Here we are, the first full week into 2021 and well, what can I say that hasn’t already been said? No reason for me to opine or wax poetic when others do it so eloquently (albeit with drama) on social media.

So what does a long-haired guitarist do?

He remasters a song from 2004 because the title is fitting for these times.

I wrote and recorded this song called “Tired Wings” for the 2004 cd ALL WIRED UP. I have many fond memories of recording that album, the vibes were right, the energy was great, and recording was a joy. I wanted to do another acoustic tune on this as I did on my first cd TWISTED METAL. That stems from listening to albums by Led Zeppelin, Yes, and Triumph, where there would be an acoustic interlude to break up the hard rock and heavy metal. So while I’m not Page, Howe, and Emmett, I liked to challenge myself and hence, “Tired Wings” was the result.

Recorded this piece on an Ibanez PC300 acoustic and tuned the low E down to low A. The chord changes aren’t anything complex yet it sounds like I am doing stuff that would make you think I had pretzel fingers by the end of it. I actually performed this live here and there, such as Ibanez clinics and when I would play solo acoustic sets at A&M Music in Lyndhurst, NJ. Fancy that, I can actually mellow out.

Sometimes.

I took the original recording, added chorus, delay and slow phaser to give it more atmosphere. And while the producer at the time Mike Koenig (who sadly passed away in 2011) wanted me to re-do this without the cross-talk/string squeaks, I said that it sounds more human. He agreed and it stayed. The delay enhances the string noise, think it adds more depth. Or maybe I’m just a quirky dude.

With what’s going on in the world lately, I hope this almost 2-minute piece touches and connects with some of you. I chose this cover (seen above) because, well, it fits! I am not posting the song on here just yet as I want you to check it out on Spotify, iTunes, etc. when it’s released. And for the low low price of 99 cents, it can be part of your library.

Enjoy!

Back to normal, that is?

Yeah, 2020 certainly gave everyone a beating. While we are all hoping for 2021 to be a tremendous improvement, it will take its sweet time to return to form. It may not be the life we once had, but it will be something.

True to my Scorpio nature, I’ve been obsessing over my songs, working on melodies, trying to capture the right vibe for each tune. I tend to work on my ideas the best in the basement as my son is on his desktop playing Dungeons & Dragons with friends. Sometimes I prefer to be alone but once in a while, I like an audience of one. He doesn’t seem to mind (and if he does, he’s keeping it quiet!) And yes, the cat will make a cameo and demand ear rubs while I am concocting strange note choices.

I have noticed a huge leap in my own playing in the past year. Between teaching and writing (and jamming over songs on the radio like I’m 14 again), my guitar style has progressed. I’ve seen my picking style shift too. Not sure how this is happening but I am getting out of the way. No sense fighting upstream. If the way I pick is supposed to change, then so be it. I think that lends itself to why the melodies seem more angular. But as I always say, a song without a good melody is meaningless. Granted, I love playing super-fast lines but that’s icing on the already-sugary cake. Not everyone can hum 64th notes (maybe Shawn Lane could?) but if someone can sing back a melody I created, then I did my job. Believe me, the lines I’m writing are definitely quirky. I am even adding effects to give them a bit more texture and character.

And if the planets line up, my trio will get to look at each other in rehearsals soon. We were hoping to start recording in February but that won’t happen. If we get cranking in April and have the cd out by June/July, fine with me. Aside from the music, I am scheming the new album cover and liner notes too. You’d think at my age, I would be blase about recording and whatnot but that’s the farthest from the truth. The hair on my arms stand at attention when I listen back to what I’ve written, especially with such a rhythm section in Scott (bass) and Vincent (drums). I still get ebullient doing the album cover and typing up the song list, complete with how long each song is. (Strange obsession, I know!) Getting my hands dirty with all of this still fires me up. My passion for performing is gone (unless Living Colour asks me to be direct support for a show), but the heart for being creative is still beating.

