Take a good look at that picture. History was made that day, October 4, 2003 to be precise.

I became “Ibanez artist endorser Steve Bello” that day.

There’s a LONG story as to how this happened but the short version is this: I helped Chris Broderick (then of Jag Panzer) get a deal with Ibanez by making one phone call. I didn’t expect anything to happen. And even though it did happen, I didn’t expect anything for me in return. I was 33 at the time, working in a music store (not the one pictured above), and my dreams of being a supposed guitar god were in the rear view mirror. But the guys at Ibanez had other plans.

They asked me “What guitar do you like?” and I said “The Steve Vai Universe” (seen above). When I received it, the rep Angelo asked me “Will you do clinics?” and I said SURE! Then he threw this at me: “You have any music to sell?” Guess I do now! Because of this, I made my first album TWISTED METAL in 9 hours w/drummer Darren Patrick (I played all the guitars and bass on it) and then was off to give my first-ever clinic at Rondo Music in Union, NJ. The store has long been defunct now.

After the clinic, I was told “You’re in!” In what? “You’re with Ibanez now as part of the team.” Really?! I was not signed, not touring, basically a nobody in music. Yet they got me in sideways, so to speak. (By today’s standards, I would NEVER stand a chance!) So in the blink of an eye, I went from feeling like hanging up my heavy metal hat to being an endorser with Ibanez guitars.

Twenty years on, I’m still pinching myself.

So I did a thing last Saturday night. I rocked hard with Rock Hard. Even though it was a fill-in gig, it was still awesome!

“Tell us the story, Steve!”

I was in the cover band Naked Glory with bassist Tom Tsilionis (far left in pic) and he left after I did. He re-started Rock Hard with some friends and singer Alana (you can guess who she is in the pic, right?) The drummer and bassist quit the week of the gig at Bardi’s in Pequannock. So I reached out to Tom, and he said “If I can find a drummer in time, the gig is yours.” He got James Bruno (with the cool goatee) and that was it. No rehearsals, no pressure, just loose fun with about 30 songs in front of a good crowd.

Yeah I like that.

We did songs by Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, Motorhead, Judas Priest, as well as some 90s stuff from Bush, Blur, Lit, and Hole. Threw in some Rob Zombie, Clutch, and Deep Purple too. Ah it was sweet!

As of now, I’m a hired gun for this band as my schedule is packed with teaching but am sure another gig will pop up soon enough. It felt great to crank out hard rock/heavy metal after doing party songs with other cover bands. I had fun with those bands too, but this stuff makes me sweat and swing my hair around. And I learned something about myself with this gig: I am not the most original guitarist around, but I am unique and creative, even when doing covers. I bring my A-game all the time. You won’t see a statue on stage.

On another note, copies of ACT NATURAL are moving faster now, which is terrific!! I plan on releasing two more videos before the year is over, so keep your eyes and ears peeled.

Do I “kill it” now?

The day has finally come. After a couple of months waiting and waiting…

ACT NATURAL is here!!!

The UPS truck came at 12:30 today and delivered the box of coolness. I did a quick Facebook live to show the unveiling (they really taped that box up good!) And then I packed about 25 pre-orders or so. My hand is tired for signing cds but a promise is a promise! I sign EVERY single copy, period.

So while the download was made available on Aug 27, the official release date is September 22. Double deuces! Orders can be placed through the WHAT’S IN STORE page, so dig in!!

And now for something completely different…

Okay you may be asking yourself “What’s going on here?” My friends Tom Tsilionis (bass) and Alana Quartuccio (vocals) have a cover band called Rock Hard. They specialize in doing hard rock/heavy metal anthems from the 70s til early 2000s. Tom and I were in Naked Glory last year and even though our tenure in that band was brief, we stayed friends (there’s a rarity for ya). When his guitarist abruptly quit this past Monday, I offered to help out. I know what it’s like to have someone bail last-minute; most performers like to leave others in a Catch-22 situation. But Tom found a drummer, Jim Bruno (I will meet him for the first time on Saturday) and sent us the set list.

