Hillbilly Music For The Soul - Cover ArtistSinger Guitarist from Minneapolis, MN

In addition to 60's-70's hits, Hillbily Music for the Soul offers vintage country, bluegrass, blues, and swing on acoustic flatpick, fingerstyle and bottleneck blues guitar, five-string banjo and voice. Dylan, Lightfoot, CCR, Jerry Garcia, Hank Williams, Lightnin Hopkins, Robert Johnson, Doc Watson and many well-known Americana tunes. My solo show is distinctive because it combines professional vocals with ambitious instrumental arrangments. We've been well-received everywhere we perform for private parties, neighborhood and college bars because we can stand and deliver a high-quality, acoustic/traditional show and some decent pickin' with that. Review, Inside Bluegrass, March 2010. "Steve Howard has been performing