Mario Parga - Lullaby for Skye (Portrait of the Artist’s Daughter) (2011) (oil on canvas on panel, 12″ x 16″). Private Collection.

Mario’s new website for his oil paintings and drawings www.marioparga-art.com has provisionally opened, more images and content will be added soon. For many years, Mario kept his music and art separate, but decided that this year was the right time to fuse the two together and introduce his music fans to his artwork.

Mario is very pleased to announce an official endorsement with prestigious French oil paint manufacturers Charvin, whose paint is exclusively distributed in the US by Jerry’s Artarama.

Mario said “I’m very pleased and proud to be associated with such an important paint company as Charvin with almost 200 years of artistic history. For clear, luminous vibrant color with exceptional mixing and handling properties combined with a high pigment load, I prefer Charvin Oil Colors over all other brands of paint. The difference really is amazing, and you owe it to yourself and your art to try them out.”

Siggery Guitars ‘Mario Parga Signature’ model

Starting from next Friday Feb 18th, Mario is going to post a ‘lick of the week’ on Twitter and his Blog every Friday for an indefinite period. The lick will consist of an audio clip of him playing it, plus tablature and playing tips.

Mario said: “I get many requests for guitar tuition, so I’m hoping this will be of interest to those of you who have emailed me about it :-) The licks will be just that; short guitar licks with a brief explanation and tab. Hope you enjoy them!”

Join Mario’s Twitter feed here.

We hope you all enjoyed the Holidays and wish you a very Happy New Year! :-)

2011 will be a busy year for Mario and will see the release of his new album Shadows & Light.

The Magician’s 20th Anniversary!

Mario Parga - The Magician (1991)

2011 marks the 20th anniversary of Mario’s first solo album, The Magician (1991)!

President Records (who originally released the album) and Mario have been in touch recently with potential ideas to commemorate the album. At the moment, there is a possibility that the popular track ‘Heatwave’ from The Magician will be re-recorded as a special edition digital download. Mario talks about it a little more in his blog.

As soon as plans have been finalized the News page will be updated.

Mark Mendez

Mario is pleased to formally announce Mark Mendez as the new drummer for the Shadows & Light album and his band. Mark is from Guadalajara, Mexico and has toured and recorded with numerous Central American rock and metal bands.

Mario said: “Finding a drummer to replace Kevin Valentine was a very difficult and daunting task. Aside from technique, I wanted excellent timing, passion, soul and originality. After hearing many candidates, Mark’s material stood out from the crowd with his world class playing. He possesses all of the previously mentioned qualities and more, and I’m very excited to get to work on the new album with him powering the rhythm section.”

For all press enquiries, please contact Shawna at music@midnightcafestudios.com

Thank you to all those who submitted material to MidnightCafe Music for consideration of the role of drummer for Mario. Please note that this position is now closed and new applications will not be considered.

Please note that although the new page isn’t moderated by Mario, he does read all your comments and will reply to certain messages. To get in touch with Mario personally for music related quieries, please use the contact form at the main website.

Mario said:

“It’s very sad that Kevin couldn’t continue with the album as what he recorded sounded amazing, but I know and understand that he has a lot going on and that it would have been unrealistic to continue. The replacement drummer I’m looking for is someone who prefers playing instrumental music and can play to a high technical level.”

The track listing for the album is as follows:

1. Ra’s Dream
2. Electric Lounge
3. Desert Rose (Shawna’s Theme)
4. Manera Latina
5. Kelso Depot
6. Echo Bay
7. Shadows & Light
8. Twilight Rain
9. Lullaby for Skye

The album will also feature two special bonus tracks.

Drummer Kevin Valentine has left the project due to scheduling conflicts. Mario said of Kevin: “It’s a terrible shame that Kevin couldn’t continue with the album as what he’d already recorded was amazing. He’s an awesome musician and a really nice guy, I’m sure we’ll work together again in the not too distant future.” A replacement will be announced soon.

The new Siggery Guitars ‘Mario Parga Signature’ guitar is now available through Siggery Guitars’ website.

This guitar is totally handmade and will retail at $2,095.00 (price includes a Gator flightcase). For all enquiries please contact Siggery Guitars on +1 1892 610073 or email mtsigg@aol.com

The guitar’s spec is as follows:

• Solid mahogany body with thin Koa veneered top and set mahogany neck

• Rosewood fingerboard (25″ scale) with 24 jumbo frets

• Grover 18:1 locking tuners

• Tunomatic bridge, strung through body

• Rio Grande handmade in Texas pickups: ‘Barbeque Bucker’ in the bridge and ‘Buffalobucker’ in the neck

• One volume and one tone pot (with pull/push coil split), 3-way selector switch

• Transparent black nitro laquer finish (transparent crimson also available)

Please note that a waiting list will be in place for all orders.