Steve Waitt- Piano, vocals, acoustic guitar, harmonica
Thomas Bryan- Pedal steel and electric guitars
Len Monachello - Bass
Crash - Drums
Liz Clark- vocals and piano
Influences
CLICK THE ALBUM BELOW TO ORDER FROM CD BABY.
You can download individual songs or order a hard copy of the album, mailed right to your door. If you prefer iTunes, click the icon just below the album covers.
LIVE AT ROCKWOOD MUSIC HALL (2007) <--- iTunes LINK
BLUE PARADE (2008)
<--- iTunes LINK
Sounds Like
Please sign our mailing list. No spam, just live show announcements. This is the best way to be sure you catch our live shows. Enter the city and state if you live outside of NYC. We will send you am email ONLY when there is a show in your city. After you press the 'Submit' button, myspace will give you a "Urgent Security Alert" that you are leaving myspace. Click "No, I'll continue anyway". We use a email program called iContact. You will be directed to a simple "Thank you for signing up with iContact" page. You can return easily to myspace by pressing the 'Back' button on your browser. Thank you and we will see you at a show soon! - Steve
Raised in Arizona, Steve Waitt still isn't sure where he was actually born. A consummate singer/songwriter with a voice as mournful as it is passionate, there is a unique marriage to be found between his delicate, sometimes lonely timbre, and his emotionally charged songs. Absorbing his parents favorite records from early on, Steve tinkered away from the age of seven. He found a piano in his living room, and was instantly hooked. Singing came soon after, as he would be chosen to join a prestigious boys choir and perform extensively throughout Europe and the U.S. From a musical
kindergarten to a major of the same in university, he felt his course was clear. School now behind him and feeling slightly protected by the quiet backdrop of Arizona, Steve decided to leave home. Taking with him just a guitar, he traveled through Mexico and the west, eventually arriving in San Francisco. The people he met, and their stories had now begun to replace the records of his youth. In each person was another song, and a view into a life that was more
different and desperate than his own. The music that came,
reflected this. In his debut album "Blue Parade" set for release this summer, there is a collection of songs as taxing as they are accomplished. He then left the coast, moving from town to town working odd jobs to keep him afloat. His search for the rawness of the world eventually led him to New Orleans. To Steve, a town filled with those who are either searching, lost or hiding, was like finding a
rare vinyl collection. A walk in the French Quarter left him sitting in an empty bar asking the owner if he could play their piano. A gold colored grande sat in the corner of The Gennifer Flowers Club, and looked as gaudy as it did inviting. Steve would go onto play a nightly
gig there for the next year. A hotbed of musical genius such as Professor Longhair, James Booker, and Doctor John, Steve
absorbed everything from the atmosphere and ease, to the darker side of the swamp. His live set reflects the effect of New Orleans in every aspect. The colder ballads depict a disposition of self inflicted woe and a worldly kind of resigned acceptance. A kind of lyric that can only be sung by someone who has lived it through and through. The upbeat numbers are sung with an intensity showing a yearning for escape into a temporary drowning of the senses. A vehicle for his voice now found, and coupled with the urge to reach more people, Steve decided to leave. He packed up his van with a Fender Rhodes, a guitar, some harmonicas and all of his songs, and left for New York City. Since arriving three years ago, Steve has made a home in the indie circuit of Manhattan. He plays regularly at some of the city's most respected listening rooms including The Living Room,
Pianos and The Rockwood Music Hall. With the addition of some of New York's most talented musicians, Steve Waitt's music has grown again into something larger than he had first expected. His name has found its way into many critics favorites lists, and has attracted a devoted following with his ability to make you feel his songs are yours. On the brink of a long awaited European tour, Steve is excited. "I cant wait to get moving again, even if its just for the tour." "I have another album of songs to write, so I have to go find them!" Blue Parade drops June 1st 2008.
WHAT THE CRITICS ARE SAYING:
“A blow in from Arizona by way of Frisco, New Orleans, and the
beaches of Belize, Steve Waitt has found hungry ears in hipster
riddled downtown area. Dark piano and guitar based melodies
support a Bill Withers-esque vocal that adds an out-of-townish
sincerity and a breath of musicality to an often noisy baseless
music scene. An album is apparently on the way.” -Time Out New
York
“So it looks like its not all narrow jeans and store bought ideologies
in Williamsburg anymore. Frizzy haired piano scientition Steve Waitt
is making the locals go home and practice. Real Song lyrics on top
of music that goes somewhere seems to be his party line and it’s
causing some ripples in the local vegetable co-ops. He showers
daily, has a voice that sings in tune with a color that makes you
believe the songs, and not a trendy haircut in sight. Do yourself and
your parents a favor. Go see a show.” - The Onion, NYC
“Its nice to sit down at a club once you find a seat and not be forced
to get up again for an hour. This rarely happens in clubs here in our
gentrified tenement of the Lower East Side. I find myself listening in
on bands telling each other where they got their pair of prpps. It
hurts. Maybe I’m old. Maybe I have a chip on my shoulder because I
can neither afford nor fit into a pair of prpps jeans. That being said, I
usually have to rise again just minutes into a show because the
music is as listless as my Levis. Steve Waitt however, provides an
incentive to keep my spot. First off there is his unassuming
demeanor as he ambles up to the stage. His musicians take their
places, all with the same gently lived in look of a couch you've loved
for years. The set itself sees Waitt move between piano and guitar
directing continuous moves from uppers to downers. The solo songs
are dark, honest offerings, very reflective and lyrically heavy. Those
emotional all-in bets are usually followed by the rattling circus of
drums and pedal steel driven numbers that leave you thinking of the
French Quarter. The record will be out sometime before June, and
has plenty to boast about. The song "Changes" and "Gong the
Bear" are ones to look for.” - The Daily News, NYC
No problem! Thats our pleasure! Let me know something on this (myspace) when you're coming back exactly & I'll make sure we all get together again ;) x
Hey Steve, Am raging that I just read your message about the Slate gig..I often go there, it's a pity I missed your performance. Great songs here! Good luck with the rest of the tour:-)
Hi ggod to meet you. Good luck with tour - we're in Cork this weekend but going home on 8th.. Keep in touch as hpe to be in NY this year. Played Living Room a couple of times so be good to meet up..
Heya Steve, nice to meet you, I do indeed know the Sunday Social lads! I'm playing there myself the end of this month. I'm heading to Dublin this weekend to see Radiohead so won't be around for your gig sorry! I see your playing a few gigs with niall connelly, tell him i said hello!! Happy Friday!
wish i could be at your show on the 24th! I wish you much luck my brother!!! Lets discuss getting you tied into SEG soon! We would love to help out!! much love!
A European tour, how exciting… I’m trying to get myself to Europe again soon, if I am lucky maybe I can catch a show :) Best of luck to you and take care.
