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DEAN CASCIONE



Last Updated: 12/6/2009

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Status: Single
City: Shred City USA!!!
State: Massachusetts
Country: US
Signup Date: 10/20/2006

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Thursday, July 23, 2009 
Dean Cascione's Guitar Chop Shop has been added to Pandora's Music Genome Project!  Pandora is an free automated music recommendation / Internet radio service created by the Music Genome Project. Users can enter a song or artist that they love to listen to, and the service responds by playing selections that are musically similar. So If you are into shred, Pandora already has killer artists like Joe Stump and Michael Angelo Batio listed also, so you can create your very own radio station and catalog all your favorite artists and tunes to listen to over the web. Users can also provide feedback on approval or disapproval of individual songs, which Pandora takes into account for future selections.... www.pandora.com will get you there... 
- Now Let's Shred!!
1:29 AM 
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Monday, March 09, 2009 

Category: Music


The Pulse Magazine www.thepulsemag.com

03.09 Dean Cascione, Shred Guitarist


Dean




Dean






By Alex Kantarelis
      The shred guitar scene has a new face to look up to: it’s Dean Cascione, and he’s sitting at the forefront of the genre. With dedication, professionalism, and work ethic like no other, he is well on his way to becoming a shredding guitar legend.

       Cascione is a life-long fan of metal ~ in particular, shred, a subgenre that showcases the fastest and craziest guitar riffs imaginable. But it’s not just about the metal. Cascione’s songs are complex arrangements of “neo-classical music,” as he put it. Imagine a modern orchestra, where the guitar takes the place of your standard orchestra instruments, and you’ve got his sound.

         Cascione, who grew up in the Worcester area, got his start as a young guitarist. “I was just average like everybody else,” he said, speaking of the early days. In typical young guitarist style, he began taking lessons, but quickly knew it wasn’t his calling. “I was learning jazz and classical, and I hated it. I wanted to learn how to play metal,” he said. As he grew up, the image of being a guitarist became more important than the instrument itself. “I was more about telling people that I play guitar, and walking around dressed up like I was in a band, but never really put any effort into it.”

            As time went on, he realized that guitar was a passion, not just a hobby. He started dedicating more and more to the instrument. He began building his own custom guitars, which are all he now uses. With his friend Randy Ciak, he started a website (randyciak.com) entirely dedicated to guitars. Through the site, he met up with Joe Stump, a shred legend who took him to the next level. He began taking guitar lessons again, a move that most guitarists’ egos would not allow. “That was a turning point in my playing, it was almost like learning to play the guitar again. Joe teaches at Berklee [School of Music], and he knows exactly what he’s doing,” he said. With the help of Ciak and Stump, Cascione had the confidence to start writing his own songs.

        The next step was simple: write and record an album. Cascione began working hard to compose his shredding masterpiece, doing everything himself to make it happen. He recorded all the guitars and bass tracks on his own, inviting some friends to help out with the orchestration, drums, and even a few vocals (shred typically is instrumental). The result, Guitar Chop Shop, has already garnered him lots of attention. The album held the #1 chart ranking for the week of May 24th and an overall ranking of #2 on the Guitar Nine Records Top Sellers, and is still getting rave reviews from guitar critics all over the world.

           Cascione is quick to dole out credit to everyone around him, but gives the most to his endorsements. And of those there are many ~ Voodoo Amps, DC Custom Guitars, SIT Strings, GraphTech, Ollmann Pedals, GuitarHeads Pickups, In Tune Guitar Picks, FXDoctor Pedals and Mods. “When you have big companies like that who believe in you, that just puts you up to another level,” he said. “That gives you that next mountain you need to climb to be a professional musician.”

            For Dean Cascione, the future looks bright. He has already established himself among the best of his fellow shred guitarists, is ready to continue his ascent to the top, and plans to record the follow up to Guitar Chop Shop and have it out next fall. But he remains humble. “My ultimate goal would be to become a name in that circle of shredders. To tell you the truth I would do it all for free.”


