DAVE WEINER - Shove The Sun Aside

Posted: 6/22/05

Reviewed by: Dirt

Category: Progressive Rock/Guitar Instrumental

Original Release: 6/8/04     Reissued: 3/22/05

Label URL: www.favorednations.com

Artist URL: www.daveweiner.com

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Dave Weiner?  Who the hell is he, you say?  Well, he plays guitar in Steve Vai's touring band.  The story goes that Dave worked as an intern for Steve Vai's manager.  Then, back in 1999, Dave gave Vai a demo, and Vai was so impressed that he hired him as a touring guitarist on the spot.  Pretty cool, huh?  Dreams do come true, I guess.

Shove The Sun Aside (a very cool title) is Dave Weiner's debut instrumental album. He originally released it back in June 2004 on his own, but now it gets the chance to reach a wider audience on Steve Vai's Favored Nations label.

Shove The Sun Aside will be appreciated by guitar aficionados, but this is not some long guitar wanking session.  Weiner concentrates on his songwriting first and wowing the listener second.  Opener "Andonova" begins in a reserved manner before flowing directly into the funky and speedy "Long Run."  You can hear some bass slapping on that one before Dave tears into a fluid guitar run, letting us know what he is truly made of.  "Monument Shine" transitions from sedate to slamming, which keeps the whole thing moving along, while "The Ghost Of Denmark St." is primarily sedate, toying with a few sampled noises.

The Bloody Truth: Shove The Sun Aside is a well constructed instrumental album.  While it certainly spotlights Dave's guitar fluidity and creativity, the bass, and drums are just as much part of the song.  Shove The Sun Aside is an easy listening experience, as there's a lot of emotion incorporated throughout.