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Steven Wesley Guiles Releases a Heartfelt Instrumental Album, “Chester Light Guiles”
Los Angeles – Acclaimed indie musician Steven Wesley Guiles announces the release of his new instrumental album, “Chester Light Guiles,” a poignant tribute to his father. Scheduled for release on January 14, 2024 (Chester’s birthday), this album significantly departs from Guiles’ previous works and is his first entirely instrumental effort.
“Chester Light Guiles” is an intimate musical journey from a unique creative process. Over 25 days, Steven recorded one solo acoustic instrumental daily, using just one guitar and one microphone. Each track he captured in a single take, raw and unedited, imbued with the authentic sounds of the room – from the clicks and pops to the artist’s breathing. This approach lends the album a personal, almost conversational quality, as if Steven is in the room, sharing his artistry and memories directly with the listener.
Each track in the album honors Steven’s father, Chester Light Guiles, interweaving whimsy, beauty, and thoughtful contemplation. “The album is a way for my brother and I to honor our dad. It gives us a way to talk about him and the stories that filled our lives. These snapshots emotionally resonate with how we remember him.“
The album’s simplicity and serenity invite listeners into a space of reflection and remembrance, particularly appealing to those who appreciate chill, relaxing, and thoughtful instrumental music.
Collaborating with his brother Dave, who has been a long-time art partner in Steven’s projects, the album also features a visual storytelling element. Each track of the album will have an accompanying drawing that will appear somewhere on the cover of the album. Mastered by Pedro Costa, a bandmate of Steven’s from Dove Pilot, the album is an ensemble of memories and melodies, each title recalling a specific memory shared by the brothers.
“Chester Light Guiles” will be available on major streaming platforms, including Spotify, Apple Music, and Bandcamp, with the possibility of a physical release based on demand. In anticipation of the album’s release, Steven Wesley Guiles will share behind-the-scenes content, personal stories, and previews across various social media platforms.
For more information, promotional requests, or to arrange an interview, please get in touch with Dan Portnoy at dan@portnoymedia.com at 626.487.9822
Chester Light guiles
Transitions
Indie-pop love letters of struggle, acceptance, how to make a difference, and knowing self.
Los Angeles, CA – Equal parts hope and introspection, Steven Wesley Guiles’s latest offering grapples with our world and his place in it.
“The world has changed so drastically that I felt it was important to wrap my head around what was happening around me and within me.”
Guiles initially set out to record an instrumental album but life kept getting in the way.
“My dad is in the end stages of cancer. I’m attending therapy to deal with emotional and relational crises. I’m going through a loss of faith in the religion I was raised in and I’m trying to somehow live authentically through all of these difficult life circumstances.”
Transitions is Steven Wesley Guiles’s 4th solo release. Full of foundational elements about self-acceptance, love, and peace. But it’s more than navel-gazing. Celebrating the differences and experiences of people in our world makes it better.
The eleven-track record opens with the intriguing line (and title of the first song) “Maybe Jesus Knew What He Was Talking About” – a duet with singer/songwriter/producer Katie Dwyer.
From there, the questions continue.
“Cats and Dogs” is the second track celebrating the differences in a world that feels eternally binary.
“We can both enjoy our lives in our own mismatched way.
You and I can coexist inside the same frame.
Just because we’re different doesn’t mean we have to feel ashamed.
Cats and Dogs don’t have to be the same.“
Press Photos
The third track, “Me In a Nutshell” is a full breakdown of how we wear so many hats and how our loves, interests, struggles, and labels result in the collision of ideas and harmony.
“Peace With Myself” is a mantra like call for internal peace.
“If I live in peace with myself, I can live in peace with everybody else.”
“Magnets” describes the longing for relief from the push and pull of attraction and builds to a crescendo the Polyphonic Spree would be proud of. Features the amazing orchestral arrangements of South Korean composer Andi Roselund (Majestic High).
The Vampire Weekend infused, “If I Succeed In Anything Let it be Love.” It’s full of what Guiles wants his life to be about.
“Don’t Give Up” is the first single for the album releasing on 8/9/22.
“This song was written for myself and all those who feel hopeless or like they don’t matter. The song was first written in 2007 and then shelved. As I lived through the insanity of the 2016 elections, I realized I needed a sincerely hopeful outlook. This song combined the arranging skills of Andi Roselund and internationally touring classical pianist Joel Clifft.”
Track eight is, “All We Need Every Day and Night is Love”. It’s about getting at the heart of a longtime relationship that starts and ends each day, the battles in between, and how keeping it simple is hard but oh so important.
In the vein of John Lennon’s Merry Christmas (War Is Over), “Peace On Earth” questions if peace is possible, and concludes in the final line that he “won’t give up on peace on Earth.”
“Overflow” is an earnest take on loving someone so much but realizing they may not understand or feel that love
The final track, “Some Hopes”, ends with the continued scuffle of internal positivity. Guiles encourages us to choose hope with a crescendo.
Transitions will be released on October 4, 2022. It was produced by Steven Wesley Guiles and Pedro Costa and recorded at John Cash Studio in San Dimas, CA.
Brief
Steven Wesley Guiles releases his 4th solo project with Transitions. Coming from a successful Kickstarter campaign, Transitions tackles massive issues of societal needs and wants and private struggles of the heart. Evoking Conor Oberst and Jeff Tweedy, Transitions is a collection of heart-on-sleeve stories, recounted by a man in metamorphosis.
Reviews
For a while, I wondered if I was alone in the emotional and spiritual transformation I was going through. It felt disheartening. It felt lonely. It felt disappointing. It was hard to understand. I watched many of my closest friends walk a different path then the one I was choosing. It’s been a strange few years.
Then came Transitions.
I sobbed the first time I listened to this album. While I had followed Steven on social media for years, and knew he and I had some shared struggles with what is happening around us, it was like he wrote this album for me. To tell me it would be alright. To tell me I was not alone. To re-hearten me. Every single song here addresses something I have struggled with over the last few years, it’s almost unnerving, but it’s so welcomed. Musically, this folksy album lands somewhere between Jack Johnson and “The Rainbow Connection.” It’s laid back, unassuming, reflective, intimate, and just genuinely full of love. Lyrically, it explores loss of peace (in ourselves, with each other, and spiritually), loss of faith, the politics of the past few years, social justice, the legacy we might leave, and love. But, more importantly, these aren’t downtrodden songs of woe. They are songs of joy and inspiration in the midst of incredible sadness and loss. They are reminders of who we are. Transitions is the total package. From the cover art to the lyrics (and the lyrical notes) to the overall sound, it all fits perfectly. In fact, when you see the cover art, rest assured that it sounds exactly like what you are imagining. I love all kinds of music, but only a small handful of it truly speaks to me in the way Transitions does. I can’t recommend this enough.
– Mark Fisher, 1340mag
Press Quotes
“My new album is about hope, love, and difficult times. I think that’s a pretty good combination of things that aptly describes the times we are living in.”
– Steven Wesley Guiles
“I’m drawn to write songs about trying to love people with very disparate views. This is central to a lot of my questioning about life and how I thought things were. And, hopefully, as I’m growing, how I see them now.”
– Steven Wesley Guiles