Photo credit to Shawn Allen Guilbault and stylist credit to Dale at TuModa on Pleasant St., Worcester
1:08 AM 
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Friday, November 14, 2008 

Great news Shred Heads!! IceWind (www.icewind.ca) has invited Dean to perform a guest Shred Guitar Solo on a song that will be included in their new unnamed album - Soon to be released !! If the name IceWind appears to be familiar, its because Dean collaborated with Gabriel Langelier and Jay "The Ripper" Menard (IceWind's Vocalist & Guitarist) extensively on Guitar Chop Shop!!

  "Now Let's Shred!" - Dean Cascione



IceWind (www.icewind.ca)

12:48 AM 
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Friday, November 14, 2008 

DEAN CASCIONE - Guitar Chop Shop
Independent

Metal Express Rating: 9.0/10

Release Date: 2008-04-25

by: GEORGE FUSTOS

Email: george(at)metalexpressradio(dot)com

 

There is something about Instrumental Guitar that can't be beat. It allows the listener to envelope oneself within the music and just concentrate on nothing else. There are several musicians out there already, most of whom are world renowned and known by all within their own community. There is plenty of room for more however and in this case there is one more-someone new to the scene or this specific type of musical genre. He is Dean Cascione…master shredder and talent extraordinaire. After listening to the new release which is also Dean's debut, it is quite apparent that this guy is freakingly dangerous with a guitar. He was a former student of none other than another guitar freak and shredder himself, Joe Stump. That just about says it all.

Mr. Stump was voted as the 6th top shredder in the world by Guitar One Magazine and had this to say about his student. "Dean is quite a talented individual and quite an accomplished player and composer as well. He has a real nice command over the instrument and mixes his killing technique with a great musical sense and wonderfully crafted guitar tones." That certainly says a lot about what type of playing ability and guitar sound one can expect from the Guitar Chop Shop debut.

The CD isn't that long really with 9 tracks coming in under 28 minutes in length. Two or even three replays can occur quite easily, sometimes without even realizing it. A once over just isn't enough or satisfying in the least-it is that good. Guitar Chop Shop has a decent amount of shredding to it if that is what you are looking for specifically. It also has an equal amount of acoustic/flamenco-style as well. If your not a huge fan of acoustic when electric is in abundance, it should be surprising to hear just how good Dean is with an acoustic guitar in his hand.

All tracks were written by Dean Cascione himself with all guitar and bass work done by Dean. Orchestration was done by Jay Menard, drum duties went to Guillaume Sylvain and keyboard arrangement by Randy Ciak. The vocals were performed by Gabriel Langelier from the Canadian Powermetal band Icewind. The CD was produced by Dean Cascione and Jay Menard. Mixed and mastered by George Bellas and Jay Menard (mastered at George Bellas Studios-USA). A lot can be said about a person by the company he keeps. Looking at these names and the people involved in the making of this debut release, it is quite apparent that Dean surrounds himself with good company.

"Alba" is a short beautiful acoustic intro. With "Molto Veloce," Dean doesn't waste any time showing his audience who's boss when it comes to the 6-string. Talk about shredding attacks-this is it. "Sunrazor" is an incredibly gorgeous sounding and beautifully orchestrated acoustic number that reaches your soul and beyond. Top three material of the bunch. "Guitar Chop Shop" kind of says it all with its name. Dean brings out his 6-string again on this one and does a fair amount of shredding and other little treats to boot. It is done in a very tasteful way and doesn't overdo it or force-feed it to his listeners. "Brother" is another acoustic number that is later re-done as the closer on the CD but with lyrics. "The Monk" is a hard-edged rocker and shredder at the same time with plenty of arpeggio runs up and down the fretboard. "Driven" has a cool, almost futuristic sound to it with an overly audible funky/bluesy/jazzy/punchy bass line. A bit different than the rest of the CD. It has an experimental, Satch-type quality about it. "Farewell" is an extremely short but strong acoustic outro. "Brother" is performed again with vocals added to the mix.

