Steve Goldberger

...the nerve to be different... - - Don Campau - KKUP 91.5FM, Cupertino California

...he has made the "Niagara Sound" more Niagara..." - James Brown, Pulse Niagara - Pulse Niagara

"... I' just wanted to let you know that his new album is out and it rocks! It's called Gumbo Dreams and sounds just like its name ;) A great cocktail of original songs with original sounds."
-Herve Oudet, "Americana in Paris" Radio Show, Paris, France - Americana in Paris" Radio Show, Paris, France

"Steve Goldberger's subversive THE NIAGARA-ON-THE-LAKE RHYTHM PROJECT ... the sounds on this disc are beautiful free flowing instrumental illustrations of life in tourist heaven...A sort of mash up of folk, soft rock and jazz combined in the aesthetic of a jam band... get your hands on this disc and wrap your head around the sounds." - Pulse Niagara - Pulse Niagara

"...His voice and the music is as comfortable as a pair of good, broken-in Levis and he and his band, the Fringe Locals, are obviously having a GREAT time making their music .... " -C.L. in Atlanta - -C.L. in Atlanta

This brand-new CD is the fourth release by this (Canadian) Niagara musician, following the 2002
release of both The Niagara-on-the-Lake Rhythm Project and Gumbo Dreams and his solo début CD,
Come from the Heart. The latter, a live recording, seems to have gotten its title literally, as it followed shortly after he underwent open-heart surgery. In addition to his capacity as a singer- songwriter, Steve’s main implement of creativity is the bass guitar.
In addition to his 30+ years of performing with a long list of solo artists and bands, including Black
Creek, which won a Genie for best original score in 1975, he currently plays with The Fringe Locals,
the Niagara Rhythm Section and Gayle Ackroyd. In addition to producing his own CDs, he was also
at the control board for a CD called Wild Herb’s Cooler Sounds, released in 2000.
There is absolutely no sense in trying to categorize Steve Goldberger; he is literally a human jukebox
aimed to please anybody and everybody, regardless of age, gender and race. The exception might be
fans of heavy metal, but I’d be willing to bet he could probably write some of that, too, if requested
to do so.
Other than a clever melding of Steve Winwood’s “Back in the High Life Again” and Stephen Stills’
“Love the One You’re With”, the songs on Clueless were written solely by Goldberger or in
collaboration with various other songwriters, including Gayle Ackroyd and one of his Fringe Locals
– Eric Mahar.

Speaking of which, the band is comprised of Steve Goldberger (lead vocals, bass,
acoustic guitar, tambourine and cowbells), Eric Mahar (electric guitar), Ed Kopala (electric and
slide guitars), (the late) Joe Ingrao (piano, B3), Dave Norris (drums), Penner MacKay (congas,
percussion), Mark Lalama (accordion), Jesse Mackay (dumbek, djembe) and Suzanne Hyatt and
Tamica Herod on vocals.

As I’m personally very partial to blues music, my favourite track here was “Blue Shutter Blues”, Rhythmically, it’s also a slight variation on that strollin’ song that Downchild covered back in the ‘70s. It’s given a nice touch with Joe Ingrao’s piano noodling, probably one of his last recordings before his untimely demise earlier this year.
Apart from the mélange of different styles – country, bluegrass, reggae, soul, gospel, roots, and pop
rock, Steve’s talents as a songwriter come to the fore with his observations on “Karaoke Kings and
Queens”, “Clueless”, “New Year’s Revolution”, and “Peace, Love and Forgiveness” (also known as
“Peace, Love and for Guinness”). Speaking of Guiness, there is a beautiful Celtic ballad simply
called “Irish Tune” with complex instrumentation featuring Goldberger on bass, guitars, keyboards,
mandolin, dulcimer and turntable, Cam MacInnes on dobro, strat ebow, madoguitar and various
electric guitars, Conrad Kipping on fiddle and Mark Lalama on accordion.
Although his music has been compared to Jackson Browne, John Hiatt and Don Henley, I’m also
reminded of Elvis Costello or Hamilton’s Rob Lamothe. He cites his own varied influences as Steve
Earle, Tom Petty, Jimmy Buffett and Delbert McClinton, among various others. Lots to like here,
particularly if you are a sentimental kind of person. - CD Review by Diane Wells - Rockin the blues from Canada

Niagara Rhythm Section – Live At The Anchorage 1.0 – Shed 07-12
Niagara Rhythm Section – Live At The Anchorage 2.0 – Shed 08-13
Written By John Taylor

There are tons of gigs like this going on across the country – seasoned musicians, holding court as invited guests make each week’s show a special event …

Some, of course, do it better than others. Together since 2004, The Niagara Rhythm Section play like the dream band every guest longs for – tight yet supple, responding to the musical needs of the moment with assurance and aplomb, accomplished enough to get along quite well on their own, yet selfless enough to concentrate on making the star shine.

The NRS consists of bassist Steve Goldberger (bandleader and producer, he’s responsible for recording and mixing), with Steve Grisbrook on guitars and Herb Nelson on keys. Drummer Dave Norris and percussionist Penner McKay provide the propulsion....

...If you are looking for an instant party platter, one that puts you in the party, either volume will provide a suitable soundtrack - Goldberger’s production strikes a fine balance between clean sound and a lively ambiance.

