Two of my proudest moments are my appearances in Guitar Player magazine, click the thumbnails for larger scans.

http://truemetal.it/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=36102 (in Italian)

http://www.virtuosityone.com/seanbaker_int.htm

http://instrumentalcase.com/Baker.aspx

Sean Baker is back with a great new CD. I have said it before and I’ll say it again, why isn’t this guy completely famous? Besides being one of the best guitar players I have ever heard, he knows how to come up with the perfect killer riff. Unlike most shredder albums, Baker’s Dozen gives us lots of catchy melodies and solid songs that make you want to listen again and again. These melodies will truly stick in your head. Although most of the album is heavy, there are some pleasant quieter moments such as the emotionally charged "7/24/04" and "Two Part Invention in Cmajor." Parts of track titled "Mike Varney’s Mexican Vacation" remind me of something off DiMeola’s Elegant Gypsy album but on the whole Baker’s Dozen is without question a metal album.

The album features Lawrence Wilson on drums, David Donigian on bass, Cmak Ashtiani on guitar, and Sean Baker on guitar. Sean also handles most of the songwriting and he produced the album. Special guests include Bruce Bouillet (The Scream, Racer X), Joe Stump, and Rusty Cooley.

This instrumental album is a must have for anyone you enjoys heavy music.

4.5 out of 5 Stars

Stand Out Tracks: "Dukes Of New York," "Neo-Classical Gas," "Playing Opossum," "Which Way to Radioland?" and a cover of Deep Purple’s "Highway Star."

Review by Mark Strigl, taken fromhttp://www.striglsmusicnews.com/cdreviews.htm

For the uninitiated Michigan native Sean Baker is a guitarist whom anyone into the glory shred days as performed by the likes of Racer X will get an immediate kick out of. Picked up by Lion Music after a independently self released debut, Baker’s Dozen as the name implies sees lead guitarist Sean Baker and his band deliver 13 slices of intense guitar instrumentals.

Now before many of you stop reading right here believing this to be a purely notes per minute exercise, hang on; for that conclusion is further from the truth than you might imagine. Just one listen to the album shows that Sean Baker knows an instrumental chock full of his virtuoso lead work is nothing without solid backings. Much like label mate Joe Stump, Baker has delivered a highly listenable and enjoyable album which a number of twists and turns but with the metal factor on an almighty 11 pretty much throughout. Yes there are brutal displays of guitar virtuosity, but there is also a plethora of pummelling riffs that run from 80’s Shrapnel heyday through to intense workouts on a par with the likes of Pantera. Without the lead guitar this album will please many a metal head thanks to its sheer musicality, yet with the lead work it goes to then next level. For the icing on the cake throw in a sprinkling of guest performers in the guise of the aforementioned Joe Stump, Rusty Cooley and former Racer X guitarist Bruce Bouillet. Up against these big hitters Baker shows himself to be their equal and hopefully the exposure that Lion can bring will see the Baker profile rise as he is a talent and then some.

Special mention should also go to the Orchestra – namely Cmak Ashtiani (guitars), Lawrence Wilson (drums) and David Donigian (bass) who provide a wonderful backdrop for Sean to do his stuff over. The production of the album is serviceable, quite raw and natural sounding for the drums (no worry of drum samples here) with an open quality that manages to avoid much of the sterile nature of so many guitar hero albums. So in conclusion, a lot to enjoy, very little to dislike and one for guitar heads to check out asap.

Rating – 85%, review taken from http://www.virtuosityone.com/reviewroundup0809.htm

Baker’s Dozen is the second release by guitar master and Michigan native Sean Baker. Fans of instrumental guitar rock are in for a real treat. Thirteen tracks comprise Baker’s Dozen and vary in style from shred metal to classical and almost anything (and everything) in between.

Sean Baker has stocked the band with fellow guitarist Cmak Ashtiani, bassist David Donigian and drummer Lawrence Wilson. Mix in a few guests, and you have the makings of every guitarist’s fantasy.

“Dukes Of New York” is a real rocker with a great rhythm line, some blindingly fast guitar work and prog-metal style tempo changes. Flashes of Lynch, Metallica and Megadeth abound. “Pummel U” also is an intense high-speed track with a grinding rhythm line and lyrical guitars, reminiscent of Racer X and Yngwie Malmsteen. Baker and Ashtiani really give themselves a chance to show off their chops. “Ballvice” drops the tempo a bit, but not the intensity. This piece channels the spirit of David Chastain and melds it with a real Racer X rhythm line.

Guest guitarist Joe Stump joins SBO on “Neo-Classical Gas” – yes, it is definitely a classically tinged track that would make Malmsteen or Paganini proud. “7/24/04” is a sweet and smooth acoustic song, although the transition from the high-energy stuff to a simple acoustic guitar piece is a bit jarring. “Steve’s Blackout” turns everything back up to 11 with an almost industrial metal riff and some really heavy contributions from bass and drum, although some of the riff work becomes a little repetitious along the way. Racer X alum Bruce Bouillet joins the band for a shred showcase in “Playing Opossum.” “Poindexter” has a great groove with some classical overtones. “Highway Star” is the true highlight of the album - the guys from Deep Purple would be proud. “Mike Varney’s Mexican Vacation” mixes a little flamenco with a little shred – must have been a good trip. “Whichway To Radioland?” and “Verbal Skillz” (with guest guitarist Rusty Cooley) are more conventional rock instrumentals with great rhythm lines and solid solos. The acoustic Bach’s “Two Part Invention In C Major” is a great way to wrap up the disc; it’s well done, soft and mellow.

Occasionally, it seems that Baker and crew fall back on the old shredder’s mantra of, “If you can’t play good, play fast,” and that is a bit sad since, in this case, it is totally unnecessary. Everything they play is good, yet occasionally a well-structured song turns into a blistering barrage of notes as if they were doing “speed for the sake of speed.” The members of this four-man “orchestra” are all incredibly talented and have no need to rely on the old crutches. They need to distance themselves from the clichés and focus on defining their own identity as a group.

The production and engineering are very good, and the guitars are obviously highlighted. Sean baker gets production credit, with Bruce Bouillet lending a hand at the mixing board. The sound is very balanced across the entire album, and the technical proficiency (and raw enthusiasm) of all of the players really shows.

If you like guitars, this one is for you. If you are looking for deep meaning and angst, look elsewhere. This album was done with no apologies by a guitar freak for fellow guitar freaks, so crank it up!

Rating 8/10 - Review taken from http://hardrockhaven.net/online/2009/the-sean-baker-orchestra-bakers-dozen/

Perhaps in some parallel universe you can have 13 of something and accurately call it a dozen. But within the confines of this one, unless we’re talking about Chuck Norris walking into a Dunkin Donuts and telling them that’s how it’s going to be, the only place where it really makes sense is on Sean Baker’s latest concoction “Baker’s Dozen”. Like a true master baker in the fine art of shredding Heavy Metal dessert dishes, he has put together another breakfast of sweet-toothed champions that would be fit for radio if those who regularly partake in the realm of the DJ could be bothered with quality music.

The style employed by Baker and company was described by the band leader himself on the debut album as “METALLICA meets RACER X”. This is particularly the case if taking into account several commonalities between “The Black Album” in terms of a riffing approach and some of the later offerings by RACER X and even some of PAUL GILBERT’S solo albums when looking at the lead work. Everything is as tight and controlled as a NEVERMORE album, but without the over-long redundancies and sloppy vocal delivery, ergo it bears something of a commonality to JEFF LOOMIS’ recent solo work, with a bit of late 90s MALMSTEEN styled Neo-Classical Groove and RUSTY COOLEY’S dark and heavy riffs meet flighty fret flying majesty.

Sean Baker elaborated in reviews preceding this album’s release that it was going to be a heavier and crazier take on the band’s sound, and this proves to be the case right from the get go. Although quite groovy and symmetrically structured, most of the heavier songs on here show a forward progressing take on riffing, rather than getting bogged down in droning repetition. “Steve’s Blackout” particularly bucks the PANTERA paradigm and throws together a rather impressive set of flowing neo-tonal solos and rippling MALMSTEEN inspired riffs, minus the Baroque trappings. “Ballvice” and “Poindexter” have a plainer take on riffing in line with the early 90s Groove paradigm, but balance out the equation with wild leads that rival JOHN PETRUCCI.

Although a very entertaining listen from start to finish, like with the previous album, there are a few areas where Baker seems to be playing it a bit safe and going through the motions rather than going for the jugular. The cover of “Highway Star” is a little bit heavier and definitely more modern sounding, but does little other than transfer John Lord’s crazy organ solo and Ian Gillian’s vocals over to the guitar. “Whichway To Radioland?” goes a bit for a JOE SATRIANI approach to a straight Rock instrumental, being plenty catchy, but also a little too derivative. The two shorter acoustic instrumentals are also a bit lacking, though pleasant enough to the ear. “7/24/04” actually reminds very heavily of a DOKKEN ballad from “Long Way Home”.

Suffice to say, this is a mixed assortment of sweet treats, much like the dozen donut combination that the album’s title invokes. Some of it’s loaded with sugary melodies, some of it is a bit darker like a chocolate pastry with no sprinkles, but it all tastes pretty good if you like the superimposition of some 70s and 80s Metal influences on a fairly 90s oriented Groove album in an instrumental, guitar oriented format. Sean Baker definitely holds his own as a soloist and his orchestra definitely keeps up their end of things. Check out “Verbal Skillz” for an amazing guest slot by wild shredder RUSTY COOLEY and “Neo-Classical Gas” for an injection of sweep picking brilliance courtesy of JOE STUMP.

Rating - 8/10 - review taken from http://www.metal-observer.com/articles.php?lid=1&sid=1&id=16364

Commenting on the second release from The Sean Baker Orchestra, Baker's Dozen, leader and guitarist Sean Baker said, 'My personal goal was to make 'the loudest, most aggressive, melodic, shredding, head-banging album on the planet' ... I really wanted this CD to be our Master of Puppets. Whoa! Now that is quite the goal, like climbing Mount Everest on your first attempt. But, you know what? I think SBO may have pulled it off: Baker's Dozen is pure unadulterated, full steam ahead, sack-thrashing, mesmerizing guitar work.

The raw headbanging rippage begins with several aggressive and often heavy numbers in Dukes Of New York and the aptly titled Pummel U. Neo-Classical Gas lives up to its name with a sound dose of modern invention thanks to help from fellow labelmate and proficient shredmeister Joe Stump. Another heavyweight throws his axe into the ring as visionary guitarist Rusty Cooley joins in Vertical Skillz. SBO pays tribute to guitar aficionado and avid supporter Mike Varney on Mike Varney's Mexican Vacation. One can only wonder about the inferences within.

For a little time travel, Baker and company cover Deep Purple's Highway Star, definitely in the top ten of my favorite guitar driven rock songs, in a way that would please Mr. Blackmore. Additional kudos should go to a song like Steve's Blackout which sounds like a six-string Niagara Falls rushing over you. It's not all acceleration and perspiration on Baker's Dozen when SBO ease up for acoustic 07/24/04 and Bach's 2 Part Invention in C Major.

SBO's Baker's Dozen is blistering platter of monumental guitar virtuosity and shredding which is wholly extravagant and self-indulgent, but so very satisfying. Very recommended.

Rating 4.5/5 - Review from http://www.dangerdog.com/reviews_2009/sean-baker-orchestra-bakers-dozen-review.php

Ein reines Instrumental-Album ist ja immer so eine Sache. Einerseits muss man als Gitarrist bei einer solchen Art von Album ganz schön fix und schlagfertig an den Saiten sein, denn aufgrund der fehlenden Vocals fällt jede langweilige Passage und jeder nervige Grundriff sofort auf und verleitet den Hörer zum vehementen Drücken der Skip-Taste. Sean Baker hat dieses Risiko auf sich genommen und veröffentlicht mit "Baker's Dozen" ein Dutzend voller instrumenteller Stücke, die die besten Axt-Arbeiten des Amerikaniers zusammenfassen.

Sean Baker ist zweifelsohne ein begnadeter Gitarrist und hat sich mit Bruce Bouillet, der früher bei RACER X die Gitarre gezupft hat, einen hervorragenden Produzenten an Bord geholt, der dem ganzen Material noch einen zusätzlichen Effekt gibt, in positiver Hinsicht natürlich! Das Vierer-Team rund um den Namensgeber des Projektes legt eine gutklassige Scheibe ab, die von abwechslungsreichen Riffs und Melodien nur so strotzt. Die musikalische Ausrichtung pflügt durch die verschiedensten Schubladenkategorien und deckt das ganze Spektrum von Heavy Metal bis hin zu proggigen Strukturen vollends ab. Die zwölfs Songs sind nett anzuhören, trotz allem habe ich aber schon bessere Instrumental-Scheiben gehört, denn im Endeffekt kann mich dieses Album nicht bis zum definitiven Schluss fesseln. Das ein oder andere Mal ist man dann doch gewillt, einfach einmal zum nächsten Song zu wechseln.

Trotz allem ist THE SEAN BAKER ORCHESTRA mit "Baker's Dozen" ein gutes Album gelungen, das man sich als geneigter Saitenhexer unbedingt anhören sollte, denn der Mann hat sein Handwerk definitiv drauf. Für alle, die mit Musik ohne Vokalisierung sowieso nichts anfangen können, können auch getrost auf diese Platte verzichten, denn wirklich Hochklassiges wird hier nicht versäumt. In der Masse der vielen Veröffentlichungen stechen Sean Baker und seine Kollegen vor allem durch die knackige Produktion heraus und es bleibt abzuwarten, was aus dem Hause Baker noch so alles kommen wird!

Rating 3/5 - Review taken from http://www.stormbringer.at/reviews.php?id=3979

El segundo disco de S.B.O. acaba de salir a la luz, y debo decir que me voló la cabeza, al igual que el debut homónimo lanzado, de manera independiente, un par de años atrás.

Claro, lo más probable es que no tengan idea de quien es Sean Baker, y no los culpo. Por eso estoy haciendo este review. Es un guitarrista norteamericano que de a poco se ha ido haciendo un nombre en la siempre competitiva liga de los "guitarristas", a base de brutalidad, melodía y técnica. Una trilogia de miedo que en este Baker's Dozen rinde frutos impresionantes.

En los 13 cortes que componen el disco, podemos encontrar las más diversas técnicas virtuosas de las seis y siete cuerdas, pero complementadas con unos riffs y quiebres absolutamente mounstrosos. El inicio con "Dukes Of New York" de inmediato imprime velocidad, especialmente de la mano de la base rítmica compuesta por el baterista Lawrence Wilson, el bajista David Doningian y el guitarrista Cmak Ashitani) y buenas melodías, ademas de un quiebre fenomenal.

Los dos cortes que siguen, "Pumell U" y "Ball Vice" son brutales. Asi de simple. Riffs atronadores, como sacados de lo mejor del repertorio de SLAYER, complementados con unos leads geniales dan vida a estos temas que de seguro haran que cabecees al ritmo de la Orquesta de Sean Baker.

Luego viene el primer quiebre estructural en el disco, que da un leve respiro. "Neo-Classical Gas" es un tema absolutamente en el plan Yngwie, que cuenta con la colaboración de Joe Stump, y que contiene un duelo excelente entre los guitarristas, con pasajes de alta rapidez. Y, posteriormente, tenemos la bella "7/24/04", que es el primer tema acústico del álbum, muy melodiosa.

Pero las cosas se vuelven a salir de madre con "Steve's Blackout", que retoma la senda más agresiva del disco, siendo muy pesada y con la que te dan ganas de poner la radio a todo lo que da. "Playing Opossum" es el tema que Baker compuso junto a Bruce Boulliet (RACER X, THE SCREAM) quien es ademas el encargado de la mezcla del CD. Es un corte mas experimental e interesante, con brillantes ejecuciones instrumentales.

"Poindexter" retoma los altos decibeles, y las cosas se tornan más clasicas con "Highway Star", el cover instrumental al inmortal corte de DEEP PURPLE. Debo rescatar, además, que los fans de Purple se veran altamente complacidos con este cover, ya que es muy fiel a la versión original, agregándole un poco más de peso en los riffs y un poco más de velocidad en la bateria. Genial.

Y, para el final, tenemos artilleria de grueso calibre. "Mike Varney's Mexican Vacation" nos presenta una muy buena mezcla de ritmos más "flamencos" con la guitarra acústica (en donde Baker realmente se luce con los solos) y los riffs caracteristicos de la S.B.O. "Whichway To Radioland?" es el tema más oreja de la placa, que complacera gratamente a los fans de Satriani, y "Verbal Skillz" es un corte donde las cosas se salen de madre. El duelo junto a Rusty Cooley es de otro planeta, y el corte sintetiza todo el disco: melodias, agresividad, tecnica, velocidad y creatividad. Un cañonazo.

Pero las cosas se cierran con "2nd Part Invention In C Major", de Bach. Durante poco mas de un minuto, los decibeles bajan, y tus oidos pueden descansar de la brutal descarga que durante mas de 1 hora azotó tu cabeza.

Es perdonable que a Sean Baker no lo hayas conocido antes de leer este review. Pero, despues de leerlo, no tienes excusa para pedir tu porción de Baker's Dozen.

Review taken from http://www.hellcast.com/reviews/cd/528/the-sean-baker-orchestra-bakers-dozen.html

Sean Baker is a progressive virtuoso instrumentalist, conductor, and first chair guitarist of “The Sean Baker Orchestra”. The music on their debut self-titled CD runs the gamut from progressive heavy metal to classical and neo-classical face-melting shred. In fact, calling the album heavy metal would be an understatement! I wouldn’t label it instrumental “death” metal, but it’s extremely hardcore stuff and Sean is definitely not afraid of getting his hands dirty with some unforgiving shred!

Bruce Bouillet (formerly of Racer X, and now guitarist in Paul Gilbert’s G3 tour group) even engineered, mixed and guested on the album, and I wouldn’t have expected any less from him. The album sounds like a powerful return to roots for the instrumental metal guitar genre. All of Sean’s shred lines are packed with cool melodies and interesting phrasing, layered on top of the already super heavy background riffage.

12 tracks in all, including “Prelude in D Minor” (J.S. Bach) played on an acoustic guitar, which demonstrates Sean’s classical skills. There’s also a slightly mellow song called “4/2/89”, which is refreshing. But other than that there’s very little room to relax, so if you’re not used to this kind of heaviness you may need to lie down for awhile in between songs!

Sean plays nothing but Ibanez PGM guitars (or guitars previously owned by Paul Gilbert), and while the Gilbert / Racer X influence definitely shows, Sean retains his own voice on the instrument. PGM’s have never sounded so monstrous! You can listen to tracks off the album on the official Sean Baker Orchestra myspace.

This album is a great buy if you’re a fan of older guitar-crazy bands like Racer X and Cacophony, and even if you’re not do yourself a favor and give “The Sean Baker Orchestra” a chance to prove their worth. And keep an eye out for Sean’s next album due out later this year, which will feature guest solos by Bouillet, Joe Stump, Marc Rizzo, and Rusty Cooley!

Taken from http://instrumentalcase.com/TheSeanBakerOrchestra.aspx

Sean Baker is a guitar player and a few weeks ago he sent to us his latest CD with the title "The SEAN BAKER Orchestra". The release has twelve tracks. In this release we will hear only instrumental tracks and of course the music goes to instrumental heavy metal. Definitely Sean is a very good guitar player and the way that he plays his compositions are remarkable. Also we have a hit in this release with the name: Bruce Bouillet who is ex-Racer X guitar player and he engineered, mixed and did a guitar appearance in the "Seven Nothing" track. Generally the stuff from Sean Baker was really good but it is always a little bit difficult some times to follow an instrumental album. I think you should hear this release but prepare yourself for an interesting trip through the magic world of Sean Baker.

Rating of 7.3/10 - taken from http://www.powerplayrecords.com/reviews/bakerrev.htm

As a failed practicing guitarist I do take a certain joy in hearing other guitarists follow their dreams and muses to create music (make that good music) on their own terms. Writing for Rough Edge has afforded me the opportunity to hear many of these guitarists shredding to their heart's delight – critics be damned. I don't think there were many critics in mind when Sean Baker and his merry bunch of fellow musicians created the twelve tracks that make up the debut "The Sean Baker Orchestra."

The disc is comprised mostly of up-tempo rockers with loads and loads of crunchy guitars, spacious bass, and creative drumming. Multi-tracking of guitars seems to be the modus operandi of the day as the sound of the guitars is beyond thick. There are a few respites of mellower material, but even these tracks have a well-thought out and 'orchestral' feel to them. The variety in the songs is a definite plus as no song seems to be an obvious kissing cousin – that's a pretty big accomplishment in my book. Sound-wise, Sean Baker is unafraid to be rough and tumble, slick, mean and dirty, soft and beautiful, as well as downright grimy. Not all on the same track, mind you, but throughout his wild and crazy six-string journey.

Gimmicks are all too common in music: Kiss have their make-up, Slipknot have their masks, Rick Nielsen has his expansive array of funky looking guitars, and Angus Young has his schoolboy outfit. Well, the gimmick employed by Sean Baker is that he only plays guitars previously owned by Paul Gilbert (Racer X). And the guitars, some of which are pictured on the album's artwork, are bright and funky. Bright and funky almost describes Sean Baker's energetic approach to his music – the music is full of life and joy and undoubtedly Sean Baker has surrounded himself with fellow musicians that can take a hint and inject their own joie de vie into his songs.

"The Sean Baker Orchestra" has some pretty neat stuff and I highly recommend guitar aficionados check out this disc.

"The Sean Baker Orchestra" was produced by Sean Baker. The overall production from track to track is appropriate, but it sounds great at all times. The disc was mixed by Bruce Bouillet of Racer X fame.

The Sean Baker Orchestra is Sean Baker on guitars, Terry Martin on bass, and Kevin Graczyk on drums. Bruce Bouillet plays bass and occasional guitar, Alfredo Riojas contributes guitar, Mike Concepcion contributes guitar, Chris Lucas contributes bass, and Lil Sean Baker contributes guitar.

Review taken from http://roughedge.com/cdreviews/s/seanbakerorchestra.htm