Closing on an interesting note, in a quick one-on-one with Dean, it was asked of him who some of his major influences were that attributed to his playing style or those who motivated him in becoming the talent he is today. He innocently responded with Yngwie, Joe Stump, and George Bellas-all master shredders. Interestingly enough he stated that he never really listened to or studied any Satch or Vai. Then shockingly, he admitted that he had a place in his heart for musicians such as Ace Frehley (original KISS lead guitarist). "While not the most technical player by any means, he had command over his instrument and simple but memorable leads are what worked best for him. All easily played yet hard to forget once heard like the lead into "Detroit Rock City." There's no ego bashing going on here."

Guitar fanatics rejoice, there is another new CD and sound out there for you to add to your collections. Go get this one-you'll see why! For additional information on Dean Cascione, try checking out his Official Website at:

www.deancascione.com

12:09 AM 
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Sunday, October 05, 2008 

Blast Magazine

10/2008   

    Usually I refuse to do reviews on instrumental releases. You can't break the track down without coming across as a music teacher, and to be honest there has not be an instrumental release that I have heard were you just about have to be the person that wrote it to understand were the music is going. However I was asked by Blast's Asst. Editor to review this release. It seems 'Guitar Chop Shop' has sit on my desk forever. A big part of that was due to the fact of being behind at the time I received the release. However I must be honest there was another part of me that was dreading not only reviewing it. Not listening to this release would have been the biggest mistake I would have made in my tenure as editor of Blast Magazine!!!!

    'Guitar Chop Shop' contains eight tracks plus one bonus track. The bonus track is a remake of track five titled 'Brother. However, it consists of Gabriel Langelier from the band Icewind on vocals. Since we are on the subject of 'Brother' I will do it first and get it out of the way. The intro opens with two different classical guitar arrangements one playing lead while the second underling classical guitar is basically strumming chords. After a couple of measures Dean breaks into an almost carbon copy of Randy Rhoades guitar intro for Ozzy's "Diary of a Madman" taken from the album with the same name released on November 7, 1981 (this was the last release before Randy's untimely death on March 19, 1982). I'm not one to believe in séances, Ouija (correctly pronounced "wee-jah"  although often pronounced "wee-gee"  and commonly known as a 'Spirit Board') Boards or anything of the such, I'm a firm believer that there is a rational explanation for everything. However, I have to say outside of a very few and I mean very few differences it sounds so much like Randy that if I did not know any better I would swear Dean has channeled the spirit of Rhoades. 

    The other seven tracks include classical guitar songs and passages mixed in with shredding electric guitar solos. Dean is a student of guitar shredder Joe Stump. However, it does not take long after listening to this release that you begin to realize the student has surpassed not only the teacher but several other instrumentalists!!!! 

     As I mentioned earlier, there are specific reasons I do not do instrumentals. However, if it had not been for our asst. editor I would never had heard of this jaw dropping release. Yes, that's right I said jaw dropping. Which are two words I don't believe I have ever said in a review?! There is several criteria a release must meet to get Blast Magazine Diamond status, one is it can't be the artists first release. Well, Dean has changed that rule! If you are an aspiring guitarist no scratch that if you just a music fan that's into good solid melodic metal then this CD is an absolute must have!!!!! 

..

Reviewer : Darrell Finley

Rating: Diamond Status Award

8:19 AM 
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Wednesday, August 20, 2008 

Category: Music
Great news !!! Dean Cascione is now officially part of the Graph-Tech Guitar Labs Artist Team! Dean has been a long time user of the Graph Tech Black Tusq XL Trem Nut and the Ghost Preamps System and swears by their quality & performance!

     "Where most plastic and brass nuts I've used bind and kink, Graph Tech's Black TUSQ XL nuts are the quietest I've used and feel tension free - The Black TUSQ XL nuts actually enhance my vibrato."

