Steve Berger
250,567 plays
93,114 views
93,114 views
Welcome to my Soundclick Music Site.
Most songs are original compositions, but I've also included some favorites by other composers and artists. Just about all the songs are recorded in my home studio . . . Casa Juanita.
Enjoy the music and drop by often as I will be posting more new original and cover songs.Band/artist history
After a couple of decades spent climbing the corporate ladder, I retired from my day job in 2005 with the encouragement of my wonderful wife Nancy.
With time finally on my side, I have been learning to play fingerstyle guitar. Playing fingerstyle guitar allows me to more fully express myself both on the guitar and overall as a musician. I have begun composing fingerstyle instrumental guitar pieces, among them; "Casa Juanita", "Tropicali" and "Madeline's Melody". I have also begun playing fingerstyle as accompaniment on some new original vocal-oriented songs like; "Time To Live My Life" and "Until I Found You".
But it all began back in 1966 when I co-founded the pop-rock band, The Peasants, while attending the University of South Florida in Tampa. The band played mainly school-related events, along with fraternity, sorority and private parties. Steve Richie played Lead Guitar and Rusty Schoenthaller and I shared Rhythm Guitar and Lead Vocals. Other band members included Tom Bourquin on Drums & Back-up Vocals and Mike Leavitt on Bass Guitar. Mike was later replaced by Rick Catlin on Bass Guitar. Wes Eubanks was the bands manager.
Memorable gigs included playing for parties at Crockett Farnell's Ranch & weekend dances at Argos Center and the UC. Favorite songs played included "Purple Haze" by Jimi Hendrix and "Walk Don't Run" by The Ventures. Go figure!
When I returned to USF Graduate School in 1970, Steve Richie, Rick Catlin and I co-founded the rock band, Dwarfing Howard. Joining us were Jeff Hartson on Keyboards and Lee Chestnut on drums. Keith Fenwick replaced Lee on Drums after a few months. When Rick Catlin left the band, I pretty much took over playing Bass Guitar as well. Like The Peasants before . . . the Dwarfing Howard band played many jobs in and around USF and the Tampa Bay area.
One memorable gig was at the St. Pete Auditorium. Favorite songs from the band included; "In Memory of Elizabeth B Reed" by The Allman Brothers Band and the Doors "Light My Fire", among many others.
I moved back to Miami in 1973 for family reasons and was soon joined by Jeff Hartson. Jeff and I had become best of friends and were determined to give it a go and put the band back together. Hey who says that cliques only work when talking about sports!
And thus begins the Sunstone era. Sunstone was a trio before it was a duo which was before it was a trio again and before it finally was, and ended as a duo. Get that? Here's the scoop.
The first Sunstone trio was comprised of Jeff on keyboards, (organ / electric piano and Moog synthesizer), Paul on bass guitar and me on guitar and vocals. Out first job was in 1975 at The Left Guard restaurant and lounge on Biscayne Boulevard across from the Playboy Club. Favorite songs included the standard, "Misty" and JTs, "Sunny Skies".
After a few months Paul left the band to pursue playing jazz. Jeff and I then morphed into the Sunstone duo. Memorable gigs were long runs in 1976 and 1977 at The Cricket Club and The Rum Keg Lounge among other locations. Memorable songs included; "Sea Of Madness" by CSN&Y and "Goin Out of My Head" by Little Anthony. Hey we were nothing if not versatile!
Jeff and I missed the trio format so in late 1977 we added vocalist and sometime tambourine player, Kelly Mungovan. This trio version of Sunstone was our longest standing and most successful ensemble.
We became the house band at Steak & Ale restaurant in Hollywood, Florida where we played for several years. We also played a two-week gig at The Sheraton on Ft. Lauderdale Beach and numerous other locations. Memorable songs included; "She's Not There" by the Zombies and "Send In The Clowns" by Barbara Streisand among many, many others.
During this time Jeff and I had begun writing original songs and several of them were some of our most requested numbers. These included Jeff's songs; "Ten Years Down The Road", "Chapters Of Our Lives" and "Ruffian" and my songs; "Velvet Prison", "Turn And Run" and "Florida".
It was time for the Sunstone duo one more time when Kelly left the band to get married in 1978. Memorable gigs for were a week-long stay at the Holiday Inn in Islamorada and a two-year off-and-on run at The Headquarters Lounge in Miami.
This would turn out to be my last musical adventure for many, many years for I had actually already begun working a day job a few years earlier. I was finding it harder and harder to do double-duty....and felt regrettably that music had to go on the back burner for awhile.
Little did I know that music would be on the back burner for a very, very long time indeed. As a result, in August 1982, 'Sunstone' played a memorable last performance at The Headquarters Lounge. Now if I could only remember the last song we played. Oh well . . . no doubt a sign of the times!
Over the next twenty five or so music was not my main focus as I did four corporate relocations back and forth across the country. I always kept my old Martin acoustic and my Gibson Electric . . . but they stayed in their cases more often than not
I wrote only four songs in the 1980s including "Island Standard Time" and two songs in the 90s. I have begun to really pick up the pace however in the new millennium writing many new songs, including "Every Time You Smile" for Nancy . . . and my first solo instrumental fingerstyle guitar piece, "On My Way".
Whew . . . I need a nap!Your musical influences
EARLY: Alan Yott, Steve Richie, Gary Webb, Fred Steele, Randall Dollahon, Del Staton, Jimi Ruccolo
ALONG THE WAY: The Beatles, James Taylor, Buffalo Springfield, Antonio Carlos Jobim, Neil Young, Michael Franks, Ted Greene, Steely Dan, Pat Metheny, Eric Clapton, Kenny Rankin, Mark Knopfler, Sting
THESE DAYS: Pete Huttlinger, Tommy Emmanuel, Stephen Bennett, Earl Klugh,Mike Dowling, Jim Hall, Mark Hanson, Kenny Burrell, Laurence JuberWhat equipment do you use?
GUITARS: Martin OM-28V Custom, Goodall KCJC, Huss & Dalton 00-SP, Eastman AR880CE, National Reso-phonic El Trovador, Martin D-35, Gibson ES-175, Fender Stratocaster, Fender Precision Bass, Martin 000-18, GO Parlor, Tacoma PR12, Baby Taylor
EFFECTS: Yamaha QY70, M-Audio Keyboard Controller, Boss DR-670, Rockman X100, Pandora PX4
AMPS/PA: AER Compact 60, Hendriksen Jazz Amp with Tweety, Boogie Mark II-C, SWR Workingman's 10, dbx 231
HOME STUDIO RECORDING: Apogee DUET, Apogee MIC, Tascam DP-02, Tascam CD-RW700, Rode NT2-A, Rode NT4, Zoom H2, Roland VS840, Electro-Voice PL80, Adam Audio A7s & Sub8Electric Shadow's ACOUSTIC CAFE
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Beautiful, soulful melody -- and excellent arrangement. The guitar sounds so deep and lovely. Beautiful song!Beautiful new original from my favorite artist. The guitar sounds fabulous and those chords are so beautiful and haunting. Love it!Steve, This track is exquisite. Beautiful recording and your playing is just getting better with each recording. Really well done! MarkVery nice Steve! Great playing and composition. Kinda make me jealous for some beautiful Cali weather!All comments (90)
250,567 plays
93,114 views
93,114 views
Beautiful song Steve! Enjoyed the ride that song took me on. Felt like the melody just took me away on a trip. Great composition and fine playing and production.