No that is not my cat Linus on the front. He wanted more royalties...
This past Friday July 28th, the first video from the upcoming album ACT NATURAL made its debut. The title track was broadcast on my YouTube page at 10am, and responses were (and still are) very nice. So it’s great to see people giving a damn.
Now’s the time…
Pre-orders are being taken for the eventual release of said 9th opus. No release date is set but like the previous couple of cds, any pre-orders get a free download sent to your email while you wait for the signed hard copy. This offer will last up until the actual release date. I will still sign all copies no matter when they are ordered.
There are eight songs on the cd: 1. Walk Through Lightning 2. Act Natural 3. Unraveled 4. Better Mirrors 5. Neurotic Bliss (featuring TC Tolliver) 6. Damaged Halo 7. Can’t Swim Anymore 8. Empty Galaxy
Mike Sabatini on drums, Brian Smith on bass (both from Attacker). TC Tolliver of Plasmatics on one song. Mastering by Joe Lambert.
Your eyes are not deceiving you. That’s a new song from yours truly.
Tie down any loose breakable objects first before listening.
This is the title track from the upcoming 9th studio album ACT NATURAL. Hard to fathom that I wrote songs for this opus starting around Xmas 2021, a mere few months after MOOD SWINGS was released. I guess my brain refuses to stop working.
“Act Natural” made its debut Wednesday night on DJ Metal Mistress’ show for Cranium Radio. The responses were very positive, so that’s a great sign. So I posted this tune on here, as well as Reverbnation and Soundcloud. I will submit the whole album to Distrokid and they will in turn distribute to Spotify, iTunes, Apple Music, etc. But that will wait a bit. I really hope/want the song to generate heat and when the time is right to post the video and take pre-orders, then great.
For years I’ve said my music was a mix of Living Colour and Pantera. I think we nailed it. Mike and Brian really brought my songs to life, adding their own touches (as subtle as a jackhammer!) and this is the result.
The world really has gone berzerk! (See what I did there?)
Well, today is a banner day for yours truly. The new album is finally mixed and DONE!! Went down to Bandmother Recording in the insane rain (another reference?) Showed up to listen to the final mixes of album nine. Been listening to things on my earbuds and while it’s cool, nothing beats sitting in front of a big speaker system.
Listened to all eight songs and the sounds are MASSIVE! The clarity is unreal, everything packs a punch and of course it’s METAL (along with progressive funk leanings…and a bit of jazz too? Hmmm…) I will be making the first single/video soon and depending on timing, it may be released this weekend or next. The only hint I will give: it’s the title track.
Since last Thursday, it’s been feeling like Christmas in July.
And I’m not really a holiday person.
As some of you know, Mike started mixing some songs down and sending files to Brian and myself. All three of us agree that this is shaping up to be THE HEAVIEST album I ever wrote. And when you have the Attacker rhythm section giving the music a facelift, it can’t help but be the heaviest.
And as some of you also know, I am a blunt/direct person. I left GHS Strings after six years as an artist endorser. I reached out Aurora Strings in Bridgeport, CT last weekend and talked with the rep Jake. He was very happy to have me on board, very accommodating. He gave me the terms of my endorsement and that was it. I have one set of bright green strings (!!) on the blue Ibanez 7. The shop is closed for vacation but I will order more strings very soon. I am very excited and pleased to be part of the Aurora team, plus it’s nice to have colors back on my guitars after many years.
Also received my Ampturco pink-and-green cable in the mail yesterday. Seeing the mailman hand me the white bubble envelope made me all giddy. It’s the simple things…
So between mixing the new album, a new string deal, and a new cable…any other new things coming my way?
Amazing how time flies when you’re having fun. Or if you’re a frog, time’s fun when you’re having flies.
I’ll see myself out…but first…
Behold! Something I’ve been asking/hoping/waiting for since I signed on with Ampturco Cables a year ago (June 27 to be precise). Months and months of me asking Anthony “So…any news?” have finally paid off. And here it is:
PINK CABLE WITH GREEN ENDS!!
How punk 🙂
I have a plethora of Ampturco cables in my arsenal so why want another one? Why not! And everyone knows (okay, a few people) that I enjoy pink. I have two pink guitars, a sneaker with a pink lace, some pink on my pedalboard. No I am not turning into Poison but rather, my interest in pink came from seeing Steve Vai’s Ibanez JEM guitar in 1987. Yes there were pink guitars before him but this was REALLY pink! SCREAMING PINK! And I decided that I had to add this color to my repertoire.
Another reason as of late is because I am a cheerleader for those who are battling breast cancer (and sadly lost a friend or two to it in recent years). So when I don anything pink, it’s to show support.
Don’t expect me to wear a pink salmon suit like Adrian Belew did in the 80s.
Mad scientist hair goes well with trying new pedals out.
Biding my time here. No I’m not in a rush but at the same time, cannot wait to release the first single/video for my ninth album. Oh there’s one thing we have to do first…
Mix the darn album!
Mike told me that he will start mixing on July 3 (my son Julian’s 22nd birthday!) and that I will be able to come to the studio to give the preliminary mixes a listen. Being away from the music is a good thing, as you gain a new perspective after immersing yourself in it for so long. In the past, mixes would usually happen a day or two after. In this case, slow and steady wins the race.