Have to admit, I’m pretty excited about this. I’m playing a variety of songs (I won’t spoil the surprise here) that make my heart race. Plus not only do Tom and I reunite for this gig, but Alana and I will be on the same stage together for the first time ever! She plays guitar and sings in a punk band, Six To Eight Mathematics. Her band and mine had done shows in the past MANY years ago. She only sings in Rock Hard, no guitar (she likes not lugging gear HAHA). So we are all pretty fired up about doing this. Even if it’s only this one time, I have a feeling it will be awesome!!

The show is at Bardi’s Bar & Grill in Pequannock, NJ.

I’m back on the road 😉

Those of you who enjoy hearing my soothing voice can now listen to this ad infinitum.

And ad nauseum?

This interview is from last Wednesday’s show THE TAKEOVER w/host Jeff Rickett on CBJRadio.com. You will hear Jeff ask me some GREAT questions, some definitely from left-field but I always had answers ready. Gotta think fast on your feet sometimes, and this Q&A was no exception.

I won’t spoil anything for you, if you never heard this before. But get ready to crack up because some of the chats are downright hysterical and nothing is off-color. Well, Jeff slips a word somewhere but nothing your kids haven’t heard before, right?

So click on the link and be prepared to spit your drink out from laughing so hard.

Oh and copies of ACT NATURAL will be here very soon!!!!

So here we are into September. Still have some summer left despite various stores putting up Fall (and Xmas?!) decorations. Been raining like crazy here but it’s still summer, okay?!

That was the weather, now onto the music…

I have sent out free downloads of ACT NATURAL to those who pre-ordered. Some time remains to take advantage of this deal until the physical cds are in my hands. And I’ve heard some interesting reviews from friends about the new music, ranging from “This is your best/heaviest” to “You sound happier.”

Happier?

Well, when I wrote the music for what became MOOD SWINGS, I was definitely in a depressive state. I never hide that from anyone. I felt that music was reflective of what I was dealing with. And yes when I wrote “Force Quit”, I honestly thought “This will be the last song I ever write and record.” I forced myself to quit performing and all that stressful stuff. But of course, the cd sold well, people wanted to see my trio perform live, so like Motley Crue, I came out of “retirement”.

Minus the middle school drama.

But with ACT NATURAL, the writing definitely has more of an upbeat feeling to it. The songs are still heavy and aggressive but, as one friend put it, “I can put this album on repeat.” Hmmm…did I do something right? Maybe. But all I did was write new music.

I have been setting up interviews to promote ACT. I already did a phone chat with Jeff Rickett at CBJ Radio last Thursday, which will air on Wed Sept 13 at 9pm EST. Also have another live Q&A with CT McManus on Wed (twice the Bello!) at 7:30pm which will be done via Streamyard. Also waiting word on doing interviews with Metal Maiden Vicki, DJ Metal Mistress, DJJD, Tom Hanley, Debbie Mazella…whew! I’m tired thinking about all this but someone’s gotta do the running-around.

And yes, some have asked me “Will you play live?” And my answer is the same: I would like to do one show this year, and one next year. That’s it. I don’t find myself missing the stage as in recent years. My trio played two shows last year and they were stellar, possibly the best I ever did. Yes, I tried getting on the bill with Living Colour/Extreme at Starland but they are not having any opening bands on their tour. Fair enough. I do not like selling tickets, too old for that. As I said earlier, it’s too stressful. I like not having my heart race 200mph trying to get even 20 people to see me perform.

All I care about is people hearing the new album, and really enjoying it.

The rest will follow…

Clear your calendars…alert the media…prune the hedges of many small villages…

ACT NATURAL is coming!!

The ESTIMATED release date will be between September 22-October 2, 2023. After quite a few setbacks, delays, and other outside external forces, the cds are going to be pressed this Tuesday at DiscMakers. And even though I’ve been doing this for a hundred years, I still get those butterflies in my stomach (or was it the lunch I had?) when I hit the CHECKOUT button to pay for the process to begin.

So if you want a free download of ACT NATURAL while you wait for your signed hard copy, pre-order here: What’s In Store After the official release date is announced, this offer is over. But will still sign cds 🙂

NOW DO IT!!! 😉

Here you go…the second single/video released from my new album ACT NATURAL, entitled “Walk Through Lighting”.

