The saga continues…

Laid down all the rhythm guitar parts, as well as some surprise sounds, this past Wednesday. Everything was pretty smooth, felt great to grind the crunchy riffs…and some funky ones too!

Worked on guitar melodies today and, ummm, hit a few snags along the way. But I gotta keep movin’. Was hoping Steve Vai’s fingers would magically come up through the fretboard. But he’s on tour so I have to use my own fingers in the meantime.

Being a musician is an interesting thing. We create and record music in isolation, and then expect the world to like what we do once we release it. Whether we struggle to make the notes work, or everything fuses together beautifully, one thing is certain: We hope people connect with the songs in some way.

The album is more than halfway done, which is great. I’m going back on Friday to finish melodies and then review everything. Mike and Brian have been assisting me with ideas, saying things like “Think of lyrics and who would sing them” and “Make it sound like a violin.” I try really hard not to be wedded to my melodies because things can change on the fly. And things did change! I was rewriting melodies, throwing previous ideas in the trash, and having to brainstorm new things. This is what you do when you want the music to connect with others. There has to be a happy balance of what I like and what I think the public will like.

I can say this: the new album will make heads turn!

This past Friday and Saturday, my trio spent many hours in Bandmother Recording recording more parts. This weather has been perfect though.

Studio tan!

Brian recorded all of his bass parts over the course of a day and a half. He knocked out seven of the eight songs Friday (from 11:30 til 7:30!) By the eighth song, we were all spent so we broke for the rest of the night. This morning, Brian nailed the eighth tune (the one with TC Tolliver) and after listening to all the drum/bass tracks, we agreed they sounded thunderous.

Which meant it was my turn in the hot seat.

After chasing tones for about an hour, we finalized something that was totally crushing! And yes, Orange amps are the gear of choice. Did three songs virtually spotless, and then added some interesting surprises before calling it a day. We did not want to spend another 12 hours staring at the same four walls. Don’t get me wrong, Mike’s studio is really cool: Bandmother Recording but after so many hours, we like sunlight!!!

Next two sessions will be this coming Wednesday and Saturday, so we’ll see what we can accomplish. It really has been pretty smooth sailing doing this album. Everyone are on the same page, the bad humor is flowing, and the music is really cookin’. And isn’t that why we do music in the first place?

Get back to me on that.

I am writing this blog on Saturday April 29, 2023. You will see this published on May 6 when the next album is about to be recorded.

The above pic features all eight of my albums, soon to be nine. Some people have asked if MOOD SWINGS was my first album, and understandably so. When I tell them it’s my 8th, they say “Wow really? I had no idea.”

I need to fix that.

It’s not anyone’s fault that people aren’t aware of my discography. Granted, some of these albums are long out-of-print. I didn’t even expect to make two albums, let alone almost nine. The first cd TWISTED METAL was initially done purely for Ibanez clinics…twenty years ago!! It came out October 4, 2003 when I debuted it at Rondo Music (Union NJ) in front of a crowd who looked at me like “I never heard of you.” After that day, things took on a life of their own. I thought back then “Okay so I will do this cd, sell it at clinics, and then wipe my hands clean and call it a day.”

Not so fast.

It was also on that date when I officially became an endorser for Ibanez guitars. It was a new chapter in my life…a VERY new chapter. Suddenly I felt vital and, yes, important. I felt unstoppable. I was never taken seriously (and in some ways, am still not) but when that deal happened, all bets were off. No longer was I the “delusional dreamer”. So between that and the release of TWISTED METAL, I wore my Superman cape.

My creativity began to blossom since the deal happened. I wrote a second album ALL WIRED UP. Then a third JUPITER RETURN. You see a theme here? Had it not been for the guys at Ibanez saying “You’re in”, I doubt very strongly that I’d be forging this so-called instrumental career.

So here we are, 20 years later. Still with Ibanez. Still writing and recording music. Still the same hair. Musicians have come and gone in my life but somehow I still press forward. And when you read this, I will be in the studio with Mike and Brian working on opus nine.

Time to be taken more seriously, people…

Breathe deep…we have one more rehearsal next week.

And then it’s album time.

Tonight was of course amazing. Now it’s crunch time. No nail-biting but still those feelings of “This is really happening” are, well, happening. Picked apart some of the songs, made the tiniest changes but will definitely improve the material. Mike and Brian make this the heaviest line-up to date. (Weight has nothing to do with it!)

