.A. Sessions", is an instrumental tribute to tight melodies with a surf music spirit and a strong Brazilian/Latin twist.

In this recording, Erbetta, 37, a New York-based guitar player and producer, gave a "vintage" sound approach to his compositions. The production is his third instrumental work and the first of a style that is being called "Latin Americana" .

When the idea of "The L.A. Sessions" came out, Joao asked surf country pal Deke Dickerson where he could find a place like a 1950's room to record a live, organic session.The answer was quick. The place was a studio in Los Angeles, and the man was Los Straitjackets Pete Curry. After 3 days, the CD was ready, full of original and 'tight' melodies.

"I don't like songs that don't reach a conclusion, with long solos. Surf and country music are based on melodies. My connection is with the melody, you can actually whistle all my songs," Erbetta says, as a loyal fan of guitar players from the 50's as Les Paul, Chet Atkins and Wes Montgomery.

The songs
The CD's eleven songs were designed to be played by a trio.
"Viva Waimea" feels like a Summer on the beach, an Elvis Presley movie with a feet in Waimea Bay. "The Dog and the Squirrel" is inspired in the nervous interaction between a friend's dog, a Border Collie, and the electric squirrels that live at the National Mall, where Erbetta regularly headed for walks during the time he lived in DC.
"Tico-tico no Fuba", a classic Brazilian tune immortalized by Hollywood's Carmen Miranda in the 40's, gained here a surf music touch, and "Oil Man" sounds like a funeral song for a very greedy and powerful man dying in loneliness.

Joao Erbetta
Joao Erbetta is a guitar player, musician and producer living in Brooklyn, NY. In Brazil, he is the singer/guitar player of the "cult" indie power trio Los Pirata (www.lospirata.com) and runs the indie label Monga Records (www.mongarecords.com). As a producer, he worked with bands like Bazar Pamplona (www.bazarpamplona.com.br) and Monica Tomasi (www.monicatomasi.com.br). He also creates videogame soundtracks.