There is a true story behind this…

But first, upon listening, you will hear this one is more straight-up heavy metal akin to Judas Priest/Loudness, and there is an intentional Deep Purple nod too. Mike Sabatini said it reminded him of “Fight Fire With Fire” by Metallica, which is very cool too. So whomever you think this sounds like…it’s still ME 🙂

Now for the true story…

Back in 2016 (!) I was going for one of my regular walks and was about a mile from home. Clouds rolled in, so I thought “I better get movin’!” Started raining, which I expected. But what I didn’t expect were lightning bolts shooting across the sky and some were THIS CLOSE to me!!! I never ran so fast in my life (well, since high school) and when I got home, I wrote down the words “walk through lightning” on a sheet of paper. So I have had this title for seven years.

And now it’s a nifty little tune 🙂

Pre-order ACT NATURAL on the WHAT’S IN STORE page!!

Album written, rehearsed, recorded, mixed…what’s next?

How about succumbing to the master(ing)!

Took a nice drive up to Joe Lambert Mastering in Peekskill, NY, very scenic trip, always good to have a change of scenery. Upon arrival, Mike and I sat and witnessed Joe get animated while listening to ACT NATURAL. This was my first time sitting in on a mastering session. In short, mastering is basically smoothing out the levels, making sure everything sits in the pocket, so to speak.

Trust me, it’s more challenging to describe, so leave it there.

I purposely have not listen to the unmastered album in a while. Wanted to feel like I was experiencing it for the first time, as Joe was doing that too. What a rush hearing the songs come through HUGE speakers…reminded me of listening to music in my old house as a kid. Watching Joe twiddle knobs, play with switches, it was all so fascinating.

And we had pizza too!

Got home around 5:40, did a short walk, and then proceeded to download/meta-tag the songs so I can send to DistroKid. In turn, they will distribute to Spotify, iTunes, etc. I am putting the album on Bandcamp soon, and then will get the hard copies pressed. In the meantime, those who pre-ordered received a free download of the new album in their emails. ENJOY!

And then there’s Joe’s dog Hendrix…

Hard to believe half of August is over. Still got some summer left, so all hope is not lost. But I tell ya, this was THE fastest summer that I can recall.

Who can I talk to about slowing it down?

Been receiving more pre-orders for the upcoming cd ACT NATURAL and it’s very much appreciated. Mike, Brian and I worked very hard to make the music really shine. Props to TC and CJ (any more initials?) for their contributions as well. And of course, Rob Engelhardt for helping me once again with putting the cd jacket together.

The first single/video for the title track has seen some ebb and flow. Some people liked it right away, a few were unsure but grew to dig it. Yes, I’ve had a couple of negative comments (privately) about how “strange” the video is. That’s just who I am, and how I operate. No cookie cutter here.

A second single/video will be released in about two weeks, give or take, to round out the summer as we head into autumn. This one will be more straight-ahead heavy metal. Much like the single “Never Be The Sane” from MOOD SWINGS (and that song made people excited!), this new song is in vein of Judas Priest/Loudness with a very intentional nod to Deep Purple. I am confident it will raise your arm hairs.

People have been asking me about a release date. I do not have one but rest assured, as soon as I get one, you all will know. I realize things have been taking a bit longer this time around and your patience is very much appreciated. Without you, the music will just sit in silence. Knowing that after 20 years of being an instrumental artist, interest in the music is still strong. So pat yourselves on the back.

Pre-order link: Act Natural

The video for “Act Natural” has been out for roughly two weeks. And in my few years of making videos, this one seems to be polarizing.

I must have done something right then.

Comments ranging from “This is really weird!” to “This is pretty cool” seem to be infiltrating the socials. But this morning I was greeted to a very nice comment from a high school friend via LinkedIn. (He gave me permission to use his name…)

Andrew Durkin

4h

No offense to the good people who put the video together but I have to subscribe to what John Lennon put forth as a means of consuming music…”Turn off your mind, Relax and float down stream”
because I just have to tell you that the musical journey  Steve and friends just put me on was unabashedly awesome!
let the music flow through you!
feel it soar!
let it take you places!
let it take you back to that 10 year old kid who was too young to go out on a Friday night, but had his older brothers records at his disposal and just discovered one of the greats for the first time…

I have left this as is, no editing.

When you least expect it, nice things happen.

This put me in a good frame of mind, so thank you, Durk!

Pre-orders can be taken here: Act Natural