Monday, January 29, 2007

Norah is back



Norah Jones is back with her newest CD "Not Too Late." The folks at Stereogum give it a lukewarm review. They say it's more of the same, very safe but not as adventurous as they hoped she'd be. What do you think?

Stereogum review.
Listen/buy at Amazon.com.

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Friday, January 26, 2007

Happy 52nd, Eddie



Eddie Van Halen turns 52 today. Sadly, he looks 72 and acts 12. I think I prefer to remember him this way:

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Thursday, January 25, 2007

Where's Jeff on this list?



This is a great list of the 20 Greatest Guitar Solos of all time, with links to YouTube videos of each, which makes it even greater. Which one is your top choice?

From the CityRag blog.

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Tuesday, January 23, 2007

KT Keeps Rocking



KT Tunstall partially credits her success to Nas' father and Katharine McPhee. What?!

MSNBC.com

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Monday, January 22, 2007

Indies take on the Big Boys

Independent record labels behind artists like The White Stripes, Deep Purple and Arctic Monkeys announced a global deal today to pool access to their catalogs, seeking to grab a bigger share of online music sales from the major record companies.

Sounds like an interesting and smart move here. Let's see how all this plays out.

Houston Chronicle.com

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Friday, January 19, 2007

Cat Scratch Governor



I don't think I would ever have expected Ted Nugent to play at a Governor's Inaugural Ball. Just a lot of weirdness there.

From MSNBC.com.

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Thursday, January 18, 2007

Tony vs. Paul



Today's mindless entertainment ...

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Wednesday, January 17, 2007

Dave, Sammy, or Gary?



So when Van Halen reunites when they get inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, who sings lead? David Lee Roth? Sammy Hagar? Gary Cerone (who?)? Sammy weighs in on his thoughts.

Interview w/Sammy @

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Tuesday, January 16, 2007

A chat with Corinne



Here's a nice long interview with Corinne Bailey Rae, the silky-voiced songstress. Lots of interesting info.

From Yahoo!Music.

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Sunday, January 14, 2007

Now that's subway entertainment



A capella group Naturally 7 live in Paris subway. Really cool. The crowd eventually gets into it.

Their MySpace page: www.myspace.com/naturallysevencom

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Thursday, January 11, 2007

What, No "Train of Lies?"



The Top 10 "Train" songs. No, not the band, but songs about trains and locomotives and stuff. You know what I mean.

From IGN.com.

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Wednesday, January 10, 2007

Welcome to The Hall



The 2007 Inductees have been announced for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:
  • Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (Kid Creole, Cowboy, Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel, Mr. Ness, Raheim)
  • R.E.M. (Bill Berry, Peter Buck, Mike Mills, Michael Stipe)
  • The Ronettes (Estelle Bennett, Ronnie Spector, Nedra Talley)
  • Patti Smith
  • Van Halen (Michael Anthony, Sammy Hagar, Alex Van Halen, Eddie Van Halen, David Lee Roth)

Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

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Monday, January 08, 2007

Thriller Goes Bollywood



Steve loves Michael Jackson (please hold the jokes), so this one's especially for him.

This is what YouTube is for.

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Friday, January 05, 2007

Somehow I just can't picture it



Mike Myers playing Keith Moon in a movie? I guess I see the facial resemblance, but I'm having trouble picturing Austin Powers playing the drums.

From Music-News.com.

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Thursday, January 04, 2007

Normal vs. celebrity



This normal-looking guy (actually a celebrity photographer) took his self-portrait with a number of celebrities. It's interesting to see the contrasts.

Posted on Flickr.

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Monday, January 01, 2007

MEB Year In Review 2006



As we finish up another wonderful year with the Mike Estep Band, we'd like to take a minute and reflect back on all the thrills and chills we've shared with all of you. It's been a great ride, and we want to thank you for hanging out with us the whole time.

