The Guitar Player's Resource
Submitting an all-instrumental CD-R demo album filled with guitar-oriented progressive rock tracks, Costa Rican guitarist Orlando Blanco uses the band name Blanco Project on Eyes Beyond Time. A one-man band, he uses a drum machine, bass and synth beds to give his music the progressive sound he is after. Blanco's style is reminiscent of Pink Floyd's David Gilmour, with shades of Steve Hackett thrown in there for good measure. His disc is a concept album, with each track relating somehow to the UFO phenomenon. Production, as you might guess, is raw and basic, but clean enough for a demo in this case. Progressive fans are a bit like fusion fans in that they typically expect at least two to three powerhouse musicians in a band, so that means Blanco may need to devote at least part of his day to searching for a skilled drummer and a keyboardist who can push the music into the next dimension.
Born in Costa Rica but raised in California (currently living in Costa Rica), Orlando graduated from the University of Costa Rica with a Major in Music Composition. He's also been playing guitar since the age of 13, enamored by its inexhaustible expressive capabilities. Influenced by all the major players in the rock scene, Orlando had always wondered about how to place the guitar in a more elaborate setting, while keeping the raw energy common to rock music. This meant rejecting typical uses of the guitar as one might hear it in pop music, while also avoiding the "virtuoso trap" (too many fireworks in detriment to the expressive quality of a piece). Orlando feels the answer lies in progressive rock music, despite its being considered at the fringes of rock, and he believes that the genre hasn't even begun to be fully explored. To this end, he composes every day, and plays in several local classic rock groups to keep his playing and performance in shape.
Blanco's immediate goals are to accumulate enough resources to produce his current project. His long-term goals include being able to dedicate himself full-time to his music, touring and recording.
Orlando Blanco
Costa Rica