Steve Bello Band
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Steve Bello
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About
Add bio here. Steve Bello (b. November 2nd, 1969) is a 7-string instrumental metal guitarist who lives in New Jersey. He began learning guitar at age 9, and by age 15 was playing in local cover bands. After graduating from Queen of Peace High School in 1988, Steve became a professional musician, joining various original bands between 1988-1992. In the interim, he earned an Associates Degree in Music from Bergen Community College in 1991. In 1999, Steve turned his attention to 7-string guitar and instrumental music. In August 2003, he was approached by Angelo Mimmo, a NY/NJ rep for Ibanez guitars, to perform clinics for Ibanez. (The result of a 3-song demo that Steve described as "something maybe four people will like" got Angelo's attention.) As a result, Steve landed a regional endorsement with them in January 2004 (later elevated to national endorsement in January 2007). Steve also has a regional endorsement with DR Strings.
To capitalize on his new-found "career", Steve enlisted drummer Darren Patrick to help record a proper first album entitled TWISTED METAL. (Steve played bass on this album since a bassist was not to be found at this time.) The cd was a mix of traditional heavy metal, touches of funk and progressive, as well as a sensitive acoustic track. The attention that this cd received inspired Bello to quickly write a second album, ALL WIRED UP. This time a bassist was found, Courtenay Penick. Soon after the second album was recorded, Steve was asked to perform a "fill-in" show at the last minute. On October 15th, 2004, Steve Bello Band was born. (Ironically, this band was only to exist as a studio creation and live gigs were never talked about.)
The first incarnation of Steve Bello Band with Darren and Courtenay lasted from March 2004 to February 2005. Darren exited the band, and new drummer Evan Prettyman replaced him in March 2005. This line-up recorded the third album JUPITER RETURN. Reviews for this cd were mixed, due to the flat production (Steve blames himself for this, as he rushed the band and the producer the whole time.) Courtenay quit the band on March 26, 2006; Evan was dismissed a few days later. Courtenay re-joined soon after and the hunt was on for a new drummer. Danny Barkman joined in March 2007 but his stay was very brief. Courtenay and Steve decided it was time to part ways musically, so in July 2007, their three-year partnership ended.
As of this writing, a new line-up has emerged. Steve teamed up with drummer Clarence "CJ" Jackson and bassist Kosaku Nakamura (both are still with their own band Brokensoul, in which Kosaku is the guitarist). A fourth album is quickly being rehearsed and recording will commence sometime in late September.
Awards & Certifications
List awards received. Also list certifications like gold and platinum albums.
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Chart Toppers
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News
Tours & Concerts
tour title - tour description
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Announcements
Discography
TWISTED METAL (released October 4th, 2003) ALL WIRED UP (released October 16th, 2004) JUPITER RETURN (released January 1st, 2006)
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Singles
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Compilations & Live Releases
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Other artists
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Influences
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Contemporaries
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Trivia
. 1. The aforementioned 3-song demo was jokingly called "The Pink Album", since Steve's wife designed the cd sleeve using pink vellum paper. Steve dismissed this demo as "something maybe four people will like". Only 100 copies were pressed. This demo got the attention of Ibanez rep Angelo Mimmo.
2. TWISTED METAL was written in 2 weeks, rehearsed twice through, and then recorded in one 9-hour session in September 2003. The acoustic track, "Memories of Tomorrow" was recorded on another night. Only 150 copies were pressed. The cd cover was designed by Jon Liska. Look closely and one can see the guitar has 7 tuning pegs but 8 locking tuners on the bottom! The title came from an article Steve read about 9/11, with the quote "Strands of twisted metal strewn about the land." The first song, "I Play Guitar", is now considered a live favourite.
3. ALL WIRED UP was written in a month, rehearsed "maybe five times", and then recorded in one 12-hour session in September 2004. The acoustic track, "Tired Wings" was recorded on another night. The cd cover was a result of Bello looking at Courtenay and saying, "Look, our album cover!" It's the back of producer Mike Koenig's recording console. Only 200 copies were pressed. One copy was given to Steve Vai for a possible deal with Favored Nations label. The title came about when Steve told Darren he was "all wired up" about his endorsement with Ibanez. The sixth song "Schizotherapy" was the last song to be written for the album, and is now considered a live favourite.
4. JUPITER RETURN was "the longest it ever took to write and hardest to record", according to Bello. As a result, Steve dismisses this album for various reasons. The recording sessions were split over various days, even weeks, because of unforeseen interruptions, and as Bello's wife put it, "This is a doomed record." Tensions were high in the studio, and because of this, Steve rushed the band and the production suffered, something he admits was "the dumbest thing to do." The title stems from Steve's astrology chart; his mother is into astrology and told him of this "Jupiter return" which was to bring good luck. (Under the cd is Steve's actual chart.) Five-hundred copies were made, and Bello jokes, "We still have 400 left in boxes." The song "Saturn On Her Mind" was written for and about Steve's daughter Emma; she found an astronomy book in Steve's studio and kept saying "Saturn is cool!" To which he responded, "Ah, she's got Saturn on her mind."
A 4-song ep was recorded during the summer of 2006 but Bello opted not to release it.
He is currently rehearsing a new 9-song album with a new line-up. Bello promises that "this album will make you and I forgot about JUPITER RETURN."
Reviews
External Links
http://www.myspace.com/stevebello Steve Bello on MySpace http://www.ibanez.com Steve Bello listed in Artists page
