Steve GUYGER - Live At The Dinosaur Barbeque 1997

Steve GUYGER - Live At The Dinosaur Barbeque 1997

Blues

STEVE GUYGER, DAVID MAXWELL, STEVE FREUND, STEVE GOMES, STEVE RAMSEY; COLLECTIVELY THEY MUST HAVE PERFORMED WITH EVERYONE IN THE BUSINESS, TOGETHER THEY ROCKED THE DINOSAUR BAR-B-QUE CLUB IN SYRACUSE, NEW YORK WITH A ROUSING SET OF HIGH END BOOGIE\'N BLUES!. VERY LIMITED QUANTITY.
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Philadelphia is home to one of the finest blues harp players in the world, much to the surprise of people not "inside" the blues scene. Over the past thiry-plus years, Steve Guyger with his band, The Excellos, has been dishing out some of the finest blues to be heard anywhere. Steve has toured with the late Jimmy Rogers, among others, and has played with many of the great Chicago bluesmen and contemporary players, yet he remains one of the best kept secrets in blues. The late William Clarke called Steve "the best harp player I've ever seen." Mark Hummel called him "a monster player." If you have heard Steve play, you know what they're talking about. If you've never heard him, you're missing a major page in your blues portfolio.
Steve began playing harp back in the late 60's on a harmonica given to him by his future sister-in-law. Sometime later, his brother turned him on to Paul Butterfield. Steve's passion for the blues harp took him to Chicago to learn at the feet of the masters of the art. Each trip taught him skills that he brought back to the local bands in which he paid his dues. Steve has shared the stage with the greats in Chicago and the contemporary harp players touring the world today, names like Little Sammy Davis, Carey Bell, Rick Estrin, Rod Piazza, Kim Wilson, Mark Hummel, Charlie Musselwhite and many others. His playing, vocals, songwriting and stage presence have earned him a place among the best of the players on stage today.
 Steve has been accorded the honor of being a Hohner endorsee, a designation earned by only a few outstanding harmonica players. Needless to say, Steve plays and recommends Hohner harmonicas.
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Steve Freund- Guitar
Steve Gomes- Bass
Steve Guyger- Vocals, Harmonic Arrangement 
Steve Ramsay- Drums
Dave Maxwell- Keyboards   
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01. Come Home Baby  5:24
02. What Have I Done  4:11
03. Walk With Me  5:44
04. Why Do You Act Like That  5:37
05. Step Back  4:13
06. Tonight With a Fool  4:30
07. Sharp Harp  3:34
08. Shake Your Hips  5:06
09. Monkey on a Limb  4:55
10. Glad You're Mine  6:01
11. Shake the Boogie  4:43
12. I Wish You Would  7:40
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Steve GUYGER - Past Life Blues 1999

Steve GUYGER - Past Life Blues 1999

Blues

Rooted firmly in the Little Walter and William Clarke school of overdriven, usually amplified harmonica, Steve Guyger blasts through 14 tracks of sturdy Chicagostyled blues. The former touring bandmember for Jimmy Rogers tears into these predominantly selfpenned tunes with the fervor of the best postwar bluesmen, blowing with precision, intensity, and emotion. The tracks crackle with energy, whether they are in a slower tempo or more upbeat. Guyger exudes a smoky, everyman voice that won't win any awards, yet works well with this material. But it's his gutsy harp, tight band, and imaginative arrangements that drive this album. From the John Lee Hooker vibe of "Rib Shack Boogie" (one of three newly added tracks) to the slow, ominous swamp crawl of the instrumental "Snake Oil" and the noir jazz of "Monkey on a Limb," Guyger shifts moods and styles while maintaining a tough, moody attack. His playing on the playful "Somethin's Smellin' Good (At My Baby's House)" is heavily reminiscent of Kim Wilson's best work. Swinging drummer Joe Maher, leader of labelmate Big Joe the Dynaflows, contributes skin work, but it's his production that shines here. Each instrument is crisply recorded, and the songs breathe no matter how fiercely Guyger blows. The album is essential listening for harmonica fans, and a real find for any serious lover of Chicago blues.
By Hal Horowitz, All Music Guide.
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The 2003 remastered version of PAST LIFE BLUES includes three bonus tracks.

A remixed, re-mastered version of Steve Guyger's "Past Life Blues", originally released in 1999 by Severn Records. Considered by many to be one of the finest ...    Full Descriptionharp players in the world, Steve Guyger delivers 8 originals and 3 covers, plus 3 added bonus tracks.