Since it’s THISCLOSE to recording, now we zero in on little fills and whatnot. If something works, we all look at each other in approval. If not, we go to Plan B or throw something out entirely. If it doesn’t make our ear hairs stand at attention, get rid of it. Period.

Also have to work on song arrangement for the album. I can make things flow nicely but these guys have ideas, and I am willing to listen. One thing is certain, I know what will be the first song and the last. The rest, well we have to juggle around and see how things go. There’s some crushingly heavy (there’s that word again!) songs, a couple that are a bit more commercial, and one spacey ballad of sorts. I also wrote an acoustic tune, first one since GO BERZERK! (2011) and if the guys think it fits, great. If not, I will release it as a non-album single maybe next year.

Of course once everything is recorded, mixed, and mastered, I have to think of what to release for a first single/video. So many ideas but one will be THE FIRST. This won’t be easy.

But it will melt your speakers 🙂

I really wanted to go to NAMM last week.

But the gods had other ideas.

Waiting for my Ibanez badge to come through the email like a kid at Xmas morning…nothing…nothing. Am I going? Was I let go? A few days before the show, I decided to check my spam folder.

HUH?! The badge went there?!

I wrote the gang at Ibanez and explained what happened. Of course, even if I wanted to go, it wouldn’t have been feasible. Racing around to get things squared up is not something I’m good at. I am more methodical (for a musician?!) So hopefully next year I will be able to go.

In the meantime, since there was no rehearsal last Wednesday (bassist Brian Smith had a birthday!) I decided to drive up to drop in on my friend Wendy The Metal Mistress, and just chill there for a few hours. Thankfully she and her boyfriend were cool with me showing up spontaneously. For once, it worked to my advantage. Did an impromptu “interview” live on the air, talked about the nomination of my single “Pieces Of Light”, as well as getting ready to record the ninth album soon. Wendy and I always have a blast on the air, can riff back and forth like Lewis and Martin (am I really dating myself here?) and it’s more of a relaxed chat than a proper Q&A.

This week will be back to rehearsals, smooth out some rough spots yet still keep things a bit edgy. We have two or three more to go and then when our friend/second engineer CJ Scioscia says “Okay, we’re rollin’!”, all the hard work will pay off.

In the words of Ol’ Blue Eyes: “Boys, time to make an album!”

A few weeks have gone by and not a blog in sight. Am sure you were all breathing a sigh of relief. I really had nothing new to talk about.

Until now.

All was quiet for a while. But then this showed up on my Facebook feed:

“Pieces Of Light” is up for nomination in the Male Single Of The Year category!

Since there’s no new album for a while, I am glad this ambient little ditty is getting some attention. (Don’t all of us musicians love the spotlight?)

Voting is going on until April 30, so go to this link and get crackin’:

ISSA Nominations

Good luck to all the nominees in their respective categories!!

Hmmm…I’ve not posted anything since March 5. Am I losing my touch?

Nah, just really had nothing to talk about.

“What? You? Steve Bello? Always flapping his gums and typing his fingers off? Nothing to talk about?”

Truth be told, been busy with 30 students, rehearsing with the band (and hopefully locking in a recording date), filling in with cover bands here and there, and dealing with seasonal depression.

Blunt enough for you?

Now that Spring is officially here (but not totally out of the woods yet), I can enjoy more walks, look forward to leaves blooming on the trees, and feeling inspired by the sun’s presence.

Do I sound metal?

But one thought has been on my mind for quite some time: This thing called music. What exactly is it about music that creates so many reactions and opinions? We need music to help us function, get us through rough times, whether we listen to the radio or pick up an instrument. There has to be some sort of connection happening, or else the music is meaningless.

Being a musician for more years than I care to admit, there’s always going to be a suspended state of adolescence. Some call it “Peter Pan Syndrome”. Whatever the case, music keeps me vital and (dare I say it) happy. And it is true when they say “Youth is wasted on the young.” I might be on my fourth mid-life crisis now but those feelings of impatience and being undaunted still fuel my passion.

