In the News
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Copyright 2007-2008 The Streaking Healys
"...It’s been a while since this area’s been introduced to a new alt-country band, but the Healys
do their best to recall Uncle Tupelo, with much of the wry humor Diesel Doug and the Long Haul
Truckers used to captivate Portland for much of the late 1990s. Like the Truckers, they can be
fairly Nashville from time to time, but the tunes are generally over the top enough to let you
know there’s irony intended. “Anyway” is the single, with Steve Black using a pretty piano to
back vocals that are particularly nice when he tosses off the “anyway” that ends most lines. It’s
a lonely singalong ballad and well-timed mid-album. Directly following a tune about a “neon
redneck mama,” it’s a good reminder these guys are serious about their music. Late in the disc,
the Healys show some versatility, too, with a jam aesthetic infusing “Barstool Away from
Heaven” and a ZZ Top vibe driving “I’ll Be Gone.” Fans of cowboy boots, grimy jeans, and Jack
Daniel's ought to be pleased in general."
"...Will they keep their pants on?
We'll have to admit, their name caught our attention. The Streaking Healys will perform at the
Blue Mermaid on Friday, Oct. 12 about 9 p.m. The group consists of singer-songwriter Steve
Black, Aaron Despres, Kirk Niese and Michael Trundy and they'll be playing in support of their
newly released album, "Loveless" (so keep your crushes to yourself girls). Their sweet motto is
"born out of salt water and alcohol." The band also sent along a press release listing their
original song titles including "Barstool Away From Heaven," "Time Delayed Suicide," and our
personal favorite, "Neon Redneck." Actually, our real favorite isn't fit for print. So you'll just
have to go to the show to hear it.
Also of note, if we read correctly, this will be The Streaking Healys' first gig outside of "The Pine
Tree State." Here's more, "Building on the 2006 national recognition by the Songwriters Guild
of America, singer/ songwriter, Steve Black of Harpswell, Maine, has teamed up with mid-coast
musicians to form 'The Streaking Healys.' Black, who received a first place national award for
his song 'Loveless' says the experience of his solo performances versus the band setting have
been, 'Night and day. For instance I wrote, "Barstool away from Heaven" on a pizza box in
Vancouver. In my head, I hear it as I wrote it originally when I was playing alone. Now, with the
band the sound is fuller and better."
"...If you know singer-songwriter Steve Black of Bath, chances are you know him as "Bigtime."
The 27-year-old musician acquired the nickname at Joshua's Restaurant and Tavern in
Brunswick six years ago.
"It's an ironic take on my lack of skill at the pool table," he explained with a smile.
Some friends of Black's told him that a confident attitude would improve his game, so as a joke
he wrote "Bigtime" as his name on the chalkboard. It's stuck ever since.
On April 25, in a ceremony in Nashville, Tenn., the Songwriters Guild of America honored Steve
"Bigtime" Black for his song "Loveless." The country blues ballad won the national award for
best song in the category of "folk and Americana."
Black wasn't at the ceremony. In fact, he didn't even know he'd won.
The Harpswell native is a carpenter by trade, and modest, even hesitant, about his musical
talent. He was thrilled when "Loveless" won the guild's East Coast competition in New York last
fall, and never anticipated the song would do so well on the national level.
Happy with his regional win — and occupied by other things — Black let his Songwriters Guild
of America membership lapse earlier this year. Because he was no longer a member, the SGA
didn't invite him to the ceremony in which his award was presented.
He only learned about the award three weeks ago, when he received it in the mail.
Black began taking piano lessons when he was 6, hoping to learn how to play Jerry Lee Lewis'
"Great Balls of Fire." He soon abandoned the lessons, finding that the standard exercise books
from which he was taught held little interest for him.
Inspired by hearing Neil Young's album "Unplugged," Black started playing music again in his
mid-teens, teaching himself guitar, piano and harmonica.
Black's music, like the musician as a person, comes across as relaxed and intentionally
unpolished. His voice is deep and resonant, and he accompanies himself on guitar or piano in
an understated style reminiscent of Townes van Zandt and Tom Waits.
The songwriter describes his music as a cross between Waits and Johnny Cash. He estimates
he's written between 160 and 170 songs in his life. His oeuvre spans a range of folk, country,
blues, and rock, and he expresses frustration at being categorized in a single genre.
According to Black, once your music gets labeled as "Folk" — which has become a default
category for many hard-to-label singer-songwriters — your songs are expected to be profound
or insightful.
"But there's no deeper meaning, sometimes," Black explained. "Sometimes it's as simple as 'I
was drunk and heartbroken, and I decided to write a song.'"
