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Wow! I'm still recovering from our shows
at the Blue Mule. We had a great time playing for a wonderful crowd.
Thanks so much to those of you that attended. We appreciated your
energy and enthusiasm.
While the Friday show was classic SSG, the Saturday show will be one I
will never forget.
As those in attendance know, Dave Browning was unable to attend the
Saturday performance due to a burned retina. He was in a tremendous
amount of pain and spent most of the day in the hospital. Fortunately
there will be no long term effects and he is expected to fully recover
with treatment very soon. I missed having Dave with us on Saturday,
but I am glad he will be OK.
We received the news that we were short one drummer shortly before
showtime, and in a frenzy we were able to reach my bandmates from
RockHouse- Bill Anker and Paul Ennis. Arriving quite literally at the
last minute, these guys stepped right in and pulled us out of the
fire. Paul did an excellent job filling Dave's shoes. He was a
natural. Since we had 4/5 of RockHouse present, we even performed some
RockHouse material with the help of SSG and Bill Anker on lead vocal.
The SSG/RockHouse chimera was in full force, so you really got two
great bands for the price of one.
Then there were the highlights...
My most memorable moments were definitely:
Guest spots by Bill Anker and Paul
Ennis
Paul is a phenomenal drummer. To be able step in with a new band and
wing a show without missing a beat takes a lot of skill. He pulled it
off flawlesly. It was also a treat to introduce Bill to the Louisville
crowd. Steve Sizemore said his rendition of Piano Man gave him
goosebumps. I'd have to agree. Bill always tends to surprise people in
a good way.
The water show with Steve Sizemore on
the drums
It's always a treat to get Steve back on the drum kit. It's even
better when the kit is drenched and every beat sends an exploding
column of water through the air.
Brett's fireball during Helter
Skelter
In an effort to summon the god of thunder and rock n' roll,
Brett Parker, in true Gene Simmons fashion, took a swig of charcoal
lighter fluid and spewed a 15 foot fireball across the stage. As the
intense heat of the flame nearly singed my eyebrows and rolled across
the club, I could only exclaim, "ROCK & ROLL!!!"
Note: Brett Parker is a professional
pyromaniac. This stunt is dangerous. Kids don't try this at home.
Musical chairs
Given the circumstances, we had to do a lot of improvising. Steve and
Paul rotated on the drum kit. Brett, Steve, and I rotated on the bass.
Bill and Steve shared lead vocal duty. Brett even pulled out the flute
for a tribute to Jethro Tull. It's nice to play with guys that can
pull this off when necessary. The show must go on!
SSG and RockHouse share the stage for
the finale
To close the show, all of my friends shared the stage for one final
jam session. The energy was almost tangible.
And last but certainly not least...
The fans
As Brett mentioned at the show, Louisville is our adopted home town
for a reason. You are our favorite crowd by far. You wouldn't let us
leave! After four encores I was spent. Thank you so much. You are the
reason this is so much fun.I also want to thank our hosts, John and
Shannon, at the Blue Mule. Give us some time to recover. We will
definitely be back.
Attention all Louisville SSG fans.
The band returns to the Derby City on Sept. 19th and 20th for two
shows at The Blue Mule in J-Town. These dates are confirmed and we
will have the venue phone number and address posted in the next few
days. The band promises these shows to be total barn burners. Showtime
is set for 9:30 with an acoustic set, then after a short intermission,
the rock show assault begins! The band is really building a strong fan
base this year based on the intense performances they have been
turning out this summer. These are must see shows! Make plans to be
there! This coming Sunday, Aug 31st are the Scranton PA shows, a day
performance and an evening performance and Steve Sizemore will also
perform during the recreation of the White Album! Stay tuned to
ssgrocks for more venue info on the new Louisville shows.
AROTR @ the Woodlands in Scranton /
Wilkes-Barre was tremendous fun. I was very sad to leave. No need to
worry however... The 2nd largest Beatles festival in the world returns
to Louisville next May, and SSG is on board! We'll also see many of
you at the special benefit concert for St. Jude's in Louisville on
November 7th.
Now back to the shows at the Woodlands...
Thanks to all of you that made it to our shows. These were some of the
most fun concerts of the tour, and it is because of the best fans in
the world. I can't wait to see all of you again at one of our next
stops.