...A wild, raw-throated frontman and raucous honker, Guyger delivers with unbound energy....An excellent example of quintessentially raunchy, Little Walter-styled amplified blues harp honking by a strong new voice on the scene..."JazzTimes
...Guitarists Brian Bisesi and Rich Yescalis show great chops and restraint when stepping forward, while the bass duties are handled easily by longtime veteran Steve Gomes..."
From Living Blues.
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Steve Guyger- (Vocals, Harmonica);
Brian Bisesi, Rich Yescalis- (Guitar);
Steve Gomes- (Bass);
Joe Maher- (Drums).
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01.Let's Rock Tonight
02.I Tried So Hard
03.I Thought I Heard
04.Monkey on a Limb
05.Blue Mambo
06.Somethin's Smellin' Good (At My Baby's House)
07.Bricks in My Pillow
08.My New Car
09.Kansas City Blues
10.Snake Oil
11.We're Gonna Ride
12.No No No
13.Same Old Thing
14.I Need My Baby
15.Come Back (Bonus Track)
16.This Is the First Time (Bonus Track)
17.Rib Shack Boogie (Bonus Track)
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Steve GUYGER - Radio Blues 2008

Steve GUYGER - Radio Blues 2008

Blues

I decided to write a quick note about this CD after noticing no-one had reviewed it. I was pleasantly suprised with this album and it has quickly become one of my favorites. I listen to virtually ALL new blues releases so I like to think I have high standards. Steve has a great blues voice, plays a nice harmonica, and writes some good songs. The album is strong throughout.
By Greg Demko.
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It would be difficult for Steve to top his first release for Severn, Past Life Blues, but with his most recent album, Radio Blues (0044), he just might have pulled it off. As always, it is engineered and mixed flawlessly by David Earl himself at Severn Studios in Severn, MD, and contains no less than ten original tunes (of the fourteen) penned by Steve himself, who of late has become a blues songsmith to be reckoned with. As usual, Steve surrounds himself with the best sidemen available, including long time bassist, Steve Gomes. And newcomer Johnny Moeller on lead guitar is a revelation. Harp great Rick Estrin, who provides the liner notes, gives the venture his hearty stamp of approval and I’m with him all the way as to his recommendation.

Radio Blues no doubt refers to the Golden Age of the blues, the 50s, when at night you could tune into a clear channel 50,000 watt powerhouse like WLAC in Nashville and then buy the platters the DJs would play via mail order. The disks would be a sampling of all types of blues and their respective birth places. Thus, Steve Guyger’s Radio Blues is actually a blues odyssey, an excursion to all the seminal hotbeds of blues throughout the United States, all the regions which have contributed their own brand of blues to that body of work so uniquely American. And, believe me, few artists can even attempt such an ambitious undertaking. If it’s Louisiana blues that you crave, it is well represented by such numbers as the funky New Orleans parade beat of Smiley Lewis’s “Oh Red;” the Cajun flavored “Little Rita,” wherein Steve plays the harmonica like a zydeco accordion; and the classic E-flat, B-flat (with triplets) of Swamp Pop or Swamp Blues (my favorite) of “I Can See By Your Eyes.” In fact, I can imagine a Slim Harpo or Lazy Lester supplying the harp licks to this memorable number. Steve also tackles a couple of Piedmont blues inspired tunes, in which he plays in a country harp manner very reminiscent of Sonny Terry---the instrumental “Afghan Rumble” and “Hey Little Baby,” the latter with the hand jive rhythm of Bobby Bland’s “Chicken Hop.” And West Coast jump blues closes the CD with Steve’s instrumental take on Joe Liggins’s signature “Honeydripper.”
By Larry Benicewicz, B.B.S.
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Steve Guyger - Harmonica
Johnny Moeller - Guitar
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01. Lookie Here (4:03)
02. You're So Fine (4:08)
03. Cool In The Evening (5:34)
04. Little Rita (2:29)
05. Blues Won't Let Me Be (4:05)
06. School Is Over (3:30)
07. Afghan Rumble (2:20)
08. I'm Shakin' (4:06)
09. Oh Red (4:28)
10. I Can See By Your Eyes (4:39)
11. Won't You Come On Out Tonight (3:35)
12. Hey Little Baby (4:16)
13. Let Me Hang Around (3:30)
14. Honeydripper (2:13)
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