So why dE-eVolution oF thEorY? Well, a release such as this is really an unlikely next step from a musician who, over the past 15 years, has made a career playing almost every type of music imaginable, in pretty much any venue you can picture. But lets not get ahead of ourselves here… Ever since discovering the music of KISS at the age of 7, loud pounding music has played a central roll in Steve’s life. They say the early influences are the longest lasting; in Steve’s case, this has proved true. Growing up in a VERY rural town 50 miles south of Washington DC, out of range of any cool radio stations (no MTV), exposure to new music wasn’t exactly easy to come by. Even so, from that time, Steve knew how he wanted to spend his life. Being content with the escape provided through the music of such bands as KISS, Iron Maiden, AC/DC, Van Halen, Ozzy Osbourne and Twisted Sister (to name but a few), Steve didn’t actually start playing seriously until the age of 15 - after hearing the insane playing of Yngwie Malmsteen. According to Steve, “I was at a party and my friend Dave said “hey check this out”, and puts on the live Alcatrazz album. As soon as I heard that playing, I recommitted myself to becoming the best player I could be - right there on the spot!” Even though Steve was very new to the guitar, he was the only local guy with a “whammy bar”, so he was immediately asked to join his first band, a mostly original, hard rock act. Steve immediately began building a name for himself, pulling off Randy Rhoads & Van Halen leads, by ear, mere weeks after picking up the guitar. They played the local (very local) scene - parties, school dances, County Fair, that kind of thing. Being in the only real hard rock band in the area, and with original music to boot, Steve learned early on to love the stage. Driven by comments from others that he’d never really be able to play like Van Halen or Jimmy Page, Steve retreated into an almost unimaginable practice regimen. On days when he actually went to school Steve was playing his guitar 8 to 10 hours a day. Upon finishing High School, this only increased to 15-17 hours a day, every day - sometimes more. All the heavy practicing began to pay off early as Steve began entering (and winning) every guitar contest within driving range (including one judged by the legendary Steve Vai). Local gigs grew into regional shows and soon Steve caught the attention of such notable figures as Eric Johnson, Paul Reed Smith, Nick Bowcott, “Dimebag” Daryl Abbot and others. During this period Steve was exposed to the world of touring, gigging nationwide nearly continuously, from DC to Seattle (at the height of the Grunge phenomenon), Hollywood (including a week during the Rodney King riots - that’s a story in itself), Texas (highlighted by an insane night trying to keep up with his hero, the late Dimebag Darrell of Pantera (R.I.P.) in a drinking game - futile) and everywhere in-between. After five years of constant touring in pickup trucks, making literally no money, dealing with a withering metal scene, Steve got a wild hair to move to South Carolina and play Country music. YeeHaw!!!!! Errr… Well, the Country thing only lasted a few months, but liking his new surroundings, Steve decided to stay. Spending the next decade-plus playing with widely varied cover bands provided Steve with an eclectic range of influences, from Brent Mason to George Benson, to Eric Johnson, the DeLeo Brothers (STP), all the fantastic funk players, & most recently all the Southern Rock masters, such as the inimitable Warren Haynes, Duane Allman, Gary Rossington & Allen Collins and a collection far too extensive to list here. Recently, several years of 300+ gigs a year with various local acts has further transformed Steve, from a guy who just loves to play, to a guitarist who craves the stage 7 nights a week. During this time, Steve continued writing music. Over the years this wide range of influences has really begun to show in Steve’s songwriting. Although heavy grooves and riffs still make up a good number of Steve’s songs, you’ll notice a wide variety of influences… This diverse range can be heard on Steve’s debut solo release, ‘dE-eVolution oF thEorY’. You’ll definitely hear Steve’s heavy rock roots, but you’ll also hear the Southern flair that’s beginning to make it’s way into Steve’s style, as well as some good old fashioned Funk, Classical and even Latin (Carlos would be proud). As one listens through this collection, the diversity, even among the heavier rock tracks, is immediately apparent and sets this apart from so many other instrumental rock releases. It’s this diversity and attention to how the song “feels” that Steve hopes will become a hallmark of his Instrumental Guitar career. dE-eVolution oF thEorY is a true solo effort in that all parts were self written, performed and/or programmed, recorded, produced and mixed. Additionally, Steve plays guitar with a band called Superswamp Heroes, which can only be described as the New Southern Rock, carrying on with the traditions of such Southern greats as the Allman Brothers, Skynyrd, Marshall Tucker Band, Molly Hatchet and so many others while mixing in some of today’s more modern sounds and heaviness. Read more on Last.fm. User-contributed text is available under the Creative Commons By-SA License; additional terms may apply.