steviehimself

ANOTHER TOWN AND ONE MORE SHOW…

A former store manager used to tell me whenever I had a surprise sale that “Sometimes a squirrel backs into a nut.” Meaning, you get lucky when you’re not looking. I need to look less often! Yesterday I got another gig, this time with the cover band Vinyl Renegades. Classic rock, dance, pop tunes, youContinue reading “ANOTHER TOWN AND ONE MORE SHOW…”

HALFWAY DONE

So I played a gig this past Friday with the cover band CRASH. Yeah it was cool, perfect weather, outdoor gig, played for only 90 minutes as opposed to doing three sets over the course of a few hours. Not complaining at all, if anything I am grateful for any opportunities that swing my way.Continue reading “HALFWAY DONE”

DIDN’T EXPECT THIS? (NEITHER DID I!)

What happens when you pick up a 7-string guitar, drop the low B to low A on a whim, and a bunch of chords come out? You record it before the feeling goes away. That’s exactly what happened to me this morning (July 3, which also happens to be my son Julian’s 24th birthday!) YouContinue reading “DIDN’T EXPECT THIS? (NEITHER DID I!)”

WHO? ME?

Last Saturday I attended Metalfest 10 in Teaneck NJ at Debonair Music Hall. I had a good time, nice to see old friends, meet new ones, hear some pummeling heavy music and enjoy a kick-ass burger. But two questions kept coming up while I was hanging around… “Doing any new music?” “Playing Metalfest next year?”Continue reading “WHO? ME?”

MANIFEST! MANIFEST! MANIFEST!

The title of this blog definitely makes its point, doesn’t it? As we have always heard, “If you don’t ask, the answer is always no.” I asked and the universe listened. After the Blame It On The Girl gig last weekend, I blurted out (in my car) “I’d like another gig before August!” And well,Continue reading “MANIFEST! MANIFEST! MANIFEST!”

IF YOU’RE GONNA BOOK A ROCK BAND…

If you’re gonna book a rock band…don’t expect Peter Paul & Mary, okay? When you’re competing with a very live-sounding room as well as glass and other variables, the sound will bounce all around. This is physics 101. Blame It On The Girl was supposed to play outside but it was considered “too hot” soContinue reading “IF YOU’RE GONNA BOOK A ROCK BAND…”

YA GOTTA BE KIDDIN’ ME!

If this happened to me a few years ago, I would have jumped out of my skin. But over time, I learned not to believe a lot of things, even if I have a ton of evidence. All I could think when I opened my email last night was… Ya gotta be kiddin’ me?! IContinue reading “YA GOTTA BE KIDDIN’ ME!”

WORDS THAT STILL ECHO…

Many years ago, in a (empty) galaxy far far away, I worked at a music store. Sold guitars, amps, pedals. Was stressful but could be fun just the same. In the guitar department was a gentleman named James who always seemed to have wise words for me when I was struggling to be recognized andContinue reading “WORDS THAT STILL ECHO…”

NEEDS TO BE SAID…

I came across a video by a guy named James Michael, completely unaware that he was the singer in the band Sixx A.M. (Sorry but they never factored on my musical radar at all!) But his podcasts were a breadth of wisdom and insight that needed to be said. Here’s one of his many videos:Continue reading “NEEDS TO BE SAID…”

I’M AN ARTIST, DAMMIT! :)

I used to take art classes in middle and high school. Putting pencil or charcoal to paper was something I enjoyed doing. But then teachers decided to tell me how to draw and the joy was taken out of it. I can still hear Sr. Virginia’s voice as I drew a cool picture of DeepContinue reading “I’M AN ARTIST, DAMMIT! :)”