steve conte plays guitar & sings lead,
lee "leeko" kostrinsky plays bass & sings backup,
phil stewart plays drums & sings backup
additional facts, on the record -
david johansen plays harmonica,
nikki richards & catherne russell sing backup,
tom timko plays baritone sax,
danny ray plays tenor sax,
kiku collins plays trumpet,
niko bolas mixed,
richard dodd mastered.
Influences
bo diddley, tom waits, the clash, morphine, iggy, replacements, coltrane, chuck berry, the who, bob marley, muddy & the wolf, jeff beck group, link wray, chris spedding, wilson pickett, otis redding...
Order The Album On Amazon.com in US/Canada/Mexico
http://www.amazon.com/Steve-Conte-Crazy-Truth/dp/B002NACY5O
Pre-Order The Album In Europe:
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Steve-Conte-Crazy-Truth/dp/B002SQFZ18
"There is very little genuine rock and roll out there at the moment but Steve Conte has hit the nail on the head with this one"
-- Steve Lilliywhite (Legendary Producer of U2, The Rolling Stones, Johnny Thunders, The Pogues, XTC, Peter Gabriel, Morrissey, etc.)
Named for a Charles Bukowski poem, The Crazy Truth began to unfold in 2005 when Steve ran into high school pal Lee "Leeko" Kostrinsky on the street in New York City. Leeko's punk, reggae & indie rock influences were a perfect foil for Conte's love of the blues, classic rock and 60's garage bands. Rounded out by Scarborough's own Phil Stewart on drums, the trio played their first show in NYC within a few months - a T Rex memorial concert where they performed a cover of Marc Bolan's classic "Rip Off" and 9 new S.C. originals.
Working between records & tours as lead guitarist/backing singer and co-songwriter with the legendary New York Dolls, Conte has produced his band's debut album, a scorching 11 song rock & roll disc called simply – "STEVE CONTE & THE CRAZY TRUTH". It features guest performances by Dolls front man David Johansen on harmonica, the soulful voices of Nikki Richards (Tina Turner/Madonna) and Catherine Russell (Al Green) and horns by Danny Ray (Sylvain Sylvain/ Johnny Thunders), Tom Timko (Stevie Wonder) and Kiku Collins (Beyonce).
Sonically, The Crazy Truth lies somewhere between garage rock and punky blues with hints of Latin-soul in a dark, smoky lounge. Stooges & Stones meet Morphine & Waits. Classic roots with modern twists. Steve Conte brings the power, soul and raunch; a guitar hero on the edge of falling apart - with the voice of a derelict angel. Drummer Phil Stewart is equal parts Max Roach and Keith Moon while bassist Leeko was weaned on The Clash and old school reggae.
Conte says: "This album sounds like a band playing LIVE because it is -- drums, bass & guitar together in one room, solos recorded live on the basic tracks, rough and tough. It was like doing a gig - and I love playing live with this band because it's all about interplay and the moment. We don't just deliver the songs...we JAM!"
Lyrically, the songs reflect two decades of life and excess in New York City...the distractions troubled souls move toward to fill the emptiness. Dive bars, gambling, sex & drugs ...it's all there, but not celebrated with the usual macho rock attitude. It's really about redemption. With Steve Conte's unique perspective he sings, "I'm always putting the last things first, that's why I'm starting out with the second verse" and "drag queens, drama queens, future ex-porn stars, we're all looking for lovers with beautiful scars". Whether he's the morally bankrupt guy "coming downtown in a Gypsy Cab" or riding a "Busload Of Hope" to Atlantic City, Conte offers optimism - "In the end we transcend - we're divine"...."
The Crazy Truth record was mixed by Niko Bolas (Keith Richards, Neil Young) and mastered by Richard Dodd (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), yet Conte was determined to keep the album's production rough and raw. Fans of New York Dolls will be pleased that this album embodies the spirit of those early Dolls records with it's seat-of-the-pants performances.
"There is very little genuine rock and roll out there at the moment - but Steve Conte has hit the nail on the head with this one!"
-- Steve Lillywhite, Producer (U2, Rolling Stones, Johnny Thunders)
"If there ever was a rock and roll guitar album that could kick start a sense of rock and roll adrenalin in the tradition of Lou Reed, Johnny Thunders, Mink DeVille and Television, it has to be Steve Conte and the Crazy Truth."
-- Amazon.com/UK
“I love it! The songs are really great.”
