ALL-IN-ONE BLOG

I waited til today to make a blog about things that have been going on, rather than three separate ones. Think of this as your all-in-one blog, so sit back with your coffee and read on…

Here we go!

Today, February 12, is my nine-year anniversary as an Orange endorser/ambassador! I still pinch myself over this. The story is true: Had it not been for my daughter Emma playing an Ibanez through a Rockerverb 50 amp, I wouldn’t have found “my” sound. Had it not been for my previous rep Alex being instrumental in talking to me over the course of six months, and the CEO Cliff Cooper saying “Send him the contract on Monday”, I wouldn’t be talking about this nine years later. Ella Stormark is my rep now and she’s been nothing but gracious and friendly. Orange really is a fantastic company and they all make me feel very welcome.

My trio worked on another song this past Wednesday, which brings us to six total. This tune is, in Brian Smith’s words, “Hardcore”. I always said my music was a mix of Living Colour and Pantera, and this particular piece really has those elements in bucket loads. But hardcore? Hmmm…listening back with drums and bass, yes it has traces of maybe bands such as Bad Brains and Sick Of It All (bet you never thought I would mention those bands ever!)Yet, as I always say, it sounds like me. No matter what I write, it’s Steve Bello.

And yesterday I played a fill-in gig last minute with my friend’s band Evolution. The singer Evelina asked me on Tuesday if I could sit in, improvise leads, add things on top of the songs, so I saw it as a nice challenge. We played at Tony’s Pizzeria in Stockholm (NJ, not Sweden) and it was cool. Did songs ranging from Alanis Morrisette (another weird reference you didn’t expect) to Ozzy Osbourne (that one was totally off-the-cuff). Eve had some originals too, and I got to stretch out without sounding like Yngwie at a Shakira concert. Well…okay, I may have over-did it but she didn’t complain 😉

So yes, this week has been VERY busy for me, and will continue to be busier as time rolls on. More cover bands are asking me to do fill-ins for their gigs, and while I don’t want to be Mr. Fix It in the cover scene, it’s nice to be acknowledged. Obviously my heart is into the next album, and once we get all the songs together, we will sharpen them to a fine point and then start recording in May.

All this while keeping my hair nice and silky.