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Small town band, big city sound
(by Caleb Rumley - July 22, 2008)
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Photo By Caleb Rumley
The Larry Stevens Band recently played at Montvale Day. Stevens, a Montvale native, is pictured center, singing.
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Many people around claim they love, listen to, and play music. But few have chosen to pursue a musical career as far as local artist Larry Stevens. Stevens, who hails from Montvale, leads his own five-piece rock band, “The Larry Stevens Band.”
The band has been touring for the past few years playing gigs in the tri-state area and occasional shows in Nashville. The band’s music is unique for the New Jersey/New York area because it has a distinct country feel – and in an area dominated by rap and rock, The Larry Stevens Band has a refreshing sound.
Stevens has always been about music. In high school he realized his hobby might one day become his livelihood. Stevens credits Pascack Hills High School music teachers, chorus director Jim Esposito and music instructor Don Hageman, as major influences on his musical career. “I go back to vocal lessons at age 12,” Stevens observed, “and as I got older, it was high school band and choirs that caused me to love music. And I never let that [energy] go.”
But times aren’t exactly easy. The recording industry is going through a massive upheaval. There are fewer places to play as bars and clubs are closing down. But Stevens plays full time, landing gigs in New York City, and is always promoting one of his new albums. “The reason I do it full time is because – it’s the love for it. It means a lot to me when I’m up on stage… I love to touch people with my music.”
In person and on stage, Stevens exudes a love and energy for music that can’t be topped. Recently in Montvale, band members battled through the heat yet put out some great music. The Larry Stevens Band is coming up with some solid new material, and their new album, “Downstairs at Mayo’s,” has just recently been independently released.
Unlike their first album, “Heart of a Fighter,” which Stevens proclaims as a “two year labor of love,” “Downstairs at Mayo’s” was recorded in a little under six months. Stevens had been working closely with songwriter Jimbeau Hinson. Together they wrote the majority of songs on the new album, which also has three additional “alternate takes” on tracks from the album.
“The new record came about because we had a lot of songs written with Jimbeau Hinson. My keyboard player, Greg, had a studio in his place. A lot of times I try to make everything perfect, but this time I went, “You know what? I’m just gonna go with it.” Instead of working with the five members of the band, “Downstairs at Mayo’s” was recorded with just Larry, Greg Mayo on keys, and Chris Anderson on bass. “By using fewer musicians, we made the album very intimate” explained Stevens.
But what about the name? “Downstairs at Mayo’s came about with me going to Greg Mayo’s all the time and going literally into the basement. Greg’s dad had worked with artists like Foreigner and Peter Frampton, his gold records were hung up throughout the studio. I said to Greg one day, what if we call this thing Downstairs at Mayo’s? He looked at me and said, ‘I like it! It’s a cool idea.’ So we went with it and called it ‘Downstairs at Mayo’s.’”
The band’s sound has come from a lot of different places. If you give “Heart of a Fighter” a spin, you’ll realize how diverse their sound really is. Some songs have a country feel, others are straight rock, and others are pop hits. “Everyone in the band in their own right is an artist. I think that because Vam, Greg, Chris and Bill come from a very jazz-oriented background, our sound is very unique. As for myself, I love Joe Jackson, Huey Louis, the Bare Naked Ladies – I love their stuff, and they’ve all influenced me. As far as influence, I’m all over the board.”
Stevens has certainly come a long way – from a music loving student at Pascack Hills to the leader of a successful band of full time musicians. Stevens’ plans for the summer are nothing but playing with the band. The Larry Stevens Band is playing gigs across New York and New Jersey.
Info on Stevens’ upcoming shows is available on the band’s Web site, www.larrystevensband.com. Their new album will be available shortly on CDBaby.com as well as The Music Merchant in Westwood.
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