SEAN KELLY will issue The #1 Classical Guitar Album on October 23rd via Opening Day/Universal. Fans are familiar with Sean’s glam rock outfit CRASH KELLY, but this release showcases an entirely different side of a truly talented musician.

In an exclusive chat with BW&BK; scribe Aaron Small, Sean reveals, “I’ve got a Bachelor of Music Degree (from the University Of Toronto) and my major was Music Education. My primary instrument of study was guitar. I had to audition on classical guitar to get into the program. While I was there, I studied with the great Eli Kassner – he’s probably the most important person for classical guitar in Canada. He’s amazing. I got to study with a true master of the instrument.”

When asked about his ambition behind this classical CD, Sean says, “At the end of the day, what I’m really hoping to accomplish is… good music makes its own friends. Sometimes as human beings, we put up these barriers and put ourselves in these social cliques, but you can step outside your comfort zone and open your eyes (and ears) to a new thing.”

As would be expected, this studio experience was very different from the Crash Kelly sessions. “I’ll tell ya man, it can be a very humbling experience, walking in there with a nylon string guitar and one mic,” admits Sean. “You’re not hiding behind drums or layered guitars. It’s you and that mic; it was intense! Every little scratch, every little faulty vibration of the string is picked up. But, at the same time, you get into this zone and you get inside the music in a way that’s very intimate. I really feel like I grew as a musician over the course of this. I know I’m bringing it to my rock sessions and the next Crash Kelly record. It was different but I’m really glad I did it and I look forward to doing it again."

"One thing I want to stress is that because of imaging – I’m the guy with the long hair who’s played in the band and all this – there might have been a danger of this becoming gimmicky. I didn’t want it to be gimmicky at all. I wanted to pay due respect to this music and just break down barriers. The rock ‘n’ roll thing definitely helps in the marketing side, there’s no doubt about it, it hips a new audience to the music. But at the same time, I want classical fans to listen to this and say ‘hey, I really like this guy’s interpretations of these pieces.’ So that’s what we tried to do – make an album that flowed from beginning to end nicely and could be enjoyed on many levels.”

The tracklisting for The #1 Classical Guitar Album is as follows: 'Prelude In D Major', 'Romanza', 'Kemp's Jig', 'Jesu, Joy Of Man's Desiring', 'Asturias', 'Classical Gas', 'Allemande', 'Bouree In E Minor', 'Greensleeves', 'Prelude In D Minor', 'Cavatina', 'Lagrima', 'Recuerdos De La Alhambra', 'Etude No. 1', 'Julia Florida - Barcarola', 'Lady Laiton's Almain', 'Romance', 'Dee', 'Adelita', 'Prelude No. 4' and 'Sunburst'.

In closing, Sean reveals that Crash Kelly has undergone a few changes. “I’ve assembled the new lineup for the band – Gene Scarpelli on guitar, Tim Timlich (ex-Universal Honey) on drums and Allister Thompson has switched over from guitar to bass – which he’s enjoying a lot more. I’ve done some more writing with Moe Berg (The Pursuit Of Happiness). We’ve hit the studio and shipped the songs off to Gilby (Clarke – producer and former Guns N’ Roses guitarist). He’ll mix them and we’re hoping to have the record done before the end of the year and out in the New Year. The Japanese label is waiting for it, as are the Europeans and hopefully the Canadians. But I don’t have a US deal anymore.”