[Click images to see larger versions]

MEB Selected for Compilation Disc

Discover The Next OriginalIn February we received notification that our song "Borders To Share" had been chosen for "Discover The Next Original, Volume II," sponsored by Pilsner Urquell beer and the NPR radio program World Café. We are surrounded by incredible artists like Steve Winwood, Emmylou Harris, Jamie Cullum and more. Unfortunately the CD was never put into national distribution, but it was an honor nonetheless. Read more here.

Get Off The Stage, Bo, We Need To Rock!

After waiting hours for Bo Bice to finish his soundcheck, we had a great opportunity to share the MEB gospel with the folks at the Jamesville Balloon Fest 2006. We got to hang around with 93Q's Ted and Amy backstage in the meantime, and all the bands put on a great show (93Q photo gallery here). And when Bo did take the stage later, he had the crowd begging and pleading and swooning for more. It was crazy, like Elvis or The Beatles, man.

Oh, and Steve enjoyed his meeting with the hotness of Frankie J.

Setup American Idol Bo Bice Frankie Jordan

Our New Friend Jill and Mommies For Miracles

Jill OrologioIn June we played McGhan's in Victor, and met a bunch of great folks, including Jill and Vinny Orologio. Jill heads a great fundraising organization, Mommies for Miracles, and we were happy to help when she asked us to perform at their benefit Dancin' In The Streets in August at Nathaniel's Pub in Rochester.

Dancin' In The StreetsThe weather didn't co-operate much, but we still had great time with Jill, Breanna, Kim, Melissa and all the other folks.

Going forward, we're working with Jill to get us more bookings in the Rochester area and we're happily donating a portion of our fee to Mommies For Miracles.

Feelin' Hot Hot Hot on Paper Mill Island

We got the chance in July to perform at the Budweiser Amphitheater on Paper Mill Island as an opener for the U2 tribute band Elevation. Paper Mill IslandIt must have been 150º on that stage, staring directly into the setting summer sun. Copious bottles of water couldn't keep us hydrated, but we just kept going and had an incredible show.

Unbeknownst to most of the crowd, Steve had an emergency in the middle of our set that required him to dash off stage for a few minutes. The other 3 of us played a tune without him, so it looked like we planned it that way. But wait, it gets even stranger! While hanging out with the guys from Elevation over at Lake Effect after the show, we find out that their drummer had the exact same issue and also left the stage during their set - twice! Way too weird.

Endless Summer

Jeff @ Brae LockWe had a great time playing the Block Party Thursdays at Coleman's this summer, and an anniversary party on the river for Jim and Lani Beardsley. Unfortunately, weather and other circumstances kept us from an outdoor gig at Hooligan's in Liverpool. And nothing is better than a summer Friday night on the Brae Loch Inn lawn in Cazenovia with our friends Jim and Val and our erstwhile harmonica player Tyler.

Fall Into Something New

MEB @ Greene'sBesides our regular stops at Wacky Wyatt's, Greene's, Coleman's, and Shifty's, we hit a few new places this fall. Our friend Bobby Paice hooked us up with a show at LeMoyne College hangout The Shire. We spent a very interesting evening partying with some servicemen just back from Iraq. And we also had a very successful evening at the iconic Fireside Inn in Baldwinsville. Looking forward to more from these places in 2007.

Cranking Away In The Studio

Steve StudioAll throughout the year, we've been heading out to GFI Studios in Ontario, NY to record tracks for our next CD. It's been a wonderfully successful and creative process, and we really like what we've put down so far. 5 tracks are almost done, and there is more on the way. Look for a release of the new music sometime in early 2007.

Propping Up a Sick Dinosaur

For the first time ever in the history of the restaurant, the Dinosaur Bar-B-Que in Syracuse had to close because hundreds of staff and Dinosaur BBQcustomers became sick. It was eventually determined that a norovirus was the cause of the outbreak, but it still cost them an entire weekend of business and an intense and complete sanitation process.

Once they reopened on Monday December 4, we were the first band to take the stage and help usher in the resurgence of the Dinosaur. It was a great night, with lots of our friends in attendance and the food, drinks, and good times flowing freely. Welcome back!

Lots More Coming in '07!

2006 was a lot of fun, and we can't wait to show you even more good times in 2007!

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