-- Cheetah Chrome (The Dead Boys)
"Steve Conte is Rock-n-Roll, with taste!"
-- Rick Richards (Georgia Satellites/Izzy Stradlin & the JuJu Hounds)
"Consummate talent and relentless passion - The Truth ain't pretty...but it rocks like crazy!"
-- Billy Squier
“The sound is raw, loose and punk-cool...with bundles of charm and character.
--Rock Realms
Steve Conte reminds us what real rock & roll is and that’s the crazy truth!!!
-- Howard Thompson (www.northforksound.com)
“Gritty guitar and a recognizable NYC attitude. Good, old-fashioned '70s NYC barroom Rock 'n Roll respectful of the NY Dolls legacy.
Steve Conte has nothing to prove. We are satiated.”
-- Music Tap
“Steve Conte's credentials cannot for one second be questioned. the man is consumed and in love with his life of music. The album sounds as if it was recorded live from start to finish in one sitting, with a punk fuelled ferocity, white hot bluesy punk. great style and intensity that only a veteran can bring. A bare bones classic."
-- allgigs.co.uk
“As someone who grew up thinking that Hanoi Rocks and Mink DeVille were the two coolest bands in the world, it's safe to say that I thoroughly enjoyed this…It's sleazy, down at hell, guitar rock-Blues that anyone who fell in love with Sea Hags or early Dogs D'Amour will take to their tattooed bosoms. these are songs you can dance, cry, sing, and waggle your tush to. An album that left me feeling a wee bit grubby, but in a good way."
-- Stuart A Hamilton www.the-rocker.co.uk
“On Steve Conte & The Crazy Truth you get great rock and roll and New York City, by the truck load. If Conte wasn't born there he sure as hell belongs there. He's released a CD which sounds like it was written in blood that pumped out of the city's heart...but this isn't just some dark magical mystery tour into the underworld. There has to be light in order for there to be dark and Conte has been around long enough to know. If you've come here looking for some sort of peon in praise of riding the rails to destruction, this isn't the place. we may all take a few wrong steps now and again and fall down blind alleys while we're looking for whatever it is we're looking for, but that doesn't mean you can't have hope. in Conte's New York City talent and heart win out over fame and posing everyday. Steve Conte And The Crazy Truth is rock and roll at its most dangerous and hopeful best. Like all the best music that's come out of New York City since the mid 1970's there's a knife edge to their sound. It's okay to "rock and roll like the Marquis de Sade" (One of the best rock and roll lyrics I've heard in years) Conte's songs sound like they've been down quite a few roads, some of which might have been dark and dangerous, but he also sounds like he's never forgotten how to find his way home."
-- Richard Marcus, blogcritics.org/music
This album looks squarely in the eyes of most so-called 'Sleaze Rock’ bands, knees them in the nuts and rips them new assholes, Steve Conte is the real deal….'rawk’ with big rhythms, mean guitar lines and an attitude you could paper a room with…all arrogant pout and latino strut – imagine Willy DeVille crossed with Steve Tyler. there isn’t a single track that misses the mark or a moment of filler and at around 36 minutes it feels tight and of perfect length – one of the best albums I’ve enjoyed this year."
-- music-news.com
“there was Keith, Johnny (Thunders and Marr) and now the baton passes to Steve Conte. He’s certainly got the style and attitude, but has he got the chops to carry off a solo album? You better believe it, this album is like a full blooded skirmish in the war of independence between the Faces and Aerosmith. This, my friends, is the spirit of rock ‘n’ roll. Steve Conte and The Crazy Truth is like a pimp’s cut of the Taxi Driver movie…dirrrrrrrrrrrrrty, messed up guitar sounds and a sleazy, swaggering hipshake of a soundtrack that leaves you feeling like you need a hot bath. In bleach. It is a roots album so there are plenty of echoes of the past drifting in and out; creepy Cramps-like guitar lines…you can hear the ghosts of Johnny Thunders, Joey Ramone and the posse. This is Steve Conte in his element, playing it loose and kicking up a storm while jamming with his mates"
--the musicfix.co.uk
“the album evokes the legendary grittiness of Lower East Side of Manhattan… like the Dolls and other 70s glam acts. a collection of anthemic bluesy rockers featuring sing along hooks and catchy melodies played with a punkish abandon. there are a few slower numbers that provide a bit of a breather from the frenetic pace…reminiscent of old surf tunes complete with tremolo guitar and a Beach Boys backbeat…swampy blues with a sultry vibe…hints of a Latin samba beat. Conte has a rock n’ roll voice with a hint of having gargled with razor blades and Wild Turkey…he’s no slouch in the guitar department either. melodic and emotional lead playing that owes as much to the glam rock wailing of Mick Ronson as it does the atonal explorations of Kurt Cobain."