...Both volumes are eminently likeable outings by a solid, unpretentious, and uniformly excellent cast. Real music by real players – it’s a good thing! - Canadianblues.ca

Sometimes the sheer love of music outweighs genre and consistency. Goldberger, a bass-playing songwriter who was part of the Toronto folk-rock outfit Black Creek in the 1970s, and his musical buddies clearly revel in mixing things up on this, their second independent album. Bits of acoustic folk, ersatz California country pop, New Orleans swamp rock, Celtic airs and raucous pub rock float up to the surface of this stew, truly an amalgam of alien parts. For all that, an infectious good humour and energetic teamwork lend this record, a collection of mostly Goldberger originals, genuine appeal.
- Greg Quill, Toronto Star

Niagara-on-the-Lake is best known for its theatres, wineries, restaurants and boutiques which cater largely to the tourist trade. Few visitors—and not many locals—think of the old town on Niagara's north-east fringe as the hotbed of popular music that it has become, with several distinctive bands, state-of-the-art recording studios and its own “world music” scene. A tasty sample of NOTL's musical gumbo is served up about once each month at the Angel Inn when Steve Goldberger and the Fringe Locals play their southern-fried cover versions and trans-cultural originals.

Founding member and bassist for “nugrass” rockers Black Creek in the 1970s, subsequently a freelance musician and member of several Toronto-area cover-bands, Steve Goldberger bought a house in Niagara in 1995, originally as a weekend retreat from Toronto. In their early days in town, not living in Niagara full-time, he and wife Dory were dubbed “fringe locals” by a resident wag. While the term no longer befits their status in the community, it lives on as the name of his band.

After heart surgery in 1998, Goldberger devoted more time to songwriting and recording. In 2000, with the Fringe Locals, he released the live CD, Come From The Heart, an eclectic mix of covers of songs by artists as diverse as Jackson Browne and Louis Jordan, Nanci Griffith and Charlie Parker.

That same year, Goldberger was commissioned to produce a promotional CD for a drinks company. Recruiting as co-composers and musicians various Fringe Locals and others with whom he had played in recent years, he set out to create an “all-acoustic world music type of thing.” Ontario’s arcane liquor regulations forbade the company's distribution plans, but Goldberger, fortunately, maintained copyright over the music. The nine original tracks and four new ones, all instrumentals, were released on CD in March 2002 as The Niagara-on-the-Lake Rhythm Project.
It’s still a “world music type of thing,” though no longer “all-acoustic,” extending from the Anglo-Celtic “St Valentine's Ayre” (with fiddle, mandolin, tin whistle and bodhran) to the klezmer-meets-reggae of “Russia-mon” (mandolin and guitar simulating balalaikas, over loping reggae bass-lines). From the upbeat Caribbean-influenced “Tin City” (with steel drum) to the meditative “Chakra #1” (with didgeridoo and rainstick), Goldberger and his multi-instrumentalist colleagues conjure up a cosmopolitan mix of sounds and sensibilities.

One other Rhythm Project track particularly worthy of note is “Friday at Cuvee,” one of several compositions on the disc by Eric Mahar, the Fringe Locals' regular guitarist. The opening accordion suggests Parisian nightclubs or Hungarian gypsy music, later rhythms hint at Andalusia, bracketing fine acoustic and electric guitar-playing by Mahar. Romantically pan-European, it is one of the CD's highlights. In October 2002, a new version, now called simply “Cuvee,” with added lyrics and vocals by Goldberger and local poet/musician/performer Maja Bannerman, appeared on the Fringe Locals’ second CD release of the year, Gumbo Dreams.

Recorded and mixed “on the fly” at Goldberger’s Shed Studio, Gumbo Dreams has the sound of an “indie” CD, reproducing the textures of live performance, although the Fringe Locals’ usual five-man line-up is supplemented by additional musicians and back-up singers. All but two of the songs are written or co-written by Goldberger—the exceptions are “Hooray for the Weekend,” a sing-along, bluesy (and possibly boozy) celebration of a Friday night date, and “Help Me,” Eric Mahar’s reconstruction of a long-lost previously-unrecorded song by guitar legend Lenny Breau.

Goldberger’s own songs reflect, lyrically and musically, his own experiences and his musical influences. In “Back on My Feet,” he exploits multiple evocations of the heart as metaphor in a song about survival, while “Play Something Good” will resonate with any band that has ever faced a critical audience. Elsewhere, he pays homage to west-coast folk-rock, reminiscent of Jackson Browne or the late Warren Zevon, on “Paying the Price” (featuring Mahar on David Lindley-style slide guitar) and “We Gotta Stop,” while the title track appropriately samples the musical mélange that is New Orleans, with Mark Lalama’s accordion and Ed Kopala’s slide guitar adding tastes of zydeco and delta blues to the swampy mixture.

In August 2002, Goldberger’s studio was severely damaged by fire. It has since been rebuilt and he and the band are now in the process of recording a new CD, while continuing to perform their local version of world music at regular live dates in Toronto and the Niagara region. Meanwhile, The Niagara-on-the-Lake Rhythm Project and other Fringe Locals CDs may be ordered through www.stevegoldberger.com or e-mail steve@stevegoldberger.com.

Better yet, catch these “local fringe” artists performing live and buy your copies off the stage.
- Niagara Current Magazine