The Steve McDaniel Band

Meet the Band

Friday, September 28, 2007
THE Steve McDaniel BAND

Hometown: Bethlehem
Members: Steve McDaniel (vocals, guitar); Victor J. Clark (guitar, banjo); Bill Rooth (bass); Steve Herring (drums, percussion)

Web site: myspace.comstevemcdanielmusic thestevemcdanielband.com.

Influences: "I grew up to all the arena rock giants like Eddie Van Halen and all that stuff," McDaniel says.

"I was influenced by all that '70s A.M. Gold stuff. My dad was a fan of older country stuff, like Elvis, Glen Campbell."

Sounds like: McDaniel describes his music as "mountain rock and Americana-core."

"Everything we do, we do it our way. It has a certain edge to it. Some of the songs are a little heavier, some are more acoustic-sounding. There are twinges of Americana and southern rock."

He adds, "I don't try to sit down and write songs a certain way. It just comes out.

Set list: As a solo artist, McDaniel sticks to originals such as "Exhausting" but will throw in a variety of covers when performing as the Steve McDaniel Band.

Know their roots: McDaniel has been playing since 13 years old -- performing in various bands throughout high school.

He says he took time off from the music scene until he decided a few years ago to get back to performing full time as both a solo artist and with the Steve McDaniel Band.

In the past year, the band has shared a bill with both Hank Williams III and country music legend the Charlie Daniels Band.

The group was signed to independent label Fever Rock Records and released a self-titled debut CD, available at CDBaby.com.

Catch them if you can: The band will perform tonight at Siamsa Irish Pub in Stroudsburg. McDaniel will perform a solo set at the Rudy Rally motorcycle benefit concert at East Bangor Park on Saturday and later that night at the Hawthorne House in Bethlehem.

Meet the band spotlights local bands. Whether signed, unsigned or just starting out, area bands can e-mail information, contact number and high-resolution jpeg photo to Dustin Schoof at dschoof@express-times.com or mail to The Express-Times, 30 N. Fourth St., Easton, PA 18044. Bands are encouraged to send an MP3 of their music to be included on The Express-Times' Web site at lehighvalleylive.com, keyword "Meet the Band." CDs or DVDs welcomed. Information: 610-258-7171, ext. 3568. - Easton Express Times

By Michael Sadowski
Pocono Record Writer
July 30, 2007
STROUDSBURG — It’s a pipe dream.

There’s a pretty good chance it will never happen. Close to impossible.
But what if . . .

What if by some freak occurrence, legendary country singer Charlie Daniels, when bursting into the encore of his concert tonight at the Sherman Theater, looks back to his opening act and says something along the lines of, “Hey, Steve McDaniel Band! Why don’t you come out here and help us with this one?”

That might just be too much for the local rockers to take.

“I’ll retire,” McDaniel, 37, of Bethlehem, said. “I think I’d have to. That would be the ultimate.”

For now, the band will have to settle for the next best thing — being the opening act for the Charlie Daniels Band when they roll into the Sherman tonight. The opening act starts at about 7:30 p.m., with Daniels and his group taking the stage at about 8:30 p.m.

It’s the biggest gig so far for the local band with quite the local following and the dream many bands never get to realize.

“We haven’t done anything like this before,” McDaniel said. “It’s an honor.”

Now the tough part — pulling it off.

McDaniel and his lineup — Bill Rooth on bass and back-up vocals, Steve Herring on drums and Victor Clark on guitar — have plenty of original material to fill up the half-hour set they’ll get to play. It’s also a chance for them to promote the band’s first album, The Steve McDaniel Band, coming out in August.

But overcoming nervousness is another thing. Most of the members have played the Sherman before, McDaniel said, but not in a situation like opening for one of the legends of country music, one that gave the world the American anthem, “Devil Went Down To Georgia.”

“Hopefully, it will be something like we’ll all look around at each other and just be able to be comfortable and play,” McDaniel said. “We’re definitely looking forward to it.”

Their music fits with Daniels, a mix of southern rock with “a lot of different influences,” McDaniel said.

“You can hear it in our music, all the different influences,” he said. “We’ve got some heavier songs we’re going to back off of. But we still have some songs with some edge we think we’re going to play. It’s going to be a great night.”

