In April 2025, The Pearly Shells Hot 5 were doing their Saturday afternoon residency at Claypots – St Kilda (Melbourne, Australia), when they invited Arty as a guest guitarist/singer for one song. In the audience were Radio DJs, regular punters and lovers and foot stopin’  R&B, Blues and Jazz. An unsuspected audience were treated his own composition, and a one take live version of “My Baby Ain’t No Saint” was recorded that day. Belmar records released the Pearly Shells Hot 5 live at Claypots, in June 2026, with Arty’s song the only orginal track amongst amongst sensational covers of Beatles, BB King, James Brown and Fats Domino. The launch at Kindred’s Bandroom, Footscray, was such a success, that the Pearly Shells Hot 5/6 now have a monthly gig, where they invite guests to be a part of their magic making experience! 

Arty has been played on local radio stations, and has been building up a following for many years, most recently playing in Melbourne bars and pubs.

Diversity is the key to Arty del Rio’s sound. Born in Peru, a young Arty travelled with his family relocating to Melbourne, unsure where his life would lead him in his new country. With him he brought a kaleidoscope of musical memories from his heritage that left an indelible mark on his conscious. During his childhood in Melbourne he rummaged through his parents’ record collection, and combined them with sounds he encountered from other parts of the world.

His musical style, which he has been experimenting with for the past 20 years, is now a pastiche of garage pop and power-pop, coupled with deeper grooves from the 20s and 30s era of jazz and blues, all the while laden with infectious rhythms of melody with definite Latin and world music undertones. Arty del Rio’s musical influences garner as far afield as his musical heroes, Spanish rumba flamenco singer Peret, Argentinean pop singer Piero, right through to UK darlings of 90s indie guitar Teenage Fanclub, and Australia’s very own Jazz great Vince Jones. Arty has managed to take snippets from all of them, creating one hell of a sonic patchwork.

Given Melbourne’s rich tapestry of numerous and varied venues, Arty has performed at a multitude of bars and pubs, and is known to play up to impressive three hour marathon sets at times, performing most weeks.

Sydney legend Nick Dalton of Half A Cow Records and Lemonheads/Sneeze/The Plunderers/Godstar fame, declared himself a fan of Arty’s 2004 debut EP stating ‘It’s top stuff’.

2012 saw Arty release a three track single entitled Muchacho, another testament to his Latin-tinged guitar pop prowess and arrangements leaning towards 60s nostalgia which enjoyed community radio airplay nationally and a music video clip aired numerous times on ABC TV’s Rage.

Arty’s next adventure into what has thus far been a rich musical output, is bound to capture the hearts of fans new and old alike of poptastic well-crafted songs. He has a swag of recordings to follow up with, indicating that the very best is yet to come from Arty del Rio.

 
Punter Quotes:

“Can you play Sunday Morning by the Velvet Underground? You sound better than Lou Reed” – Suzie @ Bentleigh Market

“Can you play one more, even if it’s from the last set? We weren’t here so we won’t know.” – Lady @ 101 Smokehouse, Maidstone

“You sound like Buddy Holly” – Nat @ Perry Como Cafe

“I could easily be in San Francisco hearing you” – Ed @ Lyrebird Lounge, Ripponlea

“That song in the middle had everything one could expect” – Ron @ Thornbury Local