Pico

While the name may be new to many, surfer, songwriter and musician Pico is no recent arrival on the Australian music scene.

With a significant following within the surf music fraternity in this country and overseas, in particular Japan, Pico has established a name for himself since the launch of his debut album ‘Ghost Flowers’ ten years ago.

Artists the calibre of Jack Johnson and Donovan Frankenreitar are enjoying global success with a style of music that has its home on our own shores with artists like Pico.

‘Morning Sun’ is the career highpoint for Pico. The 12 track album, exploring wide ranging emotions from the heartbreak of a failed relationship, to the happiness found in the blossom of new love, meeting your soulmate, as well as the tumultuous time between grommet and grown up.

His intimate, yet powerful lyrics and music give each of his songs a unique interpretation of universal themes from the feeling of the morning ocean spray on your face to the plight of the whales that share this ocean.

Producer ‘D.C’ (Paul Di Giacomo) enlisted the talents of some highly regarded Australian musicians, among the notable, Martin Rotsey of Midnight Oil. Beyond adding his distinctive guitar sound throughout, Rotsey contributed creatively to the structure of ‘Mornings Sun’, alongside collaborators like Lee Moloney (Diesel/Jimmy Barnes band), Rob Hirst (Midnight Oil) and Tim Gaze (Tamam Shud).

A musical journey that began more than a decade ago, Pico has toured extensively, featured on local and international surf movie productions and has prolifically released albums and singles and has received radio airplay and critical acclaim. 

Thanks to noted surfer, Derek Hynd, Pico was asked to compose the soundtrack for a Ripcurl video series titled “The Search”. From there, a subsequent 12 + ‘The Search’ DVD’s featured Pico’s music with collective sales at over a million copies word wide.

Pico’s music has also featured on Jack McCoy movies as well as a number of Quiksilver DVD’s.

Since then, he has written music for more a variety of surf features and within surfing ranks, Pico is referred to as the “the sound of surf movie”.

In addition to the soundtracks, Pico has previously released four CDs to wide acclaim and became somewhat of a cult music figure within the surf community around the world – touring and performing in South Africa, New Zealand, Japan, United States and United Kingdom.

“Morning Sun” is released on the Bombora label – creators of “Delightful Rain: a celebration of Australian surf music” - and sees the label continue to forge a dominant path within the surf music arena.

MORNING SUN
Review by Bernard Zuel

Confession time:  I can’t get my head around the husky-voiced, surf’s up-and-I’ll-have-a-muesli boys who sprouted from Ben Harper/Ben Johnson.  But Pico is a better example of the genus.  Occasionally it rocks up or feels like the perfect soundtrack to a long tube ride, but mostly it keeps its heaviness to tone rather than volume as Ride With You dreams a prog dream inside a soul song while Holding On  takes the sensitive male ballad for a deep immersion in Ray La Montagne-style heartache.  There’s some really good playing and it feels warm like a fleecy wrapped around you and a hoodie pulled up.