Well this is more news than I expected to share but here goes…

My song “Never Be The Sane” has been nominated for Best Rock Single Award by One World Music Radio! I did not expect this one at all!! Opened my email yesterday morning and there it was: the certificate that you see above. My head was spinning and still is. Even if the song doesn’t win, at least being nominated is enough of a win for me.

The other big news I originally wanted to share…

My trio will be performing at NJ METALFEST 7!! I had been trying for a couple of years to get on the bill but this time, the gods smiled down. The announcement was made last night on Jerry Declet’s Metallicave show, so this was very exciting. (Obviously I knew anyway but promised not to say a word until he made the announcement first.) Once again, the Attacker rhythm section of drummer Mike Sabatini and bassist Brian Smith will be joining me.

And speaking of Attacker, they are headlining this event, so this is way cool!! This will be the second time I share a bill with them. First time was back in 2017 at Dingbatz but that was with a different drummer and bassist. Now Mike and Brian will be performing double duty so I hope they eat their Wheaties! Also on the bill will be such bands as Everdawn, Thanatonic Desire, Corvid Corpus, and the like. Total of 11 bands and the best part? Tickets are $15!! They will be on sale April 1st (no foolin’!) $20 day of show.

My life went from zero to 100mph but I am not complaining!

I just need stronger coffee.

What the hell was I doing in Manhattan alone on a Saturday night?

Well, I wasn’t totally alone. My daughter Emma needed a ride to an EDM (electronic dance music) concert last night at Terminal 5. She asked me a few days ago “You think you can take me, since my friend can’t?” I admit to feeling a bit apprehensive as I had the gig on Friday (which killed!) and now this? But I put my daddy hat on and said “Yes, I will take you.”

Dropped her off at 8, and had a lot of downtime. So after I parked the car at a garage, I walked around Manhattan and Times Square alone until midnight. Yep, just me. And it was very energizing. The streets were not as busy as usual but were still pretty hoppin’. Of course I had to take photos on my trek around town. I posted them on the PHOTOS page.

Near 10pm, my stomach was grumbling so I ate at a really cool place called The Flame Diner. Ate light, just soup, but it did its job. Went back out, did more walking, sat on a bench here and there. Got to the club at midnight, waited for my daughter to come out. She did…at 12:45! But hey, she had the best time, and that’s all that mattered.

And I had a great time too.

But, boy am I beat!

“Welcome back, Steve!”

I heard that over and over last night, and it was very pleasing to my ears.

First show back as Steve Bello at Dingbatz for the F–k Cancer benefit gig to support our friend Irene DeMeo. And let me tell you, it was a blast!!

Hit the stage at 8:30, banged out a 45-minute set and it was the most relaxed I ever felt. I even caught myself during some songs thinking “I am actually enjoying this again?!” Strange how that works out. Mike Sabatini and Brian Smith totally crushed it while I wailed away. Everyone in attendance were genuinely wide-eyed about our set. It was great to see such an amazing turnout for Irene.

This was the set list:

Time To Fly (from MARBLEHEAD)/Quicker Than The Devil/Burn The Sky (from JUPITER RETURN)/Stranded On Pluto (from MOOD SWINGS)/Throwing Away My Skin (from GO BERZERK!)/Blame The Moon (MS)/Force Quit (MS)/Never Be The Sane (MS)

It felt SO great to say “Here’s one from my new album!”

Never thought I would utter those words ever again.

We had our final rehearsal today, played eight songs so fierce like they owed us money. And now to put almost 7 months of rehearsals to the test.

I feel like I am tied to a rocket.

Amazing how things take off (hence the title of the blog) once people see results. My friend Jon told me that recently, that people only respond well if they see results. They don’t see the grunt work that goes behind the scenes. They only care about the icing on the cake. I get that. But people have been noticing the hard work that we’ve been putting into these rehearsals, as evident by the short clips posted from a while at Bandmother Recording. Now it’s time to showcase four songs from MOOD SWINGS, a song from GO BERZERK! (it’s been a while), a song from JUPITER RETURN (guess which one), one from LAYERS OF TIME, and a non-album single. The song from GB! was picked by Brian; he said he loved how trippy it sounded. And I’d not touched that song since 2015.

