Sorry it took a bit of time to get a video going for the newest single “Spherical Miracle”. But this thing called life kept getting in the way.
It happens!
But here you go, another video created by Metal Maiden Vicki using AI technology. And I discovered cool new effects to make the video a bit more interesting than the previous two. You will be seeing this video at 9am, same time as it premiers on YouTube
While I am digging this little shift in direction musically, I am eventually going back to what I am kinda-sorta known for: progressive funk metal. I know that ruffles some feathers the way I describe it but what else should I call it? Fusion metal? Nah that doesn’t work…PROGRESSIVE FUNK METAL it is!
I hope you enjoy this clip and leave feedback (nice words, please!)
Especially when it’s when the person inviting you is DJ Metal Mistress (pictured above with yours truly).
She asked me to be a guest DJ next Wed May 22 on her Metal Meltdown Show. And of course I obliged. Hadn’t been there in quite some time. Yes it’s been a while, and while I have nothing new to promote, that’s okay. It will be a night of us riffing back and forth with bad jokes. And of course playing songs hand-picked by me, so you never know what will come blaring through the speakers.
You can tune in here from 7-10pm and even jump in the chat room! And I may…hmm…play live shred guitar on the air?
Guess I’m “on board” now? Thank you, tip your waiter…
It’s already May?! How can this be?! I have to be blunt as always, this year has been pretty slow for me personally. Think I’m finally seeing signs of life and feeling better each day.
I sound like a Hallmark card now.
Above you see a nice flyer that the good folks at Caline Technology made for yours truly. I was asked, “You have pics of you with those three pedals together?” and I said “Those pedals are already on their boards, so I only have the single pics.” And they ran with it. Those pedals in the pics are all on my Behemoth Board and am very pleased. I am definitely “on board” (groan) with these pedals. Been getting some people checking them out and they say the same things: “Well-constructed”, “Great for the price”, “Sounds awesome”.
I can be an influencer?
On a slightly more somber note: I attended the service for the late great TM Stevens last Saturday in Fort Lee, NJ. Was nice to see old friends, make new ones, share stories, shed a few tears, but overall this is what TM would have wanted. Unity, togetherness, and LOUD FUNK METAL! Yes, his music has played in between eulogies, so this was definitely a unique experience. TM would not have wanted quiet, droopy, mopey attitudes. And no I won’t “name drop” who was there because that’s not the point of this. The point is, it was cool seeing everyone bond and enjoy (in a strange way) being in the moment.
And now the burning question…
All two of you have asked me if I am performing live anymore. Aside from a fill-in gig here and there with whatever cover band asks (and I am learning that THAT scene is more brutal than the original one), I am no longer performing live with my own music. There is no demand for it, then again there never was. I’m simply not what people want to see and hear. It’s okay. I came to this conclusion a while back but kept my mouth shut until I couldn’t any longer. I will be diplomatic and say that the bands in New Jersey have their own little clique/eco-system and I ain’t in it, to paraphrase the late great George Carlin.
Yes, I have released my third ambient-type single tonight entitled “Spherical Miracle”. I’ve had the title forever and finally got to use it! But I recorded the music on April 3 this year. Originally was not going to have any guitars on it.
HUH?
I figured I would do a synth-only piece (done on my laptop, not a real synth). And then one morning it hit me: why not add backwards guitars?
HUH?
Going off the deep end here. But it was needed and glad it happened. Was not easy getting the delays to line up properly while looping everything backwards. But oh what fun to make more noise!
So here you go, “Spherical Miracle” is waiting for you to give it a listen. It can be purchased on my Bandcamp page and will be streaming on various sites soon.
When the hair is good, life is good.You gotta love the name!
Best thing I ever did: Discover Caline pedals
Worst thing I ever did: Become addicted to them.
Actually, it’s a good addiction, but I have to stop ordering pedals!
I was re-arranging the Behemoth Board ala Tetris and came across a dilemma: Nine pedals but only eight plugs in the chain. Quite the conundrum! Fortunately I had the smarts to see if there was a pedal that had both chorus and delay on it. Enter the DEVILFISH pedal.
