son step

april update - code alert!

Wed, 17 Apr 2013 12:49:44 -0400

hey y’all…sorry that we haven’t posted in a while. We have been busy with recording some sweet new material (on the horizon!) and setting up a good old fashioned Midwest tour (starts next week!) . You should now follow our sounds and happenings over at www.sonstep.com

click the ‘Follow’ button at the new site to keep posted on all sorts of sweet dreams and ice creams. we won’t be posting on our tumblr much in the future, just so ya know… Check out the upcoming midwest dates here - http://sonstep.com/schedule - and check out our Facebook page for updates and radio show times. As always, thanks for listening and supporting!

much love from Matt, Pat, Jon and Chris

Band nickname? “Hoss” Band duties? Harmonic advisor/travel...

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 22:53:41 -0500

Band nickname?

“Hoss”

Band duties?

Harmonic advisor/travel coordinator/graphic designer

What is your signature dish?

Hoss likes to keep it earthy - cabbage, kale, broccoli…but when Son Step is on the road Hoss sets the pace at the trough (Chicago dogs, Lobstah Roll, New Haven Pizza, etc.)

What was your earliest performance?

Tickled the ivories at the elementary school talent show. I worked up my own (watered down) version of Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata.

What are two songs that you can’t get enough of?

Hong Kong Blues by Hoagy Carmichael…. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SUn4DOGiY_A

What ever happened to good old fashioned understated, tasty phrasing? Nobody does it like Hoagy did. And this band is smokin’! Notice the babes hanging with the band…ahh the good old days.

Kissimmee Kid done by Clarence Vassar and Co. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cXfcOvnAyUs

Such a ripping group! Slick tune, nasty picking, and great vibe. If this doesn’t make you want to grab your instrument (or pick one up if you don’t already play one) then go to the doctor yo.

Who is your favorite retired professional athlete?

Have to go with Cecil Fielder on this one.

What is your favorite song off Son Step’s new album?

“Lighter Things” - this song has a lot of input from each band member and has a really unique groove up front. Somebody done gone sprinkled fairy dust in the studio with some quirky 16^th note keyboard effects. Shhh…do you hear it?

Did you know Fun Fact:

Autumn is my favourite time of year.

hot tub tour roundup

Thu, 15 Nov 2012 13:13:28 -0500

we had a muchos wonderful time playing in the Midwest last week. new friends and tasty shows in Columbus, Chicago, Bloomington, Cincinnati, and more. on our first night out, we ended up watching Wild Wild West (ya know, with Will Smith) and sampling a vast array of Wendy’s chicken products in an Oberlin, OH motel room. as one can imagine, after that it became difficult to update the Tumblr machine while fast food vibes and tour craziness only became more rampant. here’s a quick list of some of the awesome things/people we encountered on this trip…

————————————-

- ‘1427’ is a house venue in Columbus, OH that treated us with awesome hospitality and killing sound (really, amazing sound for a basement performance space). ’twas a big ole’ party, and we were serenaded by The Happy Maladies (see more below on them). thanks to Jack, Ethan, Kyle and all the other lovely folks on premises. videos of our set were taken with multiple cameras, so we may have some sweet footage on the way.

- Chicago was a blast. we ate many taco’s, including some otherworldly ones from Lazo’s. made sweet new pals at Township on our first night in town. also, kudos to everyone at The Whip for an awesome whacky time on our second night. there was birthday cake, and a friendly dog runnin’ about. and this local guy Michael Reality absolutely floored us with an amazing electronic set. pretty please, you should go find him on the webs!

- in Bloomington we were showered with ridiculously awesome music by Steven Layne (of Chandelier Ballroom) and KO (from Indianapolis). it was a super fun night that ended with a trip to one of our greasiest destinations, Steak ‘n Shake. fond memories of old Chris Farley SNL skits began creeping into the tour van.

- we can’t say enough about everyone involved with the Marburg Collective in Cincinnati, OH. we have heard insane and beautiful music from these guys, made some great friendships, and been treated to some of our best shows on the road. after hearing locals The Happy Maladies (an inexplicably amazing folk/avant/pop string quartet) when they trekked up to Columbus, we got to share the stage with Shadowraptr and ADM (solo project of Adam Peterson of Gorges) at Rake’s End. inspiring to no end… Skyline Chili on top.

—————-

updates, videos, all sorts of treats are coming

love, MATT + JON + PAT + CHRIS

good news / more good news

Thu, 18 Oct 2012 23:47:00 -0400

Our debut full-length Here Comes Dreamboat is now available via BANDCAMP ( http://sonstep.bandcamp.com ). Until November 15th you can stream the album in its entirety and also download it for a discounted price of $8 smackers! Go eat it up right now.

