On February 3, 2009, Marco Benevento will release 'Me Not Me', a new studio album featuring his interpretations of songs by artists including My Morning Jacket, Leonard Cohen and Deerhoof among others.

Marco Benevento on amazon.com

Marco Benevento on amazon.co.uk

The ten-track collection arrives within a year from release of Benevento's critically acclaimed debut studio effort, 'Invisible Baby'. Like its predecessor, Benevento is joined by bassist Reed Mathis and drummers Matt Chamberlain and Andrew Barr. The band recorded at Chroma Sound in Seattle during days off on a West Coast tour earlier this year. Engineer Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Antony & The Johnsons, Phish) mixed the sessions in Brooklyn.

Of further note, Benevento takes a giant step into the 21st century with the formation of his own label, The Royal Potato Family (distributed by MRI/Red), for the worldwide release of 'Me Not Me'.

"When I first started touring with the trio, in addition to my own material, there was a great opportunity for me to perform tunes from other artists that I'd always wanted to play, both a combination of older rock songs and modern tunes that are part of our current culture," explains Benevento. "So the next step was to make a record with some of this material. I decided to leave the harmony of the songs pretty close to the originals, but really get into messing with the arrangements. I got into sculpting sound around the original piano parts by using some of my favorite keyboards and re-amping them in interesting ways. This album has more layering and textures than the last one. Bryce and I worked closely in developing that idea as an underlying concept for the music."

Marco Benevento, who first attracted national attention playing Hammond B-3 organ and Wurlitzer in The Benevento-Russo Duo, shifts the focus to acoustic piano with his own trio. Throughout 'Me Not Me', he proves to be one of the most compelling sonic innovators of his generation, re-imagining the instrument through guitar pickups, delay and distortion effects and a Fender Super Reverb Amp.

He shapes and shifts the aural depth of the recording by adding layers of Ace Tone drum machines, Farfisa, Optigan, Mellotron, tack piano and other unconventional keyboards, while using circuit bent toys to develop the emotional character of the songs.

Beneath the blanket of colors, the core of the album is the collective energy of Benevento's trio. Reed Mathis, Matt Chamberlain and Andrew Barr provide a take off point for magnetic post jazz improvisations.

The three original compositions on 'Me Not Me' underscore Marco Benevento's inclination for simple pop melodies, multihued sound and playful composition. "Now They're Writing Music" was first debuted in a rough sketch when the pianist was a guest on "The World Cafe With David Dye." Benevento asserts the "toys" themselves wrote the song. The instantly familiar "Mephisto," often performed by The Benevento-Russo Duo, is the closest the album comes to straight-ahead jazz, hinting at 1970's Keith Jarrett. On the other hand, "Call Home" seems to summon the spirit of John Lennon and Paul McCartney.

Marco Benevento will launch 'Me Not Me' with a residency at Yoshi's in Oakland, appearing every Tuesday night in February 2009 with different special guests.

Additional West Coast tour dates for February will also be announced shortly.

Marco Benevento MySpace
Marco Benevento Official Website

Kick your day off on the good foot with "The Real Morning Party," the first video from Marco Benevento's critically-acclaimed new album, 'Invisible Baby', out on HYENA Records.

Filmed in the kitchen of his Brooklyn apartment, Marco gets down in his bathrobe, effervescent colors flash on split screens and the "Real Morning Party" dance-craze is introduced to an unsuspecting nation.

Watch Marco Benevento - "The Real Morning Party" video:

Marco has just finished a five date East Coast run with his trio featuring Reed Mathis and Andrew Barr, more dates below.

Marco Benevento West Coast 2008 tour dates (highly recommended):

Dates could be added or changed! Go to Marco Benevento's Official Website for the latest tour dates and information.

2 May 2008 One Eyed Jack's New Orleans, Louisiana
6 May 2008 Yoshi's San Francisco, California
7 May 2008 The Triple Door Seattle, Washington
10 May 2008 The Boulder Theatre Boulder, Colorado

Marco Benevento's 'Invisible Baby' has been drawing raves from fans and press alike. Here's what critics have been saying:

"On Invisible Baby (Hyena) with bassist Reed Mathis and drummers Andrew Barr and Matt Chamberlain, Benevento sculpts his pieces with playful weirdness too (the insect-dance hook of 'The Real Morning Party') and addresses the melodies and spaces in 'Ruby' and 'You Must Be Lion' with heated grace." - David Fricke, Rolling Stone

"...Benevento is actually a pop formalist, albeit a sneaky one, and, for all his improvisational chops, a textural minimalist very much in the tradition of Brian Eno or Sigur Ros. Chaos and chance are the calling cards, but his songs are always accessible..." - Bret Gladstone, Village Voice

"The new Benevento record will appeal to fans of Thelonious Monk, Air, Radiohead and Phish...tunes like 'Bus Ride' and 'Are You The Favorite Person Of Anybody' are ambient soundscapes winking at the psychedelic." - David Callicott, New York Press

"Brief and spare, yet powerful and moving, there is nothing but joy at the heart of Invisible Baby, which is nothing short of an instant classic." - Josh Potter, Jambase.com

Marco Benevento - Invisible Baby on amazon.com

Watch "The Real Morning Party" at Vimeo.com in high def video (please give it time to load).

For more music and information, go to:

Marco Benevento on Myspace
Marco Benevento Official Website