Something like that.
What’s great is people are asking “So when’s the new album coming out?” I do not have a release date for that, nor for the first single. Knowing that there’s a buzz in the air gives me hope. Often times (and most musicians can back me up here), I think “Will people care?” Thankfully my fears are not realized.
I also get asked “What’s the name of the album?” and “Name some song titles!” Again, in the past I would have done just that but not anymore. I can say that there will be eight songs on the album. I’ll leave it at that for now.
Toilet paper makes good fret wrap. Yes it was clean.
Last day of recording is always bittersweet. You spend months rehearsing, planning, inflicting self-doubt, and then you lay down tracks for an eternity. You are excited but at the same time, can’t wait for it to end. And when it ends…
You think “That’s it?”
Today I threw down solos for seven of the eight songs (one only needed Hendrix-style feedback, so I made noise for one tune). And like most sessions, I approach this one with caution. Did my homework, carved out ideas but told myself “Don’t get too attached!” Thankfully, a majority of what I played worked out quite well. Very smooth, to be honest. I noticed my playing is moving into slightly different terrain. I could be wrong. But Brian even pointed out that what I played had a lot of feel yet added the shred when necessary.
Am I…gulp…maturing?!
Mike and Brian offered pointers when something was going right. The criticism was very constructive (was waiting to hear “Dude, that sucked!”) but every so often, I would play a line and they would look at me like “You really wanted to do that?” HAHA! Face it, I am a quirky guitarist, not abstract like Buckethead or Robert Fripp, but enough to throw people off the trail. I refuse to be boring, that’s for sure. One solo in particular is going to make some people stare at their speakers or earbuds in disbelief. It’s not a shred solo but…you’ll hear.
And when the last solo was recorded, we closed up shop and I packed the gear back in my Titanium Tour Bus. This feeling of elation washed over me but also that feeling like “Wait, it’s OVER?” Kind of like when you can’t wait for Xmas morning and then it’s Dec 26 already.
Mike will start mixing the album in two weeks, which is a great approach. Gives his ears time to adjust to reality before being bombarded with the progressive funk metal mayhem.
But I am sure I will find something to blog about in the meantime 😉
On June 10, I will be going back to Bandmother Recording for the final session. Will be laying down guitar solos for the ninth album. And with each album, each song I approached with the same question:
“What would (insert guitar god) do?”
Each song is unique unto itself (much like the guy who wrote the songs) so it’s not feasible to play the same type of solo every time. Which poses a challenge, both good and bad. We all envision ourselves playing these mind-bending, jaw-dropping solos like our heroes. And yet we listen back and think “What’s missing here?” When we should be saying “Hey, that’s ME!”
One tune on the new album is a steamroller akin to Judas Priest/Metallica with touches (more like heavy poundings) of Deep Purple. So will I do a solo like Glenn Tipton, Kirk Hammett, or Ritchie Blackmore? The answer is…well, I have to play what feels good, and that Mike and Brian will say “That’s a keeper!”
Another is very funky ala Living Colour meets Led Zeppelin (not bragging because I can back my words up). So what will that solo sound like? I really don’t know. But with all the songs, I have been working on little vignettes here and there, not being particularly stuck on an idea. Things definitely change from my house to the studio (maybe when I drive through Rutherford into Jersey City?) Even if I have concrete soloing ideas, when you’re in a room with other people, someone is bound to say “I don’t know, man.” It can be defeating but I’ve learned to switch on another part of my brain and think “Well, here’s another solo!”
And then there are the moments where I, or someone, will say “Step on that pedal” and the whole thing changes. Even the simplest idea can sound wacky with the right noisemaker.
For me, the best solos are the ones where whomever is engineering the music shakes his head and says “WTF was that?!”
In any event, I will be happy when the last solo is recorded and we can all say “Recordings are done!” Then of course it’s onto mixing, mastering, picking out the first single (so many choices) and hoping people will buy the damn thing. I am realistic in that what I do has a very narrow market. I will never sell a boatload of cds but the ones who buy my music really matter, and truly enjoy it.
The album is 3/4 done as of today. Solos will be thrown down in two weeks, which is cool with me. Did this the last time, worked on ideas at home, and then had them under the microscope during recording.
Oh fun!
The last melody was recorded today and it was definitely a challenge. My idea didn’t work for the main riff but the second one clicked. Mike sang some notes to me and I replicated them, then he said “Try this rhythm” and after a few minutes (well, more than that), the main melody was good to go.
I love a challenge?
Afterwards, we made noises on some tunes. Little fills, pick scrapes, outer space effects, you name it. Even got to dial in my inner Hendrix for one tune (hope Jimi approves up there). The day wasn’t as long as the previous session, and that was good. Got a lot accomplished in a few hours and even enjoyed some sunlight outside the studio.
I am pleased with how things are going. This trio is definitely the strongest-sounding, and once you hear the first single (I have to pick it!), you will be knocked out of your chair. Or something. It’s definitely THE heaviest album to date, for me at least. It’s not Slayer-heavy but it’s pretty crushing.
OFFICIAL WEBSITE FOR 7-STRING GUITARIST STEVE BELLO 
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