Related Stories
Steve McDaniel Band Video
WHERE TO SEE THEM

Can’t make the Charlie Daniels concert? There are still plenty of other places to check out the Steve McDaniel Band this week:
Tuesday, Sarah Street Grill (McDaniel solo), Stroudsburg
Wednesday, Front Row Sports Bar (weekly solo show), Stroudsburg
Thursday, Hops Fogelsville Hotel (solo), Fogelsville
Friday, Muller’s Diner (entire band), Marshalls Creek
Saturday, Stahley’s Cellarette (solo), Allentown
- The Pocono Record

July 26th, 2007

Local Musicians, “The Steve McDaniel Band”, to Open for Country Music Legend Charlie Daniels
Posted by Alan Waclawski at 8:14 pm in General |
Local musicians The Steve McDaniel Band, are opening for country legends The Charlie Daniels Band on July 30 at the Sherman Theater in downtown Stroudsburg.

The Steve McDaniel Band, which describes their music as varied, original, and gritty has created a presence in the area as great performers and skilled musicians and frequently perform at local clubs and bars including Siamsa, the Sarah Street Grill, and Fernwood Resort. The band’s musical library, which consists of original songs as well as covers ranging from Johnny Cash to Iron Maiden, makes them one of the most eclectic groups on the scene.

Their ability to cover this wide spectrum of music makes them a perfect match for The Charlie Daniels Band, who in their 40-year recording career has recorded rock, country, blues and gospel albums.


“We’re totally honored to be able to share the stage with them (The Charlie Daniels Band),” said Steve McDaniel “They’re living legends. The event is going to be a lot of fun.”

In addition to their talent, The Steve McDaniel Band was chosen by the Sherman Theater because of their ability to add local flair to the concert. The Sherman Theater prides itself on giving local acts a chance to showcase their skills and The Steve McDaniel Band brings not only dedication to their music, but to their community as well. The Steve McDaniel Band will be playing mostly original songs and hope to use this opportunity to show off their unique style.

“We don’t want to be lumped into any one genre and people seem to really like what we’re doing,” said McDaniel “We’re looking forward to seeing many familiar Pocono faces and hopefully winning over some new fans.”

The show starts at 7:30 p.m. and doors to the general public open at approximately 7 p.m. To get tickets to see The Steve McDaniel Band open for The Charlie Daniels Band go to www.shermantheater.com or call 570-420-2808.
Alan Waclawski - Nepablogs.com - Nepablogs.com

McDaniel visits Common Grounds
Laura Strasle

Issue date: 9/28/06 Section: Arts & Entertainment

Steve McDaniel has been playing music since he was 12-years-old.
For 25 years his love for music has grown. Going through the various stages of music, beginning with the heavy metal grunge phase to the present rock and country sound, McDaniel is set in his acoustic guitar ways.
McDaniel is no stranger to ESU. He will be making his third appearance at Java City on October 4.
McDaniel has always been surrounded by music since he was a kid.
With his mom playing the radio throughout their house and his father singing aloud to him, McDaniel was sure to become a musician.
His first musical influence was when he was nine and listened to Van Halen. When his older friend would come over and play his guitar, McDaniel knew that is what he wanted to do with his life.
Now, music from the seventies and old school outlaw country are his influences. "It brings me back to when I was a kid," says McDaniel. "That kind of music is down to earth and is all about good song writing."
McDaniel looks to his parents, as well as his band mates, for inspiration.
Steve and his three other friends make up The Steve McDaniel Band.
When McDaniel is not performing his solo act, he performs with the band on the weekends.
Performing five nights a week, McDaniel travels throughout the Leigh Valley and Pocono Mountain area.
McDaniel plays all kinds of music. He will play anything from Johnny Cash to the Foo Fighters.
McDaniel jokes as he says, "it is like the wedding band from hell."
He feels he gives his songs an edge, which can be enjoyed by audiences of all ages.
When performing live,
McDaniel loves the attention he gets from his audience. He likes to meet the people at his shows and always enjoys the crowd, whether young or old.
McDaniel appreciates all the support he has gotten from the Stroudsburg/Pocono Area. He can be seen Wednesday nights at Front Row on Main Street. Find out more about McDaniel a t www.myspace.com/stevemcdanielmusic.

email Laura Strasle at:
lrs8819@esu.edu - Stroud Courier