I no longer feel the pressing need to rush things to satisfy my ego but am very excited to get my hands dirty with the recording process soon. I finally accepted that I’m this strange/quirky/esoteric guitarist that will always be in my own lane. I’ve grown more confident as a guitarist over the years, know what works, what flaws need fixing. Listening to the new rough demos still gives me those chills like when I recorded on a band’s demo for the first time way back in 1988. And while some people thought I would either mellow over time or “get this out of his system”, the opposites are true. The music is WAY heavier and more in-your-face. I still have some piss and vinegar in me (along with the coffee this morning). Hard to believe that my first solo album will be 20 years old this October (and there’s another anniversary along the same time frame too). And I’m still chasing elusive tones, creating something out of nothing, hoping a scant few people will shake my hand and say “Wow this is great stuff!”

And yes I still have the dream of getting a song in a SpongeBob cartoon. If Pantera, Twisted Sister, and Motorhead did it, I can too.

Any takers?

Most men go to a gym to stay fit.

I lug gear to rehearsals and gigs.

Last night I filled in once again with the cover band Supernova and this time, we sounded a lot tighter and more energized. Black River Barn in Randolph, NJ is a cool place but where they put bands to perform is about the size of a postage stamp (and I’ve played some SMALL rooms!) Still we made it work, had the crowd dancing all night, as well as dropping glass, knocking things over, yelling out requests for Slayer (thankfully I know some riffs). We did throw in an Iron Maiden medley, as well as Metallica, so that made everyone feel jovial. Some songs had to be cut due to time constraints but we packed in as many hits as possible. Even did Spongebob again…you have to love the confused looks on some peoples’ faces 🙂

As for rehearsal last Wednesday, my trio squeaked out one more song. Now we can safely say that we are ready to dig our heels into the ground and get the songs really tight for May recording. I’ve been working on the cd cover and liner notes, so things are really ramping up and feeling groovy.

Isn’t that what music is all about?

No rehearsal last Wednesday because we had TC Tolliver up here to lay down his drums for one song on the next album. But tonight, my metal trio got together and got back to work with the other songs. And of course, we worked on another song, which brings us to eight.

Someone tie my hands so I can’t write anymore!

Showed Mike and Brian the last piece of the puzzle (not including a solo tune I am brewing) and this one will definitely make people stare at their speakers like HUH? Just to give you an idea: the first ‘ballad’ I truly wrote was featured on my 2018 cd MARBLEHEAD called “Turn To Rust”. That was my definite nods to Jimi Hendrix, Robin Trower, and Stevie Ray Vaughan (with unintentional traces of Rush!) And people dug it because it was very different from anything I’d written before.

So this new tune is kind of along those lines but as the guys said tonight, it reminded them of Pink Floyd and Led Zeppelin. I also hear bits of Yes too. Whatever the case, it’s going to be another spacey, trippy ditty. What else would you expect from me?

Starting next Wednesday, we will really fine-tune these songs, grind them to a fine tip and then commence recording.

NOW THE FUN BEGINS!

It’s been an unusually mild winter, and I’m not complaining. So today (Feb 15) was perfect for going on a short walk and recording music.

Wait…hold up! What?!

Yep, as you can see in the picture, TC Tolliver (Plasmatics) came up to Bandmother Recording to lay down his parts for one song on the upcoming cd. If you may recall, we asked him to pitch in back in August last year (!) and after schedules were ironed out, we arrived at this moment.

This will be a first: TWO drummers on a cd! TC on one, Mike Sabatini on the other seven…whew! No it’s not going to be a dual drummer thing like 38 Special or Grateful Dead.

TC and I had not played together since 2014 when we toured Germany with bassist TM Stevens. So when we worked on this song, it’s like no time had passed. And another first: this is the first time TC and I recorded something. We were supposed to do an Ep w/TM but sadly it was not meant to be. Felt great to power through six takes, and of course the sixth take was THE one. So much groove and power, like a mix of John Bonham and Alex Van Halen.

Now that that’s done, we can focus on the remaining songs. I have one more to show the guys, and it’s a ballad (of sorts) so this will really throw people off guard. Yes I did a ballad (of sorts) for the MARBLEHEAD cd called “Turn To Rust” but that was more in vein of Hendrix/Trower/SRV. This one, to my ears, is like Pink Floyd meets a bit of Yes. Then again, people hear things differently, so ultimately the public will draw comparisons. Yet it will still sound like me.

Things are rollin’!!!