THE
MIKE ESTEP
BAND
This Machine

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Syracuse New Times Readers Poll 2000

#2 Best
Local Band


Homegrown Music Radio/Syracuse New Times Syracuse Area Album Chart

#2 Year 2000

Next In Line
#5 May 2002
#5 Apr 2002
#2 Mar 2002
#2 Feb 2002

This Machine
#2 Nov 2000
#2 Oct 2000
#1 Sept 2000
#2 Aug 2000
#2 July 2000
#3 June 2000
#5 May 2000

For Booking
Info Call
315.382.2497

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This Machine

 

 

About The Mike Estep Band

It's All About The Songs

When it's all said and done, there's only one way to describe the Mike Estep Band:

It's all about the songs.

These songs are about people you know, places you've been, things you've felt. The single mother working extra shifts to give her kids something to dream about, and never complaining about the burden. The Vietnam vet taking his son to see The Wall and trying to make sense of it all. A walk along the carnival midway on a starlit night with your lover. The fine line between man and machine, blurred even more in this age of technology. A broken heart, a broken trust, a broken spirit. But yet, a belief that there are better days ahead.

It's all about the songs.

You can feel it in the live performances. Steve Orlando, Jr. steers the ship with his soulful vocals and expressive drumming. Paul Opel provides the solid foundation with his energetic bass playing and frenetic stage presence. Tim Herron takes you on a roller coaster ride from searing, heart-wrenching lead guitar to the hippest rhythm licks you'll ever feast your ears on. And Mike Estep wraps it all together with his driving acoustic guitar, a voice that you can't forget, and real emotion that makes every audience member a part of the experience.

It's not about how hard or fast you can play. It's not about how much money you can make. It's not about becoming a superstar.

The Mike Estep Band. Since 1998. It's all about the songs.

Critically praised original music, performed with a wide variety of uniquely flavored covers, wrapped in a package of pure fun.


Critical Praise for the 2002 CD
"Next In Line (One Live Evening)"

"The Mike Estep Band surely has its own sound.

"With Estep and Jeff Favalo on guitar and vocals, Steve Orlando Jr. on drums and Paul Opel on bass, the Syracuse band dives into a whole bunch of very cool original songs with talent and great enthusiasm.

"But listening to the band's third disc, "Next in Line," it's hard to keep a handful of national icons out of your head.

"Like a lot of extremely successful bands, Estep and mates also stray from the strictly rock edge every now and again. With the Eagles it was folk and country, for Steve Miller it was the blues. Estep isn't afraid to meander into all those fields, then return squarely to the kind of meat-and-potatoes rock work that brought those shouting fans to The Caribou Club, where this disc was recorded.

"Most of the songs come from Estep's two studio albums. And he picks the best ones. On "One Lane Bridge," Estep sings, "Four-lane highway to a two-lane road to a one-lane bridge." Don't the circumstances of life squeeze like that practically every day? Yet for Estep, this is a chance to show support for his love.

"There also are four new songs. In "Next in Line," Estep sings, "She's next in line on the waiting list for the perfect, perfect love." Again, hope wins out.

"This is a superior live album technically, too, from the attention-grabbing intro and spell-binding guitar start on "Colder Rain" to the seamless segues throughout.

"Put it on when: You're yearning for new songs that show there's a guy in Syracuse who respects the timeless guitar-and-vocals sound that drove the Eagles, Bob Seger, Miller and so many more for decades."
Mark Bialczak, Syracuse Post-Standard

One Lane Bridge


Critical Praise for the 2000 CD
"This Machine "

"The Mike Estep Band offer(s) introspective and sensitive
modern rock for the coming millennium...defies standard description...(Estep's) writing approaches Springsteen-ish levels...the band delivers a heartfelt performance
"
Allen Czelusniak, Syracuse New Times

"This Machine, which is a truly excellent endeavor .... wonderfully inspired and quite catchy...."
Rochester Freetime Magazine

"Estep and his band have a sound that is unique...maturity of focus that is typically born of live performance...The band has a stylistic vision and the talent to realize it."
RoundSound.com

"The quality of both the musicianship and lyricism on "This Machine" is almost unsurpassed......."
Spotlite Magazine

"The lyrics are well-crafted and interesting--appealing to intelligent people without being overly esoteric. This is a band that deserves to succeed"
The Ectophiles Guide to Good Music

One Lane Bridge

Critical Praise for the 1998 Mike Estep CD "One Lane Bridge"

"Estep's come up with a project that merits a mound of praise" Mark Bialczak, Syracuse Newspapers

"The songs here are solid and well written...brings back memories of early Springsteen...the story of the song being the focal point." CDReviews.com

"..impresses with talent, sincerity and dedication...One Lane Bridge offers a mixed bag of production choices, pleasures and promises for the future." Syracuse New Times

One Lane Bridge

As a solo artist, Mike Estep played clubs and coffee houses throughout central New York for over ten years. This effort led to the release of "One Lane Bridge" an album of twelve original tunes taken from the acoustic set lists and given a full production treatment. Reviewers have praised the effort's production and writing, and the opening song "Walking Along the Wall" brought Estep an invitation to perform at the Voices at the Wall, Memorial Day Ceremony of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC.

To celebrate the release of the CD in May 1998, Mike was joined by friends and musicians who contributed to the album for a "one-night" performance as The Mike Estep Band.  That group eventually morphed into a full-fledged outfit, featuring Jeff Favalo on guitars and vocals, Steve Orlando Jr. drums and vocals, Paul Opel on bass and Dani Gottuso vocals and percussion. Dani left the band in the summer of 2000 to concentrate on her acting career, and the boys forged ahead as a quartet, tightening the sound and giving it a little more "testosterone" push. Now, over three years later, the Mike Estep Band is still together and going strong, enjoying a growing following at their live shows in and around Central New York.

This Machine

January 2000 saw some incredible happenings for the band with our release of "This Machine", Central New York's first CD release of the millennium. Fans have fallen in love with this engaging mix of stories and emotions flowing from Mike's pen. From the "Big Brother" downsizing of the prophetic title track to the crumbling heartbreak of "Falling" and "This Time", and from the call of romance in "Circus Lights" and "Reunion" to the sweet revenge of the "Snowplow Jockey", the Mike Estep Band has again hit a chord with the common man.

One of the strengths of the band has always been its energetic and entertaining live shows, and the band decided to put that experience down on tape. Recorded April 12, 2001 at The Caribou Club, the new live CD titled "Next In Line (One Live Evening)" was released on January 1, 2002 to critical and popular acclaim. The CD includes four new originals: "Colder Rain," "The Waiting World" and "Next In Line" by Mike Estep, and "Only Dreams," penned by bassist Paul Opel. Two previous releases, 1998's "One Lane Bridge" and "This Machine" from 2000 are represented with versions of "Borders to Share," "One Lane Bridge," "Train of Lies," "Circus Lights," "Falling" and "The Mask." The CD is rounded out by covers of Marc Cohn's "Paper Walls" and the ever popular "Jack and Jill," a somewhat suggestive version of the children's classic, written by Central New Yorker Karl Hoffman.

Described as contemporary roots rock, The Mike Estep Band shows include spirited performances of songs from "Next In Line," "This Machine," "One Lane Bridge," and new original material, along with the band's unique versions of Bob Dylan, Don Henley, Mitch Ryder, Phish, Eric Clapton and The Barenaked Ladies - just to name a few.

The Mike Estep Band continues making music and performing shows that stand out in the Central New York music crowd.

For information call 315-382-2497 or email meb@vdd.com.


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