The evening show was incredibly special featuring a completely
improvised all-star cast including Drew Harrison, Hal Bruce, Mario
DaSilva, and Paul Davie of Syracuse's Fab Five. I will never forget
the experience. The energy between the audience, the band, and our
guests onstage was absolutely intoxicating. I'm still floating. Thanks
to all of you for the highlight of our trip!
I also want to thank Paul for joining us for a special version of Sgt.
Pepper. Paul, your costume and singing added a lot. Thanks for jamming
with us.
Lastly, I want to thank the Woodlands, the sound crew, and all those
involved in putting this event together. I can't wait to do it all
over again!
See you at the next show!!!
RockHouse will be hitting the studio
soon to work on original material for its debut album. We will be
releasing teaser singles on iTunes shortly so keep watching the
website (www.officialrockhouse.com) and MySpace pages regularly. We
are also in the planning stages for a single release party to be held
in our hometown of Lexington, KY sometime this fall.
Also, keep watching for new tour dates to be added throughout the fall
and winter. We'll be making these announcements very soon. See you at
the show!
"This is only a 6-song "demo" that SSG
peddles at their KISS EXPO appearances…but I was so impressed (both
with the band live and this CD) that I just had to review it. While
there are two KISS songs included, SSG is no mere KISS-knockoff that
is trying to ride the coat-tails of the 'masters of marketing'. Sure,
some of SSG's original songs would fit perfectly on KISS ALIVE, but I
also hear the influences of CHEAP TRICK and ELO. And a big difference
between KISS and SSG is that SSG utilizes harmony vocals more"
"This is a CD that you wanna crank in your car stereo as you speed
down the highway. "Beautiful Dust" hits you from the grassy knoll and
easily achieves 'the coolest song in the world' for this issue of EAR
CANDY. It remindes me of a great lost CHEAP TRICK song with elements
of Paul McCartney and ELO thrown in. This song is a sign of potential
greatness for SSG. When you add the strength of the other originals,
you've got some heavy expectations for the first full length SSG
record. I for one think they are up for the challenge."
Ear Candy Online Magazine, Atlanta, GA.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
With influences ranging from The Beatles and Cheap Trick to KISS and
Aerosmith, SSG sticks to a proven formula...great hooks and melodies,
rich harmonies and loud guitars! Never concerned with being the "next
big thing", they have simply stuck to creating straightforward rock
and roll for 13 years.
In 1992, Rodney Isaacs (guitar) and Brett Parker (guitar) would team
up with Steve Sizemore (drums) in what was then called "Contagious", a
band that was already on the road supporting their first independently
released album. In the years to come, the band would release their
second and third albums and play hundreds of shows all across the
Eastern US.
In 2000, Contagious would transform into SSG with Steve taking over
bass guitar and adding long-time friend Dave Browning on drums. The
band recorded two KISS songs for albums that would be released online.
Those recordings spawned some very unique opportunities for the band
that would include playing at several KISS Expos, New York to Omaha,
Winnipeg to New Orleans. One huge honor came in 2002 when the band was
invited to New York to play at the 51st birthday bash for original
KISS guitarist, Ace Frehley.
Not only have they become an Expo favorite, SSG has been joined
onstage by Eric Singer (Kiss, Alice Cooper), Ron Keel (Keel, Ironhorse),
Kenny Kweens and Alex Grossi (Beautiful Creatures), Jason McMaster
(Dangerous Toys), Hirsh Gardner (New England) and Bob Kulick (studio
guitarist for various artist including Kiss, Alice Cooper and
Meatloaf). KISS Guitarist Bruce Kulick (also, Grand Funk Railroad) has
actually used SSG as his "band" for several shows over the last few
years. (Name dropping officially ends here)
"SSG rocked the house"
"As always...SSG and Bruce blew the roof off the place...."
"Bruce jammin' with SSG was the highlight of the evening."
- Above are Fan Reviews at kissonline.com.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Steve Sizemore Group appear on the final KAOL 3 CD with a
traditional cover from Paul's solo album. It's raw rock and roll with
their signature melodic harmonies and guitar work. It rocks!
