Go Hardcore: Student finds voice in the music
Gary S. Angelo FEATURES REPORTER
Issue date: 11/17/09 Section: Features
Northeast Ohio hardcore scene veteran Steve Andrew, who is the guitarist for local band Modern Life, has a new solo project titled Steve and The Damned. In this new project, Andrew has taken a spacey, dream pop approach to his music, which is partially inspired by early-1990s stars like Hum, Velocity Girl and The Smashing Pumpkins.
"The project is music; if I knew when I was 15 years old what I know now, I think I would have played music akin to this when I was younger," Andrew said.
Andrew has been playing in punk and hardcore bands since 1993, a time when he felt punk music was withering away and adhering to mainstream market standards. With this project, Andrew is reliving an era where Shoegaze bands like Catherine, Chavez and Starflyer 59 were lacing heavy guitars with dreamy vocals and keyboard elements.
To Andrew, huge nostalgic appeal exists with this new repertoire of songs. Andrew taps into his inner child, while still sticking true to mature subject matter.
"My music makes me feel like a kid again, but it is a compulsion of listening to music from the era of the early-1990s," Andrew said.
Andrew admitted when he first heard Nirvana at the age of 14, it was an epiphany. In Andrew's eyes, from that point, nothing else could build on the same intensity that Nirvana so passionately displayed.
"Everything that was considered punk at the time was so passionless," Andrew said.
Although he played in punk bands, Andrew did not realize the genre at the time. From punk, he moved into hardcore and played in Owaken from 1996 to 1997. From August 1997 to January 2003, Andrew played in the Christian hardcore outfit Vessel, which included Andrew Labedz of Realtime Digimob.
Andrew said he is proud of his former band Vessel because they took on the same approach that bands like Norma Jean, Underoath and Zao are filtering through the airwaves today. Andrew said Vessel was his most successful project, mainly because he and his bandmates played the music they loved. When Vessel disbanded in 2003, Andrew formed a project with Sam Buonavolonta, frontman of post-rock act Sam Goodwill. This group was called Blood is Fashion, which inspired a lot of The Damned's arrangements.
"The project is music; if I knew when I was 15 years old what I know now, I think I would have played music akin to this when I was younger," Andrew said.
Andrew has been playing in punk and hardcore bands since 1993, a time when he felt punk music was withering away and adhering to mainstream market standards. With this project, Andrew is reliving an era where Shoegaze bands like Catherine, Chavez and Starflyer 59 were lacing heavy guitars with dreamy vocals and keyboard elements.
To Andrew, huge nostalgic appeal exists with this new repertoire of songs. Andrew taps into his inner child, while still sticking true to mature subject matter.
"My music makes me feel like a kid again, but it is a compulsion of listening to music from the era of the early-1990s," Andrew said.
Andrew admitted when he first heard Nirvana at the age of 14, it was an epiphany. In Andrew's eyes, from that point, nothing else could build on the same intensity that Nirvana so passionately displayed.
"Everything that was considered punk at the time was so passionless," Andrew said.
Although he played in punk bands, Andrew did not realize the genre at the time. From punk, he moved into hardcore and played in Owaken from 1996 to 1997. From August 1997 to January 2003, Andrew played in the Christian hardcore outfit Vessel, which included Andrew Labedz of Realtime Digimob.
Andrew said he is proud of his former band Vessel because they took on the same approach that bands like Norma Jean, Underoath and Zao are filtering through the airwaves today. Andrew said Vessel was his most successful project, mainly because he and his bandmates played the music they loved. When Vessel disbanded in 2003, Andrew formed a project with Sam Buonavolonta, frontman of post-rock act Sam Goodwill. This group was called Blood is Fashion, which inspired a lot of The Damned's arrangements.
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Steven Andrew
posted 11/19/09 @ 3:43 AM EST
Errors in the article:
The band is called Steven And The Damned. My name is Steven Andrew. I am not a student of YSU. Never was. The song is called "Dragged To Hell". (Continued…)
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