Black has only been on stage a handful of times, so if you don't know him personally, you
probably haven't heard his music. He recorded a solo 11-song demo at The Studio in Portland
last year, and the raw, low-production style suits his music. But the CD is only available from
the musician.
Black says that by nature he's not one to step into the spotlight, which is probably why he's
played so few gigs. But, encouraged by his regional SGA win last fall, Black decided to begin
performing live. He moved to New York City in December, hoping to "get his foot in the door."
"But it's a revolving door down there," he said, laughing. "You don't want to get your foot
caught in it."
Armed with a great sounding demo, Black had no problem finding gigs. He even made some
connections with people in the music industry. But turnout and earnings at the gigs were
inconsistent, and the industry people he knew were encouraging him to take his music in a
direction inconsistent with his own aspirations.
While in New York, Black was asked to be featured on a recording called "The 14 Best Singer-
songwriters of Greenwich Village."
After much deliberation, Black refused. He'd found the singer-songwriter scene in New York to
be exclusive and somewhat pretentious, and decided it was not something he wanted to be a
part of.
In his short time in the city, Black built up a small but dedicated fan base — fans who were
willing to pay more than the cover charge just to ensure that Black took home decent pay for
his performances.
But even that wasn't enough to keep him there.
"I've had this philosophy my entire life," Black said. "Always make time for music and ice cream.
And if you're not doing that, you're not living right."
One day in April he realized he had no money for ice cream, no inspiration to play music and
no one to play it with. He decided then to move back home to Maine.
Since his return, Black has gotten a band together called The Streaking Healys, with whom he
soon hopes to record. Black writes the music and is the front man for the group, singing and
playing electric guitar and harmonica. The rest of the band includes bass, drums, pedal steel
guitar and, occasionally, a saxophone.
Their debut public performance is scheduled for Saturday at 9 p.m. at Joshua's.
Black enjoys playing in a band. It brings a whole new dynamic to his music, he explained, and
the fuller instrumentation allows the audience to enjoy it on many different levels.
It also takes some of the pressure off when he's on stage. The whole show's not just about him
anymore, and he likes that. It's about teamwork. And, unlike many of the musicians he ran into
in New York, Black feels that the members of his band are all in it for the same reason.
"Everyone just wants to play music," he said, which is exactly what he wants to do.
do their best to recall Uncle Tupelo, with much of the wry humor Diesel Doug and the Long Haul
Truckers used to captivate Portland for much of the late 1990s. Like the Truckers, they can be
fairly Nashville from time to time, but the tunes are generally over the top enough to let you
know there’s irony intended. “Anyway” is the single, with Steve Black using a pretty piano to
back vocals that are particularly nice when he tosses off the “anyway” that ends most lines. It’s
a lonely singalong ballad and well-timed mid-album. Directly following a tune about a “neon
redneck mama,” it’s a good reminder these guys are serious about their music. Late in the disc,
the Healys show some versatility, too, with a jam aesthetic infusing “Barstool Away from
Heaven” and a ZZ Top vibe driving “I’ll Be Gone.” Fans of cowboy boots, grimy jeans, and Jack
Daniel's ought to be pleased in general."
"...Will they keep their pants on?
We'll have to admit, their name caught our attention. The Streaking Healys will perform at the
Blue Mermaid on Friday, Oct. 12 about 9 p.m. The group consists of singer-songwriter Steve
Black, Aaron Despres, Kirk Niese and Michael Trundy and they'll be playing in support of their
newly released album, "Loveless" (so keep your crushes to yourself girls). Their sweet motto is
"born out of salt water and alcohol." The band also sent along a press release listing their
original song titles including "Barstool Away From Heaven," "Time Delayed Suicide," and our
personal favorite, "Neon Redneck." Actually, our real favorite isn't fit for print. So you'll just
have to go to the show to hear it.
Also of note, if we read correctly, this will be The Streaking Healys' first gig outside of "The Pine
Tree State." Here's more, "Building on the 2006 national recognition by the Songwriters Guild
of America, singer/ songwriter, Steve Black of Harpswell, Maine, has teamed up with mid-coast
musicians to form 'The Streaking Healys.' Black, who received a first place national award for
his song 'Loveless' says the experience of his solo performances versus the band setting have
been, 'Night and day. For instance I wrote, "Barstool away from Heaven" on a pizza box in
Vancouver. In my head, I hear it as I wrote it originally when I was playing alone. Now, with the
band the sound is fuller and better."
