STEVE PALMER BAND

STEVE PALMER BAND ROCKS
WITH CONVICTION, INTEGRITY AND SOUL
ON DEBUT ALBUM ‘APPARITION’

* * *

 Tennessee-based Rockers Tear Up The Stage
On Contemporary Rock And
Tours With Blues Traveler, Bob Schneider And Sister Hazel

 
Steve Palmer Band takes DIY to the extreme and remains true to their music with conviction, integrity and a sense of purpose.

Led by multi-talented singer/songwriter/guitarist Steve Palmer, the band’s debut album Apparition draws heavily from rock, soul and pop and is produced in a contemporary context and played with fiery soul-dipped passion.

Recorded live at Nashville’s Blackbird Studios and Sound Shop Studios, Apparition was released earlier this year on Palmer’s own label Arythmia Records and distributed through EMI’s indie division, Caroline.  Apparition was remixed by Drop Trou Productions in Van Nuys, Calif. with Howard Rosen Productions.  The powerful title track “Apparition” is Steve Palmer Band’s first single, reaching #37 on the R&R Indicator AC Charts. The ballad “No Words To Say” recently hit #12 on the FMQB AC Charts.

SPB is quickly racking up positive reviews by music critics, along with comparison to some of music’s most distinguished names. The Muse’s Muse touted Palmer musically as a “modern-day Roy Orbison,” while Real Rock News called the album “contemporary classic rock.” Muzik Reviews said, “On Apparition, you’ll think you’re listening to all the classics – Skynyrd, Springsteen, Dylan, and Tom Petty will all come to mind, if not more. However, Apparition doesn’t sound like a cover album or one band. Sometimes Palmer sounds like Morrissey and at others he sounds like Ian Curtis, but mostly, he sounds like Steve Palmer.”

The Celebrity Cafe raved, “Aficionados of intelligent, big-hearted and hook-filled American music are sure to be delighted by Apparition, which introduces a band that continues the proud tradition of such heartland rock trailblazers as Creedence Clearwater Revival, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and others into the new millennium with a sound that’s invitingly familiar while at the same time tantalizingly fresh.”

Palmer’s music career is the culmination of a journey that began at age 13, when he first played a friend’s guitar. During his high school senior year, he recorded with first call NYC session players and studied music and recorded in the UK.

After having difficulty breaking into the music business, Palmer spent years working a 9-5 job while writing music.  In 2000, he decided to re-focus exclusively on music.  With the help of his family, Palmer began his seventh recording project pressing the CD “Livin A Lie”  in 2004 and three other full length CDs at Cue Recording Studios in Virginia. Failing to garner a contract, he then started a label and developed a live band.

“Through both my careers in business and music, I was able to help people in their lives.  Working 9-5 for people was definitely rewarding, but I’ve always been consumed with writing and singing music. Now with running the label, managing and promoting the band and playing, I get to do both at the same time.”  Palmer re-recorded Apparition multiple times until he achieved a quality recording that could be played on the mainstream radio.

A key decision came when Steve packed up his computer drive and literally jumping on a plane to Nashville after being based in Northern Virginia/Washington, DC.

Joining Palmer (lead vocals and rhythm guitar) for the Blackbird sessions were  Bryan Ewald (lead guitar); Anthony Setola (bass) now replaced by Mario Sangermano; Tony Morra (drums); Larry Hall (keyboards and Hammond B3 organ); and Vicki Hampton (background vocals). The band now tours with Blues Traveler and has opened for Sister Hazel and Bob Schneider. Palmer also plays solo and plays unplugged gigs.

Palmer draws inspiration from a wide range of rock and pop from the late ‘60s into the ‘70s. “Kansas, Yes, Led Zepplin, Earth Wind and Fire and Beatles were my favorite groups,” he says. “But some of my biggest influences are five great singer/songwriters: Cat Stevens, CSNY, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, and Joan Armatrading. I also liked Chicago, Bruce Springstein, Billy Joel, the Doobie Brothers, Stevie Ray Vaughn and Led Zepplin.”

Palmer’s goal is to look to that array of artists, but with a modern audience in mind. “I want to make our music sound modern, but it’s not Beyonce, Jay Z or Lady Gaga. Instead, it’s more like John Mayer meets Dave Matthews with a lot of heavy bass undertones for people to move to.”

The far-ranging styles shift from the R&B groove of “Never Gonna See Her Again” to the searing ballad “Where Did Your Love Go” to the surging strut of “Some Things Will Never Change.” While many of the songs’ themes and stories are based on personal experience, the dynamic delivery is universal.