Ariel Aparicio Sets Digital Album Release

The sound of Aerials reflects an all-encompassing love of music. "I wanted to make a dance record, but with all guitars," he explains. "I was trying to incorporate all the sounds that I heard when I was first going out to clubs where they didn't just play 'dance music,' but would bring in all these other genres that you can dance to and appeal to everyone."

Aparicio has grown not only as a musician, but also a father, a husband, and a businessman (he co-owns three successful restaurants). He touches on these themes throughout Aerials, while crafting music that reflects that breadth. Aerials moves through pulsating dance rock ("Love Left Bleeding," an epic in three parts modeled after David Bowie's landmark "Station to Station") to intimate ballads ("Flowers"), and juxtaposes churning guitars and shuffling beats a la shoegazer greats like Curve and My Bloody Valentine ("She Can Show Us") with driving Latin rhythms ("Amor Sangrando," a Latin reinvention of "Love Lies Bleeding"). The program also accommodates "Sorry," an older fan favorite about Aparicio coming to terms with his sexuality which features Lisa Germano on vocals. (See full album track list below.)

The seven songs of Aerials began life as demos fashioned by Aparicio and his longtime guitarist, Steve Dawson. Some were tunes that had been kicking around his repertoire for a while, and others sprang forth during furious writing jags. But the project didn't ignite until Aparicio met producer Tom Gilroy, whose tastes proved to be as eclectic as his own. Gilroy had worked on Ciao My Shining Star, the all-star tribute to songwriter Mark Malcahy featuring performances by the National, Thom Yorke, Mercury Rev, and others. It was Gilroy's work on the Michael Stipe track for album ("Everything's Coming Undone") that made Aparicio want to work with the producer.

Born in Cuba and raised in Miami, Aparicio was surrounded by the rhythms of salsa, funk, and disco. The discovery of Aerosmith and Led Zeppelin in adolescence prompted him to grow out his hair and pick up the guitar, but Aparicio never segregated genres from one another. While the wider world is still discovering Aparicio's charms, trendsetters in the LGBT community have been aware of his work for several years; as early as 2005, The Advocate named him as a rising star to watch. His version of Jim Carroll's classic "People Who Died" was nominated for an OutMusic Award in 2010, and Aparicio was also the subject of OUTMusic's 2009 "Freedom of Expression" campaign, an effort to end the silent discrimination against openly queer artists in the entertainment industry. Songs and videos from his previous releases, including the bEdRoom tapeS, All These Brilliant Things, Frolic & F***, and All I Wanted have made him a popular fixture on Logo's NewNowNext and the Click List. His video for the track "Lucille" was ranked #7 on Logo's Best of 2010, while his cover of "Pretty In Pink" topped out at #3 on the same chart at Logo in 2009.

Time Out New York calls him "a recording artist... who plays Gay Pride events and rock & roll clubs with equal élan. ...Bucking the mainstream... Aparicio...continues to defy expectations." The Houston Chronicle included Aparicio in their "music you should listen to in 2011" feature, saying, "The Miami-bred, Brooklyn-based rocker makes jangly, joyful rock. Not too slick, but accessible enough to warrant more mainstream love."

Aerials Track Listing:
1. Love Left Bleeding
2. Tattered Heart
3. She Can Show Us
4. Sorry
5. Flowers
6. Caroline
7. Amor Sangrando

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