BTW: Enjoy the pics I took today from a pond near my house. We had a light dusting of snow and it looked really cool on the trees and the water.

I can’t always be a guitar god, right?

I am not one to rush things. But like the rest of the world, I have never been so thrilled to see 2020 go bye-bye. It wasn’t all bad for me personally, was better for some, worse for others. Lots of people started up their own businesses and realized that being their own boss was the way to go. Others, well, they chose to be more negative and paranoid.

Suddenly I feel more normal.

2020 started off on a great note with my first trip to NAMM (Anaheim, CA) since 2014 (January). Got to rub elbows with some famous friends, and some non-famous ones. People are people, and if someone is cool to me, I am cool right back. Felt like a guitar god for four days, perusing the booths of my endorsers (Ibanez, GHS Strings, Orange amps, Lock-It Straps) and absorbing some nice weather. It was “freezing” to the locals but was perfect for me.

Most important was I finally got to meet my long-time pen pal (remember those?) Her name is Nicole and we stared at each other in disbelief for a few seconds like “Is this really happening?” She suggested a certain restaurant and I said “Nah, I want IHOP!” Was great chatting the night away, instantly forgetting the long flight and feeling worn out from my credit card being declined at the motel (I got it fixed, don’t worry!)

After four days of endless walking around the convention center, seeing Steve Vai at the House Of Blues (what a show!) and loving the palm trees near the motel, I came home to frigid temperatures but a renewed sense of purpose. I wanted to get to work on my 8th album!

Ummm, then some pandemic happened…

I lost all of my students for about a month. Some slowly came back, then a few more, and then got new students on top of it. Apparently, being stuck at home makes one bored. And makes one want to learn a piece of wood with strings. Works for me!

I know the summer sucked for a lot of my friends, especially musicians who were aching to get back on stage. Got to see some bands around September when bars were allowed back open to limited/outdoor seating. I joke that people are so starved for live shows, that I may actually draw a crowd. And since seating is limited, every show I could do would be an instant sell-out!

Alas, my days of being a performer are gone. It’s for the best.

But I am finally working towards a new album. Had one rehearsal in October and it went really well. Supposed to rehearse in early December but health issues arose so we moved it to two weeks later. Then something called snow happened. Great. Looks like January we will get back to work.

Unless those murder hornets show up like they said they would. They held out for more money, I think.

So was 2020 a total dud? For me, not totally. What do I hope for in 2021? One thing’s for certain: the idea of going back to normal won’t happen for a long time, maybe never again. Ideals and old habits are going to be thrown to the wolves. New strategies will have to happen, whether by choice or by force. Winter NAMM 2021 is cancelled (boo!) but am hoping for Summer NAMM in Nashville at least.

We all hope 2021 will be an improvement, that’s for sure.

And we can’t forget those we lost this year. It was a doozy like 2016: Neil Peart (I will never get over this one!!), Sean Reinert, Eddie Van Halen, Sean Malone, Leslie West, Frankie Banali, Alex Trebek, Little Richard, and a slew of others. May they all rest in peace.

But to those who are still alive, do me and yourself a favour: Show them appreciation while they are still here. It only takes a few seconds.

Peace, love, and granola…

Anyone who knows me (whether they admit to it or not) knows that I dabble in photography. But I am not a true photographer in that regard. I was always a point-and-shoot person, nothing fancy. Yet people who peruse my outdoor photos on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram all seem to say the same things: “You have a great eye for detail” (which is true) and “You have a new career if the music stops” (already plotting my early demise?)

I have friends who are way better photographers than myself. Again, it’s a hobby that I enjoy because it’s still something creative and relaxing (unlike the music world, which is all about stress and has little regard for creativity). I’ve been taking photos for quite some time, have had various cameras over the years. Always a learning curve and I enjoy it. It’s just me and nature, hand in hand. Some photos come out quite amazing, others are so-so. Am sure even the best photographers like Ross Halfin and Neil Zlozower took some duds in the early stages. But this is their career; for me it’s a break from obsessing over too many notes per square inch.