-- Live4ever.com (Nick Fokas)
"Like an animalistic, anything-goes, three-way showdown between Aerosmith, New York Dolls and The Rolling Stones. This no-nonsense, foot-stomping record never lets up and is chock-full with thousand-miles-per-hour, loose-limbed balls of energy. Raw songs which are dispatched like dynamite and delve into the annals of time with driving fervour – channelling the pure spirit of good-time ‘70s rock ‘n’ roll, punk, boogie-woogie and honky-tonk blues.As a frontman, Steve proves himself to be more than capable of holding his own, delivering straight-talking and redemptive lyrics all of which have stand-up-and-be-counted attitude! Vocally, Conte has a wild child, throaty and meaty voice, that seems both fired-up and loosened on multiple bottles of Jack Daniel’s. Bolstered by an armada of pinball riffs, growling bass, malevolent drums, masterful fretwork and stare-you-out guitar solos, that all work seamlessly together in the pursuit of whipping up a veritable musical storm. Sounding instantly familiar yet at the same time undeniably fresh Steve Conte & The Crazy Truth’s musical mettle will jive and worm its way into your heart, mind, body and soul!"
--Repeat Fanzine
"There are people that rock and then there are people who ARE rock. Conte's the real deal and you can feel it on this disc. This isn't influenced, it's felt. Crank it."
--Robin Danar (CBGB's , Pete Yorn, Rachael Yamagata)
“Thick with atmosphere and variety, from storm-lashed garage rock to hazy latin-soul. A rich, rowdy and rewarding listen from start to finish."
-- ANOTHER PLANET MAGAZINE
“Dirty, horn-honkin’, hand-clapping, whoo-whooing rock n roll. The band sound like they're having a ball and it sounds like one take fare. This is what rock and roll should be. All killer and no filler The album has the stamp of the Dolls' rough and ready recording all over it and fans of the Dolls won’t be disappointed. It also has some of the more carefree elements of greats such as the Stones, Faces and early Aerosmith”
-- UberRock.com
“Steve Conte, while never so much a Thunders fan, surely shared in some of his predecessors influences whilst growing up in the Big Apple. That claim certainly rings true on this bluesy outing which gracefully meshes the classic sights and sounds of the city with Conte’s own experiences and soulful playing style.
from the earthy swamp blues grind of ‘Texas T’ to trawling mean city streets populated by “drag queens, drama queens, future ex-porn stars.. all looking for love in the bar”, with a harmonica-honking David Johansen at his side on ‘The Goods Are Odd’. As deftly as he deals the blues the established guitarist shows his considerable trash rock hand on closing dive into gritty rock’n’roll ‘Junk Planet’.
An appreciation of the Dolls is by no means a pre-requisite for enjoying this album, but an understanding of the frequent hardship and freakish beauty of the street life which both bands commonly portray will certainly help in feeling the full effect of the strange truisms Conte succinctly serves up.”
--Bubblegum Slut 'Zine
Steve Conte and the Crazy Truth illustrates in flying colours how diverse and rootsy [Conte's] brand of rock and roll really is. It is often difficult to embody the spirit of New York City rock and roll, and the last time this kind of sound was popular was back in the late seventies when the Heartbreakers, the Ramones and Television were kicking it large. this is East Coast rock and roll, stripped down, turned up and ready to rip. I've seen the future of rock and roll..."
-- "Electric" Mag, UK
“a modern day throwback…. guitar riff based songs—and great songs at that. It just happens to be real rock and roll.
-- billy thin, songshooter.com
“Wicked ass-kickin record.....love it loud!”
-- Mark Bosch (Ian Hunter)
“A blazing hot CD of fist clenching, crotch quivering thunder. You could loosen fillings listening to these guys – GET THIS CD, NOW!”
- Elmore Magazine
“Sleazy-blues…ballsy 'live' feel…riff-laden, straight-ahead rock n blues n roll”
--Allgigs.co.uk
“Holy shit it's good! Steve Conte and The Crazy Truth is a total muthaf*cker. He sings, he shreds… great songs, great band!”
