Steve Waitt- Vocals, piano, wurlitzer, acoustic guitar
The Band (a mixture of one or more of the following):
Len Monachello/John Frikus - Electric Bass
Thomas Bryan Eaton- Pedal Steel and Electric Guitars
Ross Martin/Greg Tuohey/Mark Donovan - Electric Guitar
Ray Parker - Upright Bass
Crash Gordon/Sarab Singh/Adrian Harpham/Ryan Vaughn/Jonny Jeymo - Drums
Brian Glashow/Mauro Satalino - Percussion
Heidi Sidelinker/Liz Clark/Kat Hayman/Chelsea Labate/Lesly Kernochan- backing vocals/instruments
Live at Highline Ballroom, NYC - "Coyote" 3/09
Live in Amsterdam "Save a Place" June 2008
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.
BLUE PARADE (2008)
<--- iTunes LINK
LIVE AT ROCKWOOD MUSIC HALL (2007) <--- iTunes LINK
LIVE IN GALWAY (2008)
Sounds Like
PLEASE SIGN THE MAILING LIST. No spam, just live show announcements. This is the best way to be sure you catch our live shows. Make sure to enter the city and state, (and country) 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 phishing "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", 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 his tour out west and a his third 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!"
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
I finally got the site up - check out Phantom Radio Mobile Unit Recordings at: http://www.phantomradio.org/prmu - you can listen to the recordings or download them to add to your collection. Great live recordings. Great show, Steve & Company!
It was a privilege and an honor to record your show at Nissi’s in Lafayette the other day. WOW! I have listened to the recording about 8 times (producing and mixing) and I still choose to listen to it when I’m not working on it. Did I say WOW? Really, I told Ig (DJ I.G.) on the ride home from that show that you may have restored my faith in music. My view had grown dim, but your show at Nissi’s awakened in me a sense of depth that only music can reach – music that means something to both the performer and the listeners.
I thought that the show was nearly flawless. I saw you guys flinch a few times onstage, and upon reviewing the recordings I can find a bad note here and there, but I’d still consider this to be a nearly flawless performance. I’ve never felt this strongly about a band before. I feel that the show was an absolutely stellar performance.
I listened to a little bit of the studio recordings and while they are great, they aren’t as beautifully loose and alive as the recordings I got at Nissi’s. Jonny Jeymo is a monster of a drummer! Lesly added so much to the show… I think I fell in love with her. Mark made some guitar sounds that mystify me. And Frikus… solid, in the pocket, in the moment, and all with a smile on his face. Great show! I’m so glad I didn’t decide to blow it off! I was tired, but I made the effort and I’m glad I did.
I was the 9th person to listen to "Like water" on your page. Seems fitting. Good work my friend and thank you for the kind words> Much appreciatd. Take care Love Tara
Hello Love! Long time! These new tunes you've done sound amazing! Do you remember Zaid from Eugene (horn player that did some stuff with Kawaida)? Well, he's in Phila now and sends his hellos...miss ya, wanna come and see ya!
a friend took this pic of you at the show and i think it's lovely.... been listening a lot to your tunes in gaza, looking out over the mediterranean. good luck recording with the incredible mr. cubeta -- i can't wait to hear it. g x
hey hope all is well! just put up a ton of work, adding hundreds of photos this week from the summer:) i'm booking in the greensboro, north carolina area would you be interested in working together?
Hi! So sorry we missed you at KHL! Just saw the message too late. I hope it was a nice gig and you enjoyed playing there. It's a nice place. And your music sounds like a perfect fit for this venue. Good luck with your European tour and see you next time. m
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