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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contact: Rhonda Kelley
Tel: 617-536-1461
RKelley283@aol.com
INNOVATIVE SINGER/SONGWRITER DAVID COUSINO RELEASES DEBUT ALBUM: WIND OVER TEXAS
The debut album from singer/songwriter David Cousino features a blend of folk rock, jazz, blues, and Americana woven into 11 original tracks that capture the best flavors of American music.
Cousino is a passionate and expertly trained musician. His guitar skills are evident throughout this collection as he plays twangy country ballads, soft, moving folk rock, and jazzy love songs.
Cousino begins his collection, Wind Over Texas, with “Gamecock Blues” a beautiful fingerstyle blues song with guitar sweeter than Big Bill Broonzy’s and lyrics that sound like a mixture of James Taylor and Carl Martin. From there Cousino changes gears with “Keep Old Glory New” a rollicking country tune with fiddle, banjo, and an addictive hook.
Cousino rocks on “Blind Justice” with electric guitar, a fantastic chorus that sticks to your tongue, and a country swagger guaranteed to move your toes. In a further demonstration of his versatility, Cousino’s “Still a Fool” is jazzy even capturing an R&B feel with soulful bass, funky guitar and a wonderful, catchy chorus.
Cousino wrote the lyrics and music for all of his compositions but he had the support of some wonderful musicians, helping him to bring his sound to life. Cousino’s brother Mike played drums, grooving like Gadd on some songs and crashing like a rock star on others. Bassist Vinnie Marshall supplied some tasteful rolls and riffs adding depth to the sound while Tim Akers played some beautiful piano, B3, and accordion. Jonathan Yudkin rounded out the sound with some smatterings of mandolin, violin, viola and cello and Felita Rowe and Perry Coleman were the backup singers; helping Cousino to achieve a multi layered, rich sound.
“I think music can have power that we don't understand” says Cousino “There are enough things dividing people, but music gives us some common ground.”
Wind Over Texas is immediately embracing and captivating from the first to the last track. Though Cousino has only begun to take his music to the public, it is obvious from his imagination and versatility that there is great potential for the future. For now, Cousino hopes to play his music to crowds across the country and to continue writing and learning as much as he can. “I’m just trying to create music that touches people in a positive way.” Says Cousino “Maybe people will feel helped or healed or maybe they’ll just come together…and have a good time.”
- Rainmaker Public Relations
It’s refreshing to hear such bubbly and exciting voices in Americana and roots rock. Leaning on the country-pop side of things, David Cousino has the red, white, and blue passion with a swagger reminiscent of blues legends. The musicianship is top notch and the songwriting is equally breathtaking. He’ll ignite Nashville and all its suburbs but will slowly infect the rest of the country if given the chance that his music is due on mainstream radio. But would Clear Channel allow an artist who writes a concept album about “Big Boy Blue” who seems to be a parable for George W. Bush whose “gift is confusion and the ability to spin out stories that keep you entranced so you won’t know the difference between fact or fiction; truth or lies” and does it with the sound and swagger that their typical dittoheads muster? Probably not but only if they’re really paying attention - Smother.net
Discography
Wind Over Texas
10 original tracks with a special bonus acoustic version of "Keep Old Glory New".
Photos
Feeling a bit camera shy
Bio
A musicologist is one who studies all facets of music; rhythm, melody, composition, emotion, technology. With a single-minded passion rarely found in any vocation, David Cousino embraced music fully to become one of todays finest emerging ‘triple-threat’ artists as a songwriter, singer and guitar player. A musicologist who can execute.
David Cousino got his first guitar in the mail. His mother sent away for it using coupons she collected from her groceries. At eight years old, David tuned his nylon stringed guitar to some random tuning and began to improvise. His curiosity was initially fueled by the soulful grooves of Motown, but his development began in earnest with his discovery of Jimi Hendrix, Ted Nugent, Deep Purple and Bob Dylan. Cousino was not satisfied until he could replicate the tunes he was hearing exactly. This would serve him well a few years later as a finalist the Jimi Hendrix Electric Guitar Competition near the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and on numerous gigs backing up many of the groups he had heard in his youth.
The rock of the 60s sparked Cousino’s desire to write his own music and by 12 years old he was already composing his own songs. In the early 70’s John McLaughlin became his obsession, leading to jazz influences ranging from Jim Hall, Joe Pass, and Kenny Burrell, to Pat Martino, Chick Corea, Weather Report and Larry Coryell.
Cousino was playing professionally by fourteen and shortly after high school he had already begun taking private lessons from guitar legend John Justus and touring the country as a lead guitarist for a small band. Urged by the need for financial security, Cousino joined the Air Force initially working for the AF fire department, but continuing to play, write and develop his craft.
Military bands are notoriously difficult to get into, most musicians are recruited in, many with advanced degrees from top musical programs across the country. After auditioning with a makeshift cassette recording, Cousino was accepted into the Air Force Band of the South, “The Mighty Eighth” at Barksdale, AFB, near Shreveport Louisiana. This was a fertile environment for David, with the opportunity to study, practice, arrange, write and perform a wide variety of material. There he again resumed his musical schooling, studying with Eddie Kozak (former marimba/vibraphonist with Xavier Cugat, and personal musician assigned to Admiral Nimitz during WWII), for many years advancing his skills in composition and improvisation while performing in various groups in the Mid-South. While in Louisiana Cousino headlined at the 1984 World’s Fair, and performed hundreds of live events with big bands, jazz, rock groups and solo guitar. Cousino eventually moved to Wright Patterson AFB near Dayton Ohio to join the Band of Flight and assume greater leadership responsibility.
During his 23 years with the Air Force, Cousino didn’t waste any time.
He met and befriended the very best guitar masters from across the country and learned from them. He has taken masters classes with Ray Flacke in Nashville and Lorne Lofsky in Toronto Canada. He has played on the international stage at the Garden festival in Liverpool England, the 1984 Worlds Fair and Exposition in New Orleans La.and at the Detroit Jazz Festival with guest artists Rob McConnell and Arturo Sonduval. He’s played numerous studio sessions and backed up Susan Ashton, The Miracles, Al Vizzutti, and many others at live events in the Midwest. The pursuit of musical knowledge and the ability to play any style authentically with equal ability, kept David busy inside and outside the Air Force. During all this time, he was developing his own material and his skill as a songwriter and singer.
Cousino’s song “Keep Old Glory New” became the most requested original song in AF Band history since “In The Mood” by Major Glen Miller. This led to an opportunity to record in Nashville working with producer/engineer Jed Hackett. With the help of his brother Mike on drums, Tim Akers on keyboards, Jonathan Yudkin on strings, Vinnie Marshall on bass and background vocalists Felita Rowe and Perry Coleman he recorded the 11 songs that would become his debut album: Wind Over Texas.
With a sound that combines breezy acoustic blues, country swing, and rootsy folk rock, Cousino’s music is fully ripe. Years of experience and training translate beautifully into the impeccable guitars, soft moving vocals, and overall bright and brilliant compositions on his debut album. Cousino’s diverse background has made him an amazingly versatile artist giving us swinging jazz guitar, country finger picking, and electric riffs with equal skill.
With his debut recorded, Cousino looks forward to performing his music at venues across the country and eventually to reenter the studio for a follow up to Wind Over Texas. The savvy Cousino will continue to be a student of the arts, writing his compelling lyrics around lifes lessons, creating his unique blend of rock,
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