Tempus fugit indeed!

But there’s MORE Naked Glory news and shows. We auditioned two new members: bassist Tom Tsilionis and (fill-in) keyboardist Jason Hallenbake. They learned over 20 songs in a few days, and we jammed with them ON STAGE at a bar in Budd Lake. No tiny studio for this one! Busted out all the songs on the list, and both Tom and Jason said they were happy with us. So they are in the band. Can’t wait to do shows with these guys soon!

Right now my sights are set on March 4.

But first, sleep.

I didn’t expect to be this busy, especially in the winter time, but it has been moving rather nicely. I learn to catch my breath in between all the running around.

I can’t wait for Spring though.

Naked Glory played last Saturday at Garvey’s in Monroe, NJ, as part two of the tribute trifecta for Steve Ferrigno. We were one of eight bands, and the weather was perfect, the vibes were flowing, much positive energy all around. We only managed to get one rehearsal in because the weather had been so bad lately. Still sounded great, some hiccups here and there, but that’s to be expected. Second time using my Orange Super Crush head and it got rave reviews from everyone. Oh, we got an encore too! Guess the crowd liked us!

My own trio of merry men will have two more rehearsals before the gig at Dingbatz on March 4th. My last gig as “Steve Bello” was back in May 2019, and to think I’m back at it again even surprises me. Mike, Brian and I have been rehearsing since September 2021, and when this cancer benefit show came up for my friend Irene, I had to act fast. Thankfully, Michelle at Dingbatz saved us a spot. Been promoting it like mad, did an interview with Brian Aberback (see the PRESS page) and I will be interviewed soon by Alison Keslow for her podcast. I told you, I don’t stop for donuts.

Okay one chocolate donut.

As for the set list, I can tell you that four songs from the new cd MOOD SWINGS will be on it, as well as a non-album single and three songs from past albums. It’s interesting to hear Mike and Brian put their own spin on songs I’d written years ago and played with various musicians over the years. I have been saying that this is the most muscular-sounding rhythm section I’ve ever had to date, and it still holds true. I cannot wait for people to hear how pummeling this will be, and the best part is that it’s for Irene.

Oh and there are more Naked Glory shows coming up in April, so you can go to the UPCOMING EVENTS page for that. Heather (drummer) has been on a mission to secure some cool gigs, so kudos to her. Two shows will be back-to-back, so we better be in top shape!

I may need more coffee.

Back in May 2019, I walked away from performing. I was done, tired of everything, you name it. I was dead set on never touching a stage ever again.

The muse has proven me wrong.

Yes I have done two shows with Naked Glory and were a lot of fun. But this show I am about to mention is super important for many reasons:

1. My first show as Steve Bello since May 2019
2. My first show this year featuring Attacker drummer Mike Sabatini and bassist Brian Smith
3. THIS IS A BENEFIT SHOW FOR OUR FRIEND IRENE DeMEO WHO IS BATTLING CANCER!!!!

That third reason is the most important. Michelle over at Dingbatz made a post last week about doing this show to help defray medical expenses for Irene, and I immediately wrote her with “I have to be on this bill!” And since Brian and Mike agreed, Michelle dutifully put the band on. I am beyond thrilled to be helping Irene but this is NOT about me or any other band on the bill. This is HER night, plain and simple!!

This is the FB event page, so click on it, see all the info: F–k Cancer

Make no excuses, clear your calendar for Friday March 4th!!!!

After almost three years, I stepped foot on stage at Dingbatz. I said that would never happen ever again.

I love being proven wrong.

Naked Glory were one of three bands that performed last night, as part of a tribute to the late Steve Ferrigno. We never got to rehearse because of bad weather, so we decided to just wing it. And wow did we ever!! Some hiccups but who cares? Even a perfectionist like me learned to let go, and be in the zone. We did “Heavy Metal” by Don Felder for the first time, with no rehearsal, and we pulled it off quite well. I have to admit, it shocked me to see the crowd respond like “Wow, THAT song!! COOL!”

