Not resigned to play second fiddle all his life, Dave Weiner has released his solo effort Shove the Sun Aside. Originally released independently, the disc is now available through the Favored Nations label. Keeping in line with the bread and butter acts of Favored Nation, this release is an all-instrumental album featuring first-rate guitar playing.
As you can probably imagine, playing rhythm guitar for Steve Vai can be a double-edged sword. On one hand, you are backing one of, if not the, top rated Hard Rock guitarists in the world. Therefore, you must have your act together to be in such a position. Then again, you are backing this genius guitar player, so who is really noticing you? Fortunately, it seems enough people are taking notice, causing Favored Nations to step in and offer Dave the opportunity to get his CD out en mass. Of course it doesn’t hurt that the label President is none other than Vai himself.
With his first ever album release, Weiner takes a tentative step into the world of solo guitar. Playing intricate melodies with the expected sweeping runs, he focuses more on the clarity of the notes and cleanliness of his playing. Sticking with a more traditional AOR format, as opposed to off-the-wall fretboard fanatics, Weiner plays music that is easy to digest for even the most casual listener; much in the way Joe Satriani wrote and played on Surfing With The Alien. With a total playing time of just over 30 minutes, Weiner has left his audience with a whetted appetite and shied away from the ever-popular sensory overload, which seems to be a favored choice in all music genres currently.
There is a definite heavy side to the music. Songs like “Long Run” and the title track have some fast rocking beats with speedy guitar. “Monument Shine” is a song that sounds like something you would hear on modern day “Rock” radio, much akin to Hoobastank and Maroon 5; rocking with some serious pop sensibility. “Tourmaline” is a jazzy number that can easily take you to another world. A slower song with a beautiful melody, this piece may remind you of a Steve Morse and Pat Metheny mix.
Dave Weiner probably won’t be gobbling up accolades as the best or fastest new guitarist, but a good song is a good song. Shove the Sun Aside is a compilation of good songs not to be missed. You don’t have to be a guitar enthusiast to enjoy this disc; it is quality songwriting with clean production and precision playing.
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