You gotta love the name!
Of course I saw it on the Caline site and had to check out videos on YouTube. Yes I liked what I heard (but some people CANNOT make a good demo video with a gun to their head!!) so I ordered one and received it this afternoon. Fired it up and immediately felt like a mad scientist, playing with the knobs, finding the sweet spots. The chorus is very rich-sounding, definitely akin to the Boss Chorus, and I can achieve those Police/Fixx tones. With distortion, I can almost nail the 5150-era VH sound. Yet it still sounds like me.
The delay side is analog, warm and punchy. I like to combine analog with digital delay to get a very atmospheric yet dizzying effect. Some people cannot stand delay but screw ’em! I love it. I use the analog to fatten the sound and the digital (Ibanez DE7) to give it more space. I run the Devilfish through the FX loop of my Orange amps so as not to sound muddy.
Below is the demo video I made for it this afternoon. It’s not pretty but it’s honest and unsullied. Big words, I know…
The guitar and shirt were not meant to match
I ran the pedal through the Super Crush 100 head with PPC212OB cabinet. The guitar is plugged directly in the front, so you are hearing natural clean and distortion. No other effects (but that damn swirly sound happens here and there…not sure why!)
At my age, I am still chasing sounds, no matter how nice or ugly. Caline really impresses the hell out of me, which is not easy to do.
Now tie my hands behind my back so I can’t order any more!!!
I ordered two more pedals from Caline Technology (via Amazon) and received each a day apart. Keeps me busy.
First up is the Eagle Eye Boost. I’ve had my eye (no pun intended) on this pedal since January, watching demo videos online. Kept thinking “I already have the Killer Shark boost but this one looks interesting.” I was right (for once!) This pedal is very transparent, doesn’t muddy up the tones. The Mode button is a great feature, as it has six different settings so you can attenuate things to whatever room you are in. I found the fifth and sixth settings work best, they really beef things up.
Now I can sound more metal 😉
The second piece is the Green Mamba overdrive. Okay I admit this pedal looks friggin’ cool as hell! Again, checked out demo clips and everyone compared it to the Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer (and that’s a great pedal too). So of course once this landed at my doorstep, I ripped the envelope open with much vigor and aplomb.
And my cats looked at me funny.
The GM pedal sounds very cool too which is always a plus. I had the Drive at zero and it still sounded awesome….HUH?! What pedal sounds great at ZERO?! With a clean tone, I achieved a nice bluesy tone, and I’m the world’s worst blues player. When it’s engaged with overdrive, it really adds a bit more hair, and I have a good amount of hair to begin with.
Safe to say that Caline has REALLY impressed me with their pedals. I hope they make a switchless wah and phaser soon.
April has been an interesting month and it’s only the first couple of weeks!
This year feels like one long Monday as well.
Full moon…surprise earthquake…solar eclipse…anything else?
Oh yeah, Facebook being all stupid and taking down everyone’s posts about the ISSA voting poll. Apparently the link that we all shared goes against community standards because of the word “vote”. I am not kidding. Yet others can post fake stuff and get away with it.
Someone explain this world to me.
At first I thought I was being sabotaged (not the first time) but when other artists said “My post is gone”, Tamanie Dove looked into it. Yes, the wording had to be changed so as not to be removed. Free speech is not free, people. Unless you pepper your posts with hate and rhetoric. So now the link can be posted again WITHOUT the word “Vote” in it.
A couple of years ago, my album MOOD SWINGS was up for Male Album of the Year, and “Never Be The Sane” was up for Male Single. The single didn’t advance to the finals, which was cool. The album did, which shocked everyone including me. It didn’t win, and that’s okay. As I always say, being acknowledged is already a win.
Wash rinse repeat.
Now the album ACT NATURAL is in the running as well as the single “Walk Through Lightning”. Voting polls are open now until midnight April 30. After that, ISSA founder Tamanie Dove will announce those who will advance to the finals. And from there…who knows! But your vote counts, so hit this link and follow all the directions carefully:
I was always a “go with the flow” person, which doesn’t sit too well with others. Some prefer to fly by the seat of their pants. Others are very calculating and cunning. I’m neither.