My biggest fear was “Am I overdoing it on stage??” I didn’t hear any complaints, so it must have been pretty good. I learned how to be a better perfomer when I toured with TM Stevens in 2014. Granted, I thought my stage presence was good up until that point. But he offered me the best piece of advice: “People pay money to see the whites of your eyes, not the top of your head! Give ’em a SHOW!” And I’ve done that ever since.

More gigs are happening with Naked Glory, and maybe one or two with my band will be coming up shortly. Keep checking the UPCOMING EVENTS page for more.

And I thought I was done…

When it snows, what do you do?

You make a video.

Here is the third and final single/video from my latest cd MOOD SWINGS. “Force Quit” debuted at #3 on Banks Radio (Australia) and so people are taking notice of what I consider my angriest song. So here you go, I made yet another trippy/funky video to hopefully match the music. Of course you have to keep watching as things unfold over seconds and minutes.

Naked Glory’s gig at Lakeside was obviously cancelled due to the weather. Winter is tough for sure. But if the snow gods behave, we will get to do two more shows coming up on consecutive Saturdays. You can go to the UPCOMING EVENTS page to see what’s brewing.

I am also very pleased that the interview for Guitar Girl Magazine has gone past 1000 views in two weeks. Think that’s a first for me. Caroline Paone is happy too, so win/win for both! I hope more guitar magazines start asking her to write for them too.

Oh and if I can get in Guitar Player magazine, that would be pretty sweet too.

Make it so!

I had a pleasant surprise this week. Ella over at Orange Amps sent me an email saying the new Super Crush 100 is ready to be shipped to my house.

Well alrighty then!!

UPS brought it to the house Friday night but I didn’t get to play with it until Saturday. Yes I was pained. I made a video showcasing the clean tones (which are GORGEOUS) and the heavier tones (which are KILLER). But of course, the video I made came out with a lower volume.

Can’t I do anything right?!

So today at rehearsal, I got to put this amp head to the test. It did NOT disappoint. I don’t know how we didn’t walk out of rehearsal feeling some sort of vertigo. Brian Smith (bassist) even told me that he had to turn UP because I was so loud. Oh I like the sound of that…

After rehearsal, I asked Mike to film a bit of me playing nice and loud. So the video above was done in one pass, totally off the top of my head. Yes I make silly guitar faces (who doesn’t?!) but one thing’s for certain…this amp flat-out ROCKS!!!

I play fast, yes?

Wow, it’s been 19 days since I typed a blog. Did you miss me?

Don’t answer that.

This year is starting off on some good notes for sure. As you see above, my song “Force Quit” debuted at #3 on Banks Radio in Australia! Took a while to get moving over there but it finally happened. I am grateful that the people down under liked the song well enough to make it chart so nicely.

And I posted on the PRESS page another first: I was interviewed by Caroline Paone for Guitar Girl Magazine. Yes, you read that right. The interview took place over two days back in December, between emails and phone calls. It was the most relaxed interview I was ever part of. We talked about the obvious things such as the new album MOOD SWINGS, as well as my gear. But of course, the highlight was women in music and so far the response to that from friends and fans has been amazing. I’ve been doing interviews for many years and this, I feel, is the best one I’ve done to date. Here’s the link if you wish to peruse it: Steve Bello Guitar Girl Magazine

But wait there’s more…

I will be playing more shows with the cover band Naked Glory starting on January 29th. Shows are posted on the UPCOMING EVENTS page. One of their guitarists stepped down so I was asked to step up, and I obliged. I am working on getting a couple of shows with my trio soon, so keep an ear and eye out for those!

One more thing (I sound like Columbo)…

Expect a blog soon about my new Orange Super Crush 100 head! The UPS driver should be dropping it off today and I will put it through its paces this Sunday at rehearsal.

Okay time for coffee…