Also, we are gearing up for a tour of the Midwest (Nov 1st through Nov 9th). Details are arriving, and you can keep posted over at our Schedule page.

We thank all of y’all for the tremendous <3 and support!

son step profiles presents: MATT

Sat, 29 Sep 2012 16:53:07 -0400

Nickname: Sheriff
Instruments: Drums, Sampler (Roland SPD-SX)
Band Duties: Treasurer, Custodian, Gmail Clerk
Fun Fact: Has played Carnegie Hall twice

What was one of your earliest drumming influences?
David Silveria from Korn, sadly.

What is your signature dish?
When it comes to Son Step rehearsals, it is definitely frozen fish fillets. On one occasion, the mere sight of a tray of fried fish fillets (prepared by yours truly) caused a spontaneous uproar, in which a chant of “Matt! Matt! Matt!” ensued. The moment was so inspirational that we decided to immortalize it in our song “Big Buck Hunter”.

What are two songs that you can’t get enough of?

Deerhoof - “Spirit Ditties of No Tone” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahkh3NuxDl0

Aside from being an admirer of Greg Saunier’s drumming, this song captures all my favorite things about the band and is a perfect example of their phrasing (riffs in 3’s).

The Peddlers - “On A Clear Day You Can See Forever” - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxf1IFgPH5s

This song I heard on an episode of ‘Breaking Bad’ and instantly had to find. My first instinct was that this was a sampled groove with an old black man singing over it, and then I found out it was three British guys from the 60’s playing standards.

Who is your favorite retired NFL star?
Junior Seau. #toosoon. But seriously, I had the jersey and all.

What is your favorite song off of Here Comes Dreamboat?
“Swings” - This is one of our oldest and most “avant-garde” songs, but the ending is beautiful despite its chaos.

''''''' family '''''''

Thu, 27 Sep 2012 17:35:20 -0400

KFN tonight >>> hotness

Tue, 25 Sep 2012 12:26:04 -0400

Tonight we’re playing Kung Fu Necktie (1250 North Front Street, Philly, PA). Joining us will be two great bands- Honeydrum (NJ) and Gypsyblood (Chicago). Lovely music at 8 pm!!! see you there?

—————————-

also, thanks to everyone that made it out to one of our Fringe Fest shows. the music had a different, beautiful flavor, and we had a real good time. here’s a tase of the hotness that went down:

september shows at First Unitarian >> ! ! !

Wed, 05 Sep 2012 13:05:55 -0400

We’d like to formally invite you to come see a very unique performance piece that we’re a part of during this fine month of September. In collaboration with BodyFields (a wonderful Philly-based dance and performance collective), we’re doing a run of shows at the First Unitarian Church, which will feature new music, improvisation, and re-tweaked Son Step gems from long ago. This is definitely one of the most unique things we’ve been a part of since we started playing as a 4-piece band. We will be performing on September 7th (this Friday), 20th, and 21st. Here is link to all the necessary details: http://www.bodyfieldscollective.com/eventsprojects.html

:::: :::: hear comes dreamboat :::: ::::

Thu, 19 Jul 2012 11:32:02 -0400

our new full length, titled ‘hear comes dreamboat’, is due to be released this fall. take a look at the purdy cover artwork, and head over to our BANDCAMP page to hear ‘big buck hunter’, the album’s first track. this tune’s got a big heart!

anything is possible when you follow your dreams

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 23:24:02 -0400

…..ps- we’re playing in brooklyn tomorrow (friday) night @ muchmore’s, see the schedule page for info……..

jacques does it again

Sun, 01 Jul 2012 23:40:39 -0400

a refresher from the master.

&

Tue, 12 Jun 2012 12:10:05 -0400

rev up the hot tub, it’s an exciting time in Son Step land. our debut full length will be finished this week. it’s full of magic, across the board. details and sounds will be jumping out out very soon!

also, see our SCHEDULE page for details on some stellar shows coming up in Philly, Baltimore, and Brooklyn. next thursday (6/21) will be a big barrel of good times at Johnny Brenda’s. we’ll be celebrating Pat’s birthday and (possibly?) selling some advance copies of the new album. oh mang oh mang.

^^^ thurs 5/31 @ big snow buffalo lodge ^^^

Wed, 30 May 2012 01:23:00 -0400

it is true.

