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Sean Costello
What can you say about Sean Costello? That he was a brilliantly talented, inspirational bluesman who died WAY too soon on April 15, 2008, the eve of his 29th birthday... that he seemed destined to carry the blues torch gloriously into the middle of the 21st century... that he possessed a profound wealth of knowledge, love and respect for the giants of blues, jazz, gospel and soul, along with enough inner fire and passion to keep personalizing and reinventing the music, pushing its boundaries while always keeping it vibrant, keeping it true... that he was a sweet, shy kid who felt most at home with a guitar in his hands... a generous spirit, always quick to reach out a hand to someone in need, who meant the world to the family, friends and fans who loved him so much..
Yes, you could say all that about Sean Costello, and of course you’d be right, although any description seems nearly as incomplete as his life.
As a guitarist he was simply astounding, but he never let his technique become an end in itself. For Sean it was never about showing off monstrous chops or stroking his own ego. His playing always fit the song; he would work the tone and phrasing, sometimes with an economy of notes that let the empty spaces hang achingly for what seemed like hours. And when he did take off on the occasional blazing run, he was the ultimate net-less tightrope walker, throwing caution to the wind, flirting fearlessly with danger at the very edge of the abyss before bringing it all back home with the unlikeliest of phrases that was still, somehow, perfect.
Sean began hitting the stages of Atlanta and Memphis as a very young teenager, so it wasn’t until a few years later that he really came into his own as a vocalist. But it wasn’t long before he really began to nail it, putting all the passion and intensity of his guitar work into his singing and becoming a thoroughly soulful, expressive singer. Soon his songwriting caught up with his other talents. Whether he was playing one of his own songs or covering a classic, Sean poured the truest, rawest of emotions into his performances, which were never less than thrilling.
Those of us who were lucky enough to share space and time with Sean Costello during his short life will have powerful memories to hold and revisit for years to come. For the rest of the world, Sean leaves a rich legacy of recorded work.
And man, we sure do miss him.
– Richard Rosenblatt, April 21 2008