"I first heard the guys from the Steve Sizemore Group on a CD they
sent from their band "Contagious". A blend of Styx, Journey, Kansas,
and the Beatles, their sound was familiar yet refreshing. Heavy vocal
harmonies and strong melodic songwriting led to the offer to be on
KAOL. "The Oath" is definitely one of the most difficult songs to pull
off on the Soundtrack. The drumming and vocal performances alone were
challenging enough, let alone the production techniques that must be
employed to create the sound that KISS found on the original version.
This song was assigned to the guys based on their previous work and
they came thru with shining colors. The production surpasses the
original and the performance is fantastic as well. It may be the last
song on the disc but it's definitely a show of talent and a
powerhouse. You've got to appreciate the incredible layered vocals and
thunderous drum sound (achieved in the studio with an old 4 piece
Ludwig!)".
- Kathy Labonte, Producer of the KAOL KISS Tribute series.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
"SSG hit the stage and I was unprepared to be blown away by a band
that didn't even wear make-up…but I was! The band takes the KISS
tribute from a different angle - and that is performing lesser-known
KISS songs. Plus, SSG is comprised of 3 great singing voices, with no
one person taking all the lead vocals. Being a huge Ace fan, you can
imagine my enjoyment when the band played LOTS of Ace Frehley songs!
And sure, in the spirit of KISS there were many pyrotechnics. Also,
the band had the balls to play three originals, which actually went
over pretty well." (the band's demo CD is also reviewed in this
issue). Here is the show's setlist:
* "Got Love For Sale"
* "Tomorrow & Tonight"
* "Love Her All I Can"
* "Speeding Back to My Baby"
* "Torpedo Girl"
* "Rip It Up"
* "She"
* "Parasite"
* "100,000 Years"
-Ear Candy Online Magazine, Atlanta, GA.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Currently, the band is working on a new album, but the real treat is
seeing them live! With energy and presence unmatched by so many of
today's "wannabes", SSG proves why there's nothing like pure Rock and
Roll!
Wanna come along?
It's been a busy summer for SSG. The
band enjoyed the most successful run of shows ever in Louisville this
year during the annual Abbey Road On The River Festival and drew
record crowds. Steve Sizemore was among the cast of the recreation of
the White Album. Steve sang lead on "Why don't we do it in the road?"
and "Helter Skelter".
In other SSG news, the band has been touring with new guitarist Matt
Ballenger along with Pianist and B-3 Organ player Steve Miller and the
band sounds FANTASTIC! "This is the tightest, hardest rockin,
well-oiled version of SSG in a long time." said Steve, "Matt had his
debut with us on a big stage with a big crowd and came through
shining, I personally got chills myself when he got a standing ovation
and roar from the crowd after his solo during "Something" it was one
of those moments that makes you realize why you do it." "Steve Miller
also adds a thrilling dynamic with his piano, brass and string
sections, and an amazing hammond B-3 that makes us rock harder, louder
and faster than a speeding bullet!"
As for the new album, The new SSG album is entitled "Beautiful Dust"
and the title track will go to radio very soon. The album will be
released on Lonesome Day Records and will be available on all the
digital outlets, various targeted in-store racks (certain Wal-marts
etc) and from the websites. There will also be some special guest
appearances by some of their famous friends. So keep watching for more
updates as the album approaches completion.
As for the tour, SSG plays Scranton Pa on Sunday, Aug 31st. The band
will be adding more dates later in the year. For more info, please
visit www.abbeyroadontheriver.net for all the details.
See you on the road!
I will be expanding my role with the
guys with SSG. Please come see
me with SSG at one of
the many upcoming shows. Check my calendar for updates. These guys are
great musicians, and I am very proud to be playing with them.
-
RockHouse will be playing Redmon's on
March 31 at 9:30PM to raise money for the Lance Armstrong Foundation.
Must be 21 or older. There will be a $5 cover at the door of which
100% will go to support Livestrong. Further donations are optional but
highly encouraged. Help RockHouse and LAF raise money to fight cancer!
-
Matt will be playing at the Abbey Road
on the River festival with Steve Sizemore Group on May 22-25 in
Louisville, KY. Please visit
www.abbeyroadontheriver.com for show schedules.
-
Matt Ballenger will be working with
MediaBrain Records as producer and recording engineer for Steve
Sizemore Group's latest album release. Be sure to check out SSG on
iTunes soon.
-
MediaBrain Records will act as the
official label for Matt Ballenger and String Theory
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