IN ONE WIND - http://inonewind.com/
SON STEP - http://sonstep.tumblr.com/
RAILBIRD - http://railbirdband.com/
THE SHOE INS - http://www.facebook.com/TheShoeIns

Doors at 8 PM // $7 // ALL AGES SHOW
http://bigsnowbk.tumblr.com/
89 Varet Street, Brooklyn, NY 11206 (between Graham Ave. and Humboldt St.)
Subway: Lorimer (J, M), Flushing Av (J, M)

tomorrow @ zebulon

Sat, 19 May 2012 10:42:56 -0400

we’re playing at Zebulon tomorrow night with some kick-ass groups from both Brooklyn and Philly. we assure you a top-notch quality time.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

SON STEP + CELESTIAL SHORE + BANNED BOOKS + PEPI GINSBERG @ zebulon

258 Wythe Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11211

Sunday, May 20th // Doors @ 8 PM > Music @ 9 PM // NO COVER

in da garage

Sun, 29 Apr 2012 10:57:53 -0400

here’s a clip of us performing an acoustic version of ‘big buck hunter’, shot by Dave from Bands in the Backyard. it was filmed just outside PhilaMOCA before our set last weekend. have at it.

another track from jon’s new album is now available for free download via soundcloud....

Mon, 23 Apr 2012 15:50:27 -0400

another track from jon’s new album is now available for free download via soundcloud. ’right times’ is a doozy, and it’s currently getting a purdy son step makeover for our upcoming full length release.

you can check out/purchase the whole ‘night cycles’ shindig over here: http://joncoyle.bandcamp.com

very nice show on sunday

Fri, 20 Apr 2012 09:28:48 -0400

we kick things off at 9 pm, and are followed by some really talented bands. come enjoy!

Son Step w/ Grandchildren, Hume (Washington DC), and The Dreebs (Brooklyn)

Sunday, April 22nd @ PhilaMOCA
531 North 12th Street, Philadelphia, PA
All Ages // Doors at 8, Show at 9 // $7 Donation

thoughts.

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 14:08:54 -0400

now that geography challenge wounds are healed… playing in chicago was a real treat for us. the empty bottle was a sweet venue to play at, and we were slated with two awesome in-town bands, Brain Idea and Names Divine. this was a super fun show with a great audience to boot. thanks to new and old friends for joining the party that night. props also to ethan at WNUR for letting us make noises on chicago radio later in the week. (note: there is some real good mexican food in this town)

on thursday we made our way to cincinnati, a town which only one of us had visited before. we honestly didn’t know what to make of the place at first, but it grew on us (thanks in large part to all the hills, trees, and friendly chums). we received the warmest welcome from our new pal stephen patota, who put together an amazing show/party over at semantics gallery. we got to hear some incredible music (thanks to Reighnbeau and Brodie Johnson!). we got to eat some badass, unhealthy chili from some famous place called Skyline. and we also got to meet more awesome folks (stephen’s friends) over at a big crazy house on Eureka street/avenue/??. very kind fellows.

last stop was pittsburgh. a big, burly, smoky, sweaty basement show featuring many youthful people that were saddened by the philadelphia flyers’ beatdown of the penguins that night. we played loud, and it was fun. we also got to hear our brotha Dave Shepherd and his band Legs Like Tree Trunks, which was a big pleasure.

this is the end of the story, for now. more words soon.

umph // geography

Sat, 14 Apr 2012 14:36:08 -0400

just returned from our Midwest tour. follow up coming soon. we are blessed to have such a loyal and steadfast mini-van. smooth riding all the way.

while on the road, Matt and Chris took part in a head-to-head geography challenge (refereed by Jon) that mainly focused on US cities and states, as well as some Canadian and Mexican territories. A surprising final score:

Matt- 19 out of 25

Chris- 10 out of 25

……………..

(((( chicago ))))

Mon, 09 Apr 2012 15:08:55 -0400

After our Ohio shows and our radio session at Oberlin College (thanks to Tristan Gordon for being such an audio whiz and a sweetheart), we’ve been taking a break in the South side of Chicago for a couple of days. Hanging with big dogs, wondering how much cheese is in an average deep dish, scotch tasting with Uncle Rick, watching the Maury show (how awful), and getting some legitimate sleep.

Tonight we play at the Empty Bottle with some wonderful bands, Names Divine and Brain Idea. Tomorrow we’ll be at The Burlington (near Logan Square). Wednesday we’ll be playing an on-air for WNUR 89.3 FM at 4:00 pm, Chicago time (you can listen at http://wnur.org). All show details are on our schedule page. Looking forward to seeing some of you out there!

——————————————————-

ALSO, PLEASE NOTE! Our Cincinnati show on Thursday has been moved to another (quite nearby) location:

Semantics Gallery, 1107 Harrison Avenue, Cincinnati, OH

Doors at 8, show at 9, and we’ll be playing with two great acts, Reighnbeau and Brodie Johnson.