-- Andy York (John Mellencamp)
"For those who like their rock 'n roll down and dirty and drippin' with attitude and soul....T-Rex meets the early Stones. Great rock album."
--Willie Nile (NYC Singer/Songwriter)
“From the opening drum beat, to the very end of this album, Conte & the Crazy Truth have you by the balls…high-powered guitar driven power-pop-punkiness, great rock n roll played rough and ready. It will kick your ass!. ‘The Truth Ain’t Pretty’ starts with one of the neatest lines I’ve heard…’ I’m always putting the last things first, that’s why I’m starting out with the second verse’…= a masterpiece in songwriting.
-- Soundcheck Magazine
"Great tunes…"starting out with the second verse" is genius…Bravo!"
-- Dennis Dunaway (Alice Cooper)
“Really killer!! Sounds like a party inside a set of tires, great ride!!”
--Chris Seefried (The Low Stars)
“i really love it...everything about it…the sound is phenomenal. the guitar riffs/hooks are killin!”
-- Marco Giovino (Robert Plant)
“I love this …It's so booze bottle sophisticated…must hear...It's perfect”
-- New York Dolls Myspace
"A journey through the past with hope for where the future is headed. Great songs, great hooks, 11 slices of dirty rock n roll.”
-- Keith Roth/Sirius Satellite Radio
"Love it...reminds me of Iggy Pop...rock n roll!"
-- Kyf Brewer (Barleyjuice/Company Of Wolves)
Steve, Dude youre the BEST, happy holidays man, good luck with everything, ive been spinning the disc daily, My 7 yr old digs it too. rock on bro..... JD (boston)
Thanks for the add. It was a real pleasure to listen to you Steve with New York Dolls at Hard Rock Hell, Prestatyn. Hope to see you very soon with The Crazy Truth. Keep Rockin'
I brought this album just the other day, but already it has been played to death. I just love it - you really need to come tour with this in the UK!!!!
Hey Superman, Just got out of the hospital so I'm a bit late but they do say better late than never. It's known that I don't believe in 'Thanksgiving' in the 'traditional' sense but I do believe in giving thanks. I give thanks that you're in my world and you've made it a bit more gorgeous. Thank you for the gift of music ,it's something that lasts forever and can never be taken away. Thank you for the friendship. Much Love to you and your loved ones CAT, XXX
Steve Conte&The Crazy Truth, ohne Titel. Varèse Vintage 3969872 (Alive) Producer Steve Lillywhite has stated that right at the moment there is not much in Rock’n’Roll which is convincingly and powerful, besides this certain guy who manages to hit the nail on it's head: Steve Conte. The guitarist who joined the New York Dolls years ago for their comeback is doing his own business now: “Steve Conte & the Crazy Truth” is a real Rock’n’Roll record, so barefaced and unabashed like you only expect it at the most from the New York Dolls. Sometimes fast, sometimes lurking, with guitars sharp as a razorblades, half garage, half swampland-soul, everything very telling – just a little bit like Charles Bukowski, from which the band borrowed the name. For this self-produced record, which had the support of some well-known helpers (Dolls-singer David Johansen is also on board) and the lyrics are not exactly prudish and in their rampant way remind one a little bit of the movie “Bad Lieutenant”, Steve Conte will not win a Grammy – it’s just too dirty. But that’s what Rock’n’Roll is all about. Much Love, CAT, XXX
Steve, Adam saw this article (in a comment that should come up below this one)in a newspaper that originates in Frankfurt but is read throughout Germany. He's (loosely)translated the article for you because with getting lost in translation it's absolutely impossible to understand online translators. You were the number one cd review of the week. They really liked the cd.Smart people hm? http://www.faz.net/s/Rub1637F1E578F4428A8B033B54C841364A/Doc~E104F811B598C4C8CAF8FDD325F107953~ATpl~Ecommon~Scontent.html
Hey Steve, long time since I've been in touch. Have been writing the book full time. Am ordering The Crazy Truth's new album. Very Hot!!!! Also belated congrats re your son! Ciao Dolores xx
Hi Steve, love your fuckin..crazy fantastic rock ..n..rollllllllllllllllllllllllllll! Give me more and bring it over to Germany, rock my country again and again. Wish you all the best and a big SUCCESS with your new CD. Get it on and Let Love Rule!!!!! Wolfgang, c/o The Lens www.rock-shot.com
This just might be my favorite record of 2009~~~ Congratulations on the release of your debut album today! The Crazy Truth is just soooooooooooooooooo good!!
:-) 
