In February, 2008, with a renewed sense of vigor , I began to write and record several songs, which culminated in my first album, "Broken Man - Trapped In Time", released in August, 2008.
Three of the 4 songs were written spontaneously, using fragments of riffs that were in my mind for many years. The 4th song, Rebecca, I had written around 1967.
I continued with 6 new songs, to produce my 2nd album, "Under An Open Sky", with a 7th song, a live, acoustic version of Rebecca, the album released in December, 2008.
In 2009, I met Rich Liegey, at VuDu Studios in Freeport, NY, who had been the bassist for a popular band, Wheatus, and who had enthusiastically helped me to move forward with 2 songs in 2009, More Each Day, and The Vessel.
My Orange period - 2010:
In the past 24 months, using my personal computer software, and driven by musical resonance, I have written and recorded several songs, under different album references, including "Uneasy Pieces", "Metro-Noire", "EastCoastProject", and "SteinTimesTwentytwo".
"Not An Ordinary Night", and "Always Tomorrow", are songs that were written for two couples soon to be married, which I sang at their weddings.
"New York City (will always be home)", and "I Wish That You Never Had Gone", are soft ballads.
"Not An Ordinary Night - the instrumental" - demonstrates the stand-alone capacity for that melody.
"Rock Sonata", and "Running From Time", are experimental instrumentals that round off and complete my orange period.
"A Young Girl Was Laughing (by the window)", is a ballad that was plucked on the strings of the heart of love.The album cover is graced by a beautiful work of art, painted by my friend and colleague, Al Gelber. I then wrote "oh, loch ada", a ballad about inner peace. I have now just completed "oh, america (your love is true)", an acoustic, folk ballad. Be your own truth. Thank you and goodnight.
My band, Central Beat, had played around Long Island, which had catalyzed my creative energies, as we performed both classic rock, as well as original tunes in our repertoire. The band was comprised of 5 men, all with full-time professions, and family responsibilities, but we somehow managed to find the time and inspiration to create a demo, rehearse, and perform live.
After about 9 years, with stunned reactions of shock and grief from my 11 fans, I retired from the band, in August, 2009.
PAST HISTORY: After my brother, Mike, taught me the E chord on the guitar in 1956, I played Jailhouse Rock at age 8, became enthused by early Elvis' Golden Records, and then suffered for 5 long years on the violin, like the little boy on the Thematic Apperception Test. My sister, Sara, has maintained her versatility on the violin, and continues to play her violin live, down south, in the traditional fiddle syle.
EARLY INFLUENCES: Kate Smith (When The Moon Comes Over The Mountain"); Eddie Fisher (Oh, My Papa); Walt Disney (When You Wish Upon A Star); Danny and the Juniors (Schoolboy Romance); Bobby Darin (Dream Lover); Richie Valens (Donna); Paul Anka (Lonely Boy, Put Your Head On My Shoulder); Dion Dimucci (Teenager In Love; When You Wish Upon A Star - fingerpicking live at the Bitter End; and the rarely mentioned album "You Are Not Alone", with songs such as "Windows", and "The Stranger"); The Chiffons (He's So Fine); Del Shannon (Runaway); Curtis Lee and the Halos (Angel Eyes); Ray Hildebrand (Hey Paula); Ray Charles (Georgia On My Mind); Lennon/McCartney (Yesterday, Girl, and 178 others); Peter Paul and Mary (Man of Constant Sorrow, Early In The Morn, Pete Seeger's "If I Had A Hammer", and 30 others); Bob Dylan (Gates of Eden, Positively 4th Street, and 75 others); Donovan (Celeste, To Try For The Sun, Sunny Goode Street, and 60 others); Elton John (Your Song, and 20 others); Joni Mitchell (For Free, and 10 others); Paul Simon (Song for the Asking, For Emily, and 50 others); Richie Havens (Morning, I Can't Make It Anymore, and 20 others); Neil Young (Tell Me Why, A Man Needs A Maid, and 20 others); John Denver (Annie's Song, and 10 0thers); James Taylor (Fire & Rain, and 30 others); Tom Rush (Child's Song, and 5 others); and Jackson Browne (Adam's Song, I Thought I Was A Child, and 30 others) were a few of the singer/songwriters who most influenced my musical tastes while growing up. More contemporariy balladeer influences have been Jewel (Foolish Games), Paolo Nutini (Last Request), Plain White T's (Hey There Delilah), Superman (Five For Fighting), and Annie Lennox (Dark Road).
I studied jazz and classical guitar for several years during the '60's, with Sid Margolis, who had been a big-band guitarist before settling into a music school on Kings Highway, in Brooklyn.
I played rhythm guitar and sang vocals in two college bands, A Taste of Sunlight, and Up incorporated, in the 1960's.
More recently, I have studied jazz guitar, learning new Beatle arrangements, also working on my fingerpicking, with a teacher on Long Island.
Around 1990, using a Fender Strat with a built in GK2A adaptor, I began to experiment with a guitar synthesizer. This device allows one to play digital simulations of virtually any instrument, through the guitar, and I became familiar with keyboard, string, wind, and percussion "patches".
I began experimenting with a digital vocal harmonizer, and a drum machine that accompanied the guitar synthesizer in the correct key, and with a bass line (!), to perform, and to record on audiotape, as a one-man band.
More recently, I acquired a Zoom digital recorder with a built-in CD burner, became more familiar with digital technology, and began to digitally record and burn my own songs, as well as the songs of Central Beat, mentioned above.
In February, 2008, about 3 AM on a Sunday morning, I burned my first version of "Only A Man".
My first album, "Broken Man - Trapped In Time", was released in August, 2008.
The opening tune is "Lately I've Been Feeling", followed by "I Just Keep Seeing Her Face", "Only A Man", and "Rebecca", all available on iTunes and CDBaby, and the first 2 presented on youtube, using a slide show and captions.
My second album, "Under An Open Sky", released in December, '08, reflected greater focus on acoustic guitars, with somewhat less reliance on digital enhancement.
After a one year hiatus, I began to work on a new songs using garageband, listed above........pjstein