YOUR project, YOUR passion. I'm here to bring your songs to life. A university degree in music and 35 years of performance, recording, and production experience that runs from rock to country to blues to jazz to musical theatre means I have the skills and the "song-focused" vision to play exactly what your songs need -- no more and no less.
While I am primarily a pop and rock guitarist, my playing features elements of blues, jazz, country, folk, and symphonic music. Above all, I play to enhance your song – subtle where appropriate, flashy where needed, from gentle acoustic guitar passages to powerful electric lead lines, and everything in between. My goal is to enhance YOUR music.
I use Fender and Martin guitars, Vox amplification, and numerous “boutique” effects, recorded in stereo through an Audient interface, using microphones from Royer, Warm Audio, and Shure, into PreSonus Studio One Professional, with additional sound tailoring plugins from Izotope, Positive Grid, Native Instruments, and many others. I even utilize the Boss SY300 guitar synthesizer and the Fishman Triple Play guitar MIDI controller, should your song call for a more modern, ambient/synthesized touch.
In short, your recording will sound clean, polished, and professional. And I provide all stems as .WAV files with and without added effects to ensure the guitar will "sit" perfectly in your mix.
I'd love to hear about your project. Click the 'Contact' button above to get in touch.
Interview with Damian Bonazzoli
Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?
A: I want my clients to know that they are a priority to me, and I will tailor my guitar parts to their song. Moreover, I truly want them to be extremely happy with the work I provide. I'm honestly not interested in getting paid unless the client is completely satisfied with my work.
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: I recommend you focus on getting the best possible sound when you first record. It's never a good idea to assume you can make something right in post production/mixdown.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I used to be more of a flashy, fast-paced hard rock guitarist, but I've slowed down over the years. My lead guitar phrasing tends to be quite bluesy, but with melodic elements that make it sound somewhat different from standard blues players. My rhythmic approach is very active, as I frequently change chord voicings within a phrase, or add bass note runs or other embellishments.
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: I'd love to work with Robbie Robertson or Bob Ezrin. They are songwriters and producers that do an incredible job with mood and texture, and they always serve the vision of the song.
Q: What type of music do you usually work on?
A: I tend to work best in rock, pop, country, and blues songs, though I enjoy, play, and compose in other genres such as ambient and film score music.
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I know music theory, and my fretboard, extremely well. A university degree in music and decades of playing, recording and teaching experience has given me the opportunity to feel comfortable in most any project.
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: A sense of taste. I play chords all over the neck, and I'm careful about finding the best voicings, the most appropriate rhythmic approach, and so forth. My leads can be everything from loud and flashy to gentle and bluesy, with touches of jazz and classically influenced melodies that set them apart from standard rock leads.
Q: What's your typical work process?
A: I listen to the song demo, and really try to absorb it. I don't play anything right away; rather, I try to live with the song for at least a couple of days to get a sense of what texture or approach will be best for the song. And of course, if a client has given me direction in terms of what they want, that takes the highest priority.
Q: Tell us about your studio setup.
A: I use a Royer R121 as my "foundational" microphone, and I augment that with a Warm Audio WA-84 if I am recording acoustic guitar, and a Shure SM57 if I am recording electric guitar. I plug these mics into an Audient ID14 interface, and my DAW of choice is Presonus Studio One.
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: I enjoy the work of guitar players such as David Gilmour of Pink Floyd and Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits, but also the songwriting of Arlo Guthrie, the production skills of Robbie Robertson and Bob Ezrin. I'm also a lover of Broadway-style musicals and symphonic music. Quality is quality, and great songs are great songs.
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: I provide electric and acoustic guitar parts, both rhythm and lead, that are focused on enhancing the overall song. Sometimes that calls for a flashy guitar solo, but other times it calls for a more subtle, textured rhythm part.
I was the Guitarist in this production
- Electric GuitarAverage price - $100 per song
- Acoustic GuitarAverage price - $100 per song
My typical turnaround time is 7 days. Yes, I do offer revisions -- I want you to be not just satisfied, but absolutely THRILLED with my guitar tracks.
- Brad Paisley
- Joe Satriani
- David Gilmour
- Fender Elite Series Stratocaster
- Martin DCPA-3
- Vox AC30
- Bootlegger Guitars DeVille
- G&L ASAT
- Royer R-121
- numerous boutique pedals from Earthquaker Devices
- Fulltone
- and Keeley Electronics