And many have seen musicians take amazing photos which leads me to believe that when you’re creative, you find inspiration in virtually anything. I was first hip to Wolf Hoffman’s work in the 90s. At first I was like “The guitarist from Accept takes pictures?!” Then it made sense. I think he did a book about Les Paul some years ago. Other musicians who do amazing work are Living Colour’s Vernon Reid, and Rush’s Geddy Lee. Different subject matters but the vibes are the same. Musicians like to tell stories with their songs and instruments, so maybe pictures are another window with which the fans can peer through and really get to know the person behind the music. Musicians are insular/isolated creatures and we let our work do the talking.

For anyone who wishes to see my works, you can check out these links:

facebook.com/steviehimself twitter.com/steviehimself instagram.com/stevebellomusic

Keep in mind, you will see photos of my cat Linus interspersed with outdoor works. Again, I am not a true photographer per se. It’s for fun. But to see really great pieces, check out Geddy Lee’s page and Vernon Reid’s as well.

I also have to mention my friend Gail, whom I went to high school with. She has been carving a nice niche with her pictures, and is making her services available so check her out at Gail Andreu Photography

Okay time to obsess over my songs again…

It snowed yesterday.

Can you tell I’m ebullient?

Went outside at 7am with shovel in hand to clear the heavier stuff at the front of the driveway. And then when I pulled out the snow blower, my back was thanking me. I forgot about certain muscles in my arms though.

To hopefully kill the time while doing something I can’t stand, my brain immediately raced to my songs. And because I am always creating, editing, re-editing, whatever, I deconstructed a couple of the songs in my head. One song will get a new title. Another will have an intro (for some reason, most of my tunes lack intros, they just GO. Must be some weird influence that I’m unaware of?) So once I was done thawing out after being in the snow for two hours, I sent an email to Scott and Vin about these changes. Was waiting to hear “STOP!” but thankfully I was wrong.

We were supposed to have rehearsal last night but when the frost giants have other ideas, you think of a Plan B. And that plan is we will most likely meet at Vin’s place after the holidays to work on the songs, pull them apart, piece them back together. It’s a curse and a blessing to be creative. If I wrote simple tunes (nothing wrong with those), we would be content with three chords and the truth. But I can’t write anything normal, so there you go.

My normal is someone else’s weird, yes?

I am thinking of more ideas but will shelve them in my mind for now. Am sure even when we go to record in March/April 2021, I will blurt out “This song needs…” and run the risk of being thrown in the dumpster behind the studio.

Hey, at least there’s stray cats I can hang with.

Well, uh, I feel foolish.

Was supposed to have rehearsal with the guys on December 2nd but then we had to move it to December 16th. Now there’s a threat of 12-18″ of snow so I made the call to postpone until after the holidays. I really need to show more admirable restraint. I get excited and want to share with the world (or at least five of my fans) that things are cooking musically-speaking.

You would think at my age, I would mellow out, toss on some Air Supply and wear fuzzy slippers. Somehow none of that is happening. (Though I have to say, I saw Air Supply in 2008 and it was a really great show!) I still get excited about the prospect of doing a new album, my eighth opus. Even though I’ve been through the grinder with musicians (and to be fair, some aren’t thrilled about me either), I tend to find new inspiration and convince myself that people really want to hear about everything. Fortunately, I don’t take pictures of my breakfast; well, I posted a hot fudge sundae once and it got more hits than my music, so what do I know?

This down time will give us more time to work on the songs. As Scott told me today, “More prep equals less studio time and $” so we will utilize this wisely. Though I wanted to stand in front of loud amps and drums and feel my pant legs shake…sigh…soon enough. I just won’t wax enthusiastic until AFTER a rehearsal actually happened. Maybe that will work better and I won’t look so stupid.

Now I see why artists shroud themselves in mystery…