'Sleeping Like A Maniac is a tour de force of songwriting wit and headstrong performance'
Australian Guitar Magazine
'Bold, ear bending work of art'
Four Stars - The Weekend Australian
‘Songwriting plumbs new depths... showing his
classical study of form and structure, tracks presents one surprise after another'
Rhythms Magazine
"An album that takes you everywhere;
listeners are alternately challenged, enthralled, uplifted, entertained, upset, comforted
and ultimately, amused by the sheer breadth of the goods on offer.
This is an album that isn’t to be missed!'
At The Barrier (UK)
'Edgy Celtic guitar playing of Folk giants like Bert Jansch and John Renbourn,
Justin sings late night lullabies surrounded by exotic guitar twangs and runs like
Davey Graham at his most exotic... Captivating listen'
Fatea Magazine UK
'He doesn't take the regular route to be inspired when writing... Extraordinarily talented...'
Billy Pinnel 3AW Radio
Guitar World USA - feature video, Lady In The Field
Post To Wire - top 20 LPs of 2021
UK Independent Blues Broadcasters feature album
Tony Hillers Radio Show - pick of 2021
Triple RRR Soundscape
Rhythms Blank Page - Feature video
Rhythms Magazine Chris Lambi LP top pick
Americana UK top 2021 videos, The Right Height
UK Folk.com - feature video, Golden Leaves
'Sleeping Like A Maniac is a tour de force of songwriting wit and headstrong performance'
Australian Guitar Magazine
'Bold, ear bending work of art'
Four Stars - The Weekend Australian
‘Songwriting plumbs new depths... showing his
classical study of form and structure, tracks presents one surprise after another'
Rhythms Magazine
"An album that takes you everywhere;
listeners are alternately challenged, enthralled, uplifted, entertained, upset, comforted
and ultimately, amused by the sheer breadth of the goods on offer.
This is an album that isn’t to be missed!'
At The Barrier (UK)
'Edgy Celtic guitar playing of Folk giants like Bert Jansch and John Renbourn,
Justin sings late night lullabies surrounded by exotic guitar twangs and runs like
Davey Graham at his most exotic... Captivating listen'
Fatea Magazine UK
'He doesn't take the regular route to be inspired when writing... Extraordinarily talented...'
Billy Pinnel 3AW Radio
Guitar World USA - feature video, Lady In The Field
Post To Wire - top 20 LPs of 2021
UK Independent Blues Broadcasters feature album
Tony Hillers Radio Show - pick of 2021
Triple RRR Soundscape
Rhythms Blank Page - Feature video
Rhythms Magazine Chris Lambi LP top pick
Americana UK top 2021 videos, The Right Height
UK Folk.com - feature video, Golden Leaves
About
Originally from Cambridgeshire England, Justin Bernasconi settled in the urban heart of Melbourne’s music community in 2004. Known as one of the city’s finest guitarists and songwriters, he continues to explore and expand his craft to raise the banner of ‘folk’ over new horizons. His previous solo albums delivered a captivating mix of alt-folk, Americana and bluegrass between evocative stories and exhilarating instrumentals. He looks back to British roots on third release Sleeping Like A Maniac. Tracks evolve like acts in a play. From setting the scene of one man's emotional journey through to vignettes of whimsy and soliloquies of despair and hope.
Bernasconi’s rendering of what he calls ‘Folk Impressionism’ can be heard in these videos.
Rules of form are broken, revealing sonic sophistication outside the square. Bernasconi’s deft cross-picking drives the surging rhythm of mental turmoil. It’s the tale of a man striving to move on from his relationship mess, his lies and confusion. Intense dissonant guitar is relieved by harmony as vocals rise and fall.
Australian audiences have embraced Bernasconi’s stirring fusion of mainstream and experimental folk. He draws from a deep well of influences. The classical world, indie folk and world-wide cultures all inform Bernasconi’s compositions. Just as Rock and Roll was born of the Blues and UK Punk assumed the vibe of Reggae, Bernasconi’s sound builds genre-bending bridges. Moods segue from folk balladry to rhythmic abstract urgency. (Think Jethro Tull’s ‘Thick As A Brick’ or Pink Floyd’s ‘Mother’.) The video for ‘Golden Leaves’ was recorded live by Jim Arneman, in a church hall in Melbourne on a cold autumn morning. Sitting in solitude, driving guitar and the voicing of a searching mind speak volumes.
Bernasconi’s rendering of what he calls ‘Folk Impressionism’ can be heard in these videos.
Rules of form are broken, revealing sonic sophistication outside the square. Bernasconi’s deft cross-picking drives the surging rhythm of mental turmoil. It’s the tale of a man striving to move on from his relationship mess, his lies and confusion. Intense dissonant guitar is relieved by harmony as vocals rise and fall.
Australian audiences have embraced Bernasconi’s stirring fusion of mainstream and experimental folk. He draws from a deep well of influences. The classical world, indie folk and world-wide cultures all inform Bernasconi’s compositions. Just as Rock and Roll was born of the Blues and UK Punk assumed the vibe of Reggae, Bernasconi’s sound builds genre-bending bridges. Moods segue from folk balladry to rhythmic abstract urgency. (Think Jethro Tull’s ‘Thick As A Brick’ or Pink Floyd’s ‘Mother’.) The video for ‘Golden Leaves’ was recorded live by Jim Arneman, in a church hall in Melbourne on a cold autumn morning. Sitting in solitude, driving guitar and the voicing of a searching mind speak volumes.