Which explains why I am seen as “quirky” and “eccentric” to some.
Fine with me.
Anyway, I recorded some ambient tracks last year, didn’t put too much thought into them outside of “Well these are nice” and let them simmer on the sidelines. But my world is changing, my heart is pulling me elsewhere. Will I go back to heavier music? Am sure of that. For now, I am going with the flow, whether you agree with it or not.
I released “Strangers Again” last month and reception for that was better than my last album! That to me spoke volumes. I get that as we age, we tend to mellow. I really don’t want to go down the Yanni path (no disrespect to him) and be this new age type musician. If that’s going to be my path, even if temporary, then I will follow it. No sense fighting things.
I’ve been distancing myself from the “scene” around here, as I was never truly welcomed. Reminds me of being back in high school where I wasn’t cool/metal enough or whatever. I still love heavy music, but when it doesn’t love back, what do I do? I go where the muse takes me. If I’m going to be excluded, I may as well do it myself so I don’t feel like “Wow, nobody wants me around.”
Hence this new piece called “God’s Camera” (title inspired by the famous photo from NASA that I think is called “Eye Of God”). I’m not religious by any means, but I do believe in the Big Guy Upstairs. I wrote and recorded this piece on September 14 last year, a few days before my newest album came out. Which, right there, should tell you something.
It spoke to me VERY loud and clear.
And to add more shock and awe, I “played” synth pads for the first time ever. I have had others help me with that on previous works. But after I recorded this, I shelved it. Brought it back out of hiding, and thought “It needs something…but what?” I found synth patches on BandLab, then came across “choir” sounds. Hey, it worked, right? I’m no Keith Emerson (even though we shared the same birthday) but my hunt-and-peck playing did the trick.
I hope you all get to check the song out on the MUSIC page here or Bandcamp. It should be on other streaming sites soon.
I may or may not have one more tune like this up my sleeve…
I’m not saying goodbye to metal, just the gatekeepers.
Last week definitely did a number on all of us who mourned the loss of bass giant TM Stevens. We all chat back and forth via texts, was very cathartic. A couple of short phone calls helped too. The human voice will always be the best way to communicate over texting.
But I hate my voice.
Last week was also a time for recollecting things, namely my many years of making a name for myself in the music world. And true to form, I have to be super-honest with myself and all of you.
I’m not what people want to hear.
This is not for sympathy, this is fact. I’m too “strange”, “not metal enough”, “too metal”, “really weird”. Also I have heard various jabs such as “Why can’t you write like so-and-so?” and “You have to wear those sneakers?” And the cherry on top? “You don’t kiss any ass, that’s why nobody accepts you.”
I’d rather die on my feet than live on my knees.
I’ve been backing away from the supposed “scene” in New Jersey. I tried like hell to be heard, to be accepted, only to be met with passive-aggressive comments and ignorance. Musicians by and large are cruel. Everyone has that crab-in-a-barrel mentality; “You can’t be on top, get out of my way!” These same musicians around here will circle their wagons and act like they all support each other. I probably wouldn’t feel this bitter if I was welcomed into the fold. As George Carlin once said, “It’s a big club…and you ain’t in it!”
Maybe that’s a blessing in disguise for me.
But I can only take being at the bottom of the totem pole for so long.
I’ve been frequenting more cover band shows which is odd. For years I detested them, saying “It’s the easy way out” but I see more of a positive vibe than at original shows, especially metal ones. There’s egos everywhere, no escaping that. Cover band musicians will automatically get first dibs from patrons because it’s familiar music, nothing to think about. The money is easy (unless a bar owner gets a hair up his ass). Original bands will always have to swim upstream for even four people to show up. It’s a war of attrition. Plus more people are happy to see me when I play a cover gig.
I am not downing original music, as we need it. I will always be creative, that’s a given. I will no longer perform my music live, as nobody really wants to hear it. Cool with me. Maybe my music is best listened to at home or in the car, not on stage. I’m simply not an entertainer.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE FOR 7-STRING GUITARIST STEVE BELLO 
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