"...If you know singer-songwriter Steve Black of Bath, chances are you know him as "Bigtime."
The 27-year-old musician acquired the nickname at Joshua's Restaurant and Tavern in
Brunswick six years ago.
"It's an ironic take on my lack of skill at the pool table," he explained with a smile.
Some friends of Black's told him that a confident attitude would improve his game, so as a joke
he wrote "Bigtime" as his name on the chalkboard. It's stuck ever since.
On April 25, in a ceremony in Nashville, Tenn., the Songwriters Guild of America honored Steve
"Bigtime" Black for his song "Loveless." The country blues ballad won the national award for
best song in the category of "folk and Americana."
Black wasn't at the ceremony. In fact, he didn't even know he'd won.
The Harpswell native is a carpenter by trade, and modest, even hesitant, about his musical
talent. He was thrilled when "Loveless" won the guild's East Coast competition in New York last
fall, and never anticipated the song would do so well on the national level.
Happy with his regional win — and occupied by other things — Black let his Songwriters Guild
of America membership lapse earlier this year. Because he was no longer a member, the SGA
didn't invite him to the ceremony in which his award was presented.
He only learned about the award three weeks ago, when he received it in the mail.
Black began taking piano lessons when he was 6, hoping to learn how to play Jerry Lee Lewis'
"Great Balls of Fire." He soon abandoned the lessons, finding that the standard exercise books
from which he was taught held little interest for him.
Inspired by hearing Neil Young's album "Unplugged," Black started playing music again in his
mid-teens, teaching himself guitar, piano and harmonica.
Black's music, like the musician as a person, comes across as relaxed and intentionally
unpolished. His voice is deep and resonant, and he accompanies himself on guitar or piano in
an understated style reminiscent of Townes van Zandt and Tom Waits.
The songwriter describes his music as a cross between Waits and Johnny Cash. He estimates
he's written between 160 and 170 songs in his life. His oeuvre spans a range of folk, country,
blues, and rock, and he expresses frustration at being categorized in a single genre.
According to Black, once your music gets labeled as "Folk" — which has become a default
category for many hard-to-label singer-songwriters — your songs are expected to be profound
or insightful.
"But there's no deeper meaning, sometimes," Black explained. "Sometimes it's as simple as 'I
was drunk and heartbroken, and I decided to write a song.'"
Black has only been on stage a handful of times, so if you don't know him personally, you
probably haven't heard his music. He recorded a solo 11-song demo at The Studio in Portland
last year, and the raw, low-production style suits his music. But the CD is only available from
the musician.
Black says that by nature he's not one to step into the spotlight, which is probably why he's
played so few gigs. But, encouraged by his regional SGA win last fall, Black decided to begin
performing live. He moved to New York City in December, hoping to "get his foot in the door."
"But it's a revolving door down there," he said, laughing. "You don't want to get your foot
caught in it."
Armed with a great sounding demo, Black had no problem finding gigs. He even made some
connections with people in the music industry. But turnout and earnings at the gigs were
inconsistent, and the industry people he knew were encouraging him to take his music in a
direction inconsistent with his own aspirations.
While in New York, Black was asked to be featured on a recording called "The 14 Best Singer-
songwriters of Greenwich Village."
After much deliberation, Black refused. He'd found the singer-songwriter scene in New York to
be exclusive and somewhat pretentious, and decided it was not something he wanted to be a
part of.
In his short time in the city, Black built up a small but dedicated fan base — fans who were
willing to pay more than the cover charge just to ensure that Black took home decent pay for
his performances.
But even that wasn't enough to keep him there.
"I've had this philosophy my entire life," Black said. "Always make time for music and ice cream.
And if you're not doing that, you're not living right."
One day in April he realized he had no money for ice cream, no inspiration to play music and
no one to play it with. He decided then to move back home to Maine.
Since his return, Black has gotten a band together called The Streaking Healys, with whom he
soon hopes to record. Black writes the music and is the front man for the group, singing and
playing electric guitar and harmonica. The rest of the band includes bass, drums, pedal steel
guitar and, occasionally, a saxophone.
Their debut public performance is scheduled for Saturday at 9 p.m. at Joshua's.
Black enjoys playing in a band. It brings a whole new dynamic to his music, he explained, and
the fuller instrumentation allows the audience to enjoy it on many different levels.
It also takes some of the pressure off when he's on stage. The whole show's not just about him
anymore, and he likes that. It's about teamwork. And, unlike many of the musicians he ran into
in New York, Black feels that the members of his band are all in it for the same reason.
"Everyone just wants to play music," he said, which is exactly what he wants to do.