     "I've been using the Entire Ghost Preamp system and Graphite Piezo Saddles on my Nylon String Double-Neck Strat for a few years now. The installation was simple and straightforward. Graph Tech really took all the guesswork out of it! The overall tone of the instrument is AMAZING , Its hard to believe it's a solid body guitar! The GHOST system has performed flawlessly at all my gigs and in the studio."  - Dean Cascione

     The Graphtech Artist roster also includes legendary King
of Surf Guitar: Dick Dale and Award Winning Blues Guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd!!

!

3:48 PM 
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Saturday, July 26, 2008 

Hard Rock Haven:

7/2008

www.hardrockhaven.net

by Matthew Hoffman
Staff Writer

      Another new and extraordinary guitarist has tossed his pick into the malaise that is guitar hero worship. This gentleman's name is Dean Cascione and he has wonderful feel for both acoustic and electric neo-classic shred genres. Hailing from Massachusetts should with this technique and feel become a bright star on the international guitar scene very soon.

      This release is a really unique one as it sails from acoustic flamenco-like notes into a harried vicious chop-a-second approach. The best thing is that all of it works and blends seamlessly into one cool ass summer album. This album is harsh enough to raise the eye brows of extreme metal fans while having a soft side for that special lady in your life. There is something here for everybody.

      While kicking back on a lounge chair at a neighborhood bbq with a cold Miller Lite or snuggling on a soft couch sipping a glass of $15 Riesling this sick Italian can help with either "mood."

      Alba is a beautiful romantic cut that sounds bit Latin flavored and ends with a few unique Asian notes.

      The vicious high tech ability in the aggressive neo-classic realm immediately smacks u in the "chops" as "Molto Veloce" jumps ahead with amazingly crisp and fresh Impelitteri sounding licks. The thing that makes this different from the 986 Yngwie impersonators appearing every year since 1985 or so, is that he has all the technique and also buckets full o' emotion. Frenchy Guillame Sylvin provides the live and spirited if largely basic drumming here with some wicked tone.

       The flamenco technique on "Sunrazor" and Dean's layers of acoustic notes in rhythm and lead are dripping with tears. Yes peeps this one may take you down a road you certainly did not expect when you bought what you thought was a shred record. Holy $% is this wonderful song. It's possibly one of the best in years in the solo instrumental guitar world.

       He rotates between serene and melancholic and into aggressive and frantic on this record so often that you may wonder if someone switched CDs in the changer. On that very theme Dean rips Mach 7 tones forward on the next ditty the albums title track. His speedy and vicious striking of the strings up and down approximately a minute into the frey make for an almost bull fighter scene where the tension rises and then he slows it down a bit after the young handsome young animal's protagonist is gored and left to die.

        The rest of the CD is just as pure and spectacular. This includes the cover art of Weiye Yin who conceived the picture of a futuristic wildman with sabers for arms.
The only critique of this record is that 27 minutes is a bit short for a full length album, so a bit more content would have been nice. Regardless of the shortness this is a "top" candidate for album of the year in 2008 and is "highly" recommended.

Pick up his record a.s.a.p at www.guitar9.com.

Band Members:
Dean Cascione - Guitar/Bass
Gullaume Sylvain - Drums
Jay Menard - Orchestration
Randy Ciak - Orchestration, Keyboard Arrangement
Gabriel Langelier - Vocals

Track Listing:
1. Alba
2. Molto Veloce
3. Sunrazor
4. Guitar Chop Shop
5. Brother
6. The Monk
7. Driven
8. Farewell
9. Brother (Vocals)

Hardrock Haven rating: 8.6/10

1:59 AM 
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Wednesday, July 02, 2008 
    Excellent news! Dean Cascione is now rocking out as an Endorsed Artist for GuitarHeads!! Dean will be exclusively using the new GuitarHeads Hex Single / Neo-Vintage Pickups!! "After talking with Wayne and his friendly staff at GuitarHeads - Wayne suggested I try his new line of Pickups "Hex Singles"  Note: Wayne hand winds all the prototypes!!!

    " Its always bothered me that the pole pieces on my pickups didn't align correctly with each string - The GuitarHeads Hex Singles have pole pieces aligned to exactly match the string path of a Strat. Also, the increased output really shines when plugged directly into my tube driven VoodooAmps V-Rock 100".

     "The neck pickup is PURELY Crazy tone, and has much more output than the stacked humbucker singles I've been using. The bridge pickup really caught me off guard (These are usually too raw and thin for me to use for leads); It's the sickest sounding pickup I've heard in a long, long time - I can achieve Mega Crunch (As if I'm marching out of the depths of Hell) as well as airy, crispy, cutting leads"

     "Wayne at GuitarHeads developed one KILLER set of pickups that are affordable and wont break the bank! I shot the GuitarHeads Promo video using the bridge pickup selection only, and I think the tone really speaks for itself . Thanks to Everyone at GuitarHeads - Its very cool to be rocking out for you guys- Now let's Shred!! "
                                                          -Dean Cascione


GuitarHeads Hex Singles Specs Below:

    GuitarHeads "Hex Single" Pickups are constructed with Neo-Vintage Technology and feature a Warmer "Vintage" Tone, but made for the modern guitarist. While their tone replicates the warm feel of the pickups from the late 50s, Hex Singles have a hotter output of about 6k Ohms and also feature 6 Adjustable Hex Pole Pieces, to help avoid "Dead Spots" and improve overall pickup response (the poles have a spacing of 52mm on the Bridge or Middle Positions, and 50mm for the neck Model).

     The Middle version of the Hex Single Pickup is reversed wound, and has reversed polarity, to cancel out the hum with your switch in positions 2 & 4, when used in a SSS set. The Hex Singles are available with your choice of a Black, White, Red, Blue, or Green Cover at www.guitarheads.net


 

 GuitarHeads  Endorsee: Dean Cascione
Hex Singles - NEO-Vintage Pickup Demo
Video


 

12.4mb Windows .wmv

To Download, right click and select (save as)

 

In the Video, Dean Demonstrates the killer tone of GuitarHeads
new "Hex Singles" high-output single coil pickups .

Gear Used:

DC Custom Scalloped Neck Strat

GuitarHeads bridge & neck pup (Hex Single coil)


VoodooAmps V-Rock 100w Head w/ 4x12 cab

Shure SM57 mic at grille.

This is straight natural TONE
 with no extra efx!

5:06 AM 
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Tuesday, June 24, 2008 



     Killer news!! Dean Cascione "Guitar Chop Shop" merited the No.1 chart ranking for the week of May 24th and an overall ranking of No.2 on the Guitar Nine Records Top Sellers Chart: Neo-Classical Metal for the month ending May 31, 2008. Horns Up Salute to all you shred heads who made this happen - thank you!!
 
 Check out Dean's Inclusive Guitar Nine Records Stats Page here

 

12:16 AM 
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Saturday, April 26, 2008 

 Dean Cascione's Debut CD Guitar Chop Shop
is now available - Let's Shred!!
 

Cd's are beautiful full color enviro-friendly digipack style (no plastic) with full color printed picture discs!
 

Guitar Chop Shop 
USA / Canada Orders - (Price Includes Shipping!)
$9.99 US

Guitar Chop Shop 
International Orders - (Price Includes Shipping!)
$13.99 US

Cd's can be purchased direct at
Dean's Official Site:

www.deancascione.com


 

 CD NOTES: Horns up Shred Heads! Dean Cascione Is an American Neoclassical Shred Guitarist who lives in Massachusetts and studies under the Mighty Shred Lord Joe Stump. In his Debut release "Guitar Chop  Shop" Dean digs deep into the neo-scallops and mixes melodic hooks with killer fret board assault that even the most demanding shred enthusiasts will enjoy. From fierce pedal tones to multi-note sweep arpeggios, Guitar Chop Shop is packed with plenty of new shred that's not overcooked. Dean Also teamed up with famed Shrapnel / Lion Records Super Shredder George Bellas, in which George mastered all the tracks on the cd.
 

10:37 PM 
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