His latest full-length release is titled , All These Brilliant Things. The album touches on themes of love, death, personal struggle, illness, addiction, hope, and finally birth or better yet, new life (Ariel became a parent for the 1st time during the recording of the CD). The opening track, “Life and Times”, is a good summation of the album. It addresses quite a few of these themes right from the start. The video for the song was directed by Chris Cassidy and held the #1 position on MTV Logo's “The Click List”- a most requested video program, for 5 weeks in a row.
Ariel's inspiration for All These Brilliant Things came from a desire to create a timeless rock and roll album that would combine the majestic pop of Bowie's "Diamond Dogs" with the full-frontal assault of The Stooges "Raw Power". Tracks often begin with the kind of catchy, rhythmic riff-heavy stuff one might associate with The Strokes before oscillating into wave-like guitar solos and cascading into b-sections of unpredictable melodic beauty. Songs like "Bones" travel from the unexpected arrival of a drunken horn section to the smash of a balls-out rocking chorus. "Down In Tijuana" a short, lo-fi interlude on a record with otherwise meticulously detailed production (Ariel majored in audio-engineering at NYU) harkens back to his Latino roots with a brief Spanish language piece one could easily hear billowing forth from a beat-up old transistor in a Havana storefront. "Jameson & Cocaine" openly bemoans lost days of addiction, "Don't take my Jameson and Cocaine!" while "Hang Around" is an anthem of optimism and perseverance written for his newborn son. "I'm The One" is an infectious piece of power pop on which Ariel belts out the chorus with a swagger and spirit only attainable through complete self-possession. All proceeds from the single are going to The Paul Chester Children's Hope Foundation, a charity dedicated to giving medical attention to children in developing nations.
Cuban by birth, Ariel is now a full-time Brooklynite. Having gone from bartender to the owner of two of Brooklyn’s hottest restaurants, JOYA in Cobble Hill and SONG in Park Slope, Ariel is attuned to the abrupt highs and lows of life in the city. Ariel spent three years cooking up the tasty numbers on All These Brilliant Things, following the release of his acclaimed punk-rock jaunt Frolic and F***, which the Hot Indie News called “an indie rock classic.” His debut, titled All I Wanted, was released in 2002 and was also favorably received.
Ariel and his partner opened JOYA, their first restaurant eight years ago. He was a struggling musician and waiter, and his partner was a court reporter. According to Ariel, they figured, "what do we have to lose? We will always be in debt anyway." Both restaurants serve Thai food and provide delicious, inexpensive food in a very cool rock & roll environment. He says, "There is always music playing. It is always a good time! That's what I wanted to do. I wanted a restaurant that was an expression of ourselves. Music is vital in our lives and it's vital in our restaurants. If you listen closely, you will occasionally hear an Ariel Aparicio tune coming off the iPod during the week or from our DJ's on the weekend."
In early 2009, Ariel was given the honor to be a part of the OUTMusic “Freedom of Expression” campaign - a campaign that addresses the silent discrimination that goes on within the entertainment industry and focuses on positive encouragement for GLBT artist to be “out” and “open” about their sexuality.
Currently, Ariel resides in Brooklyn with his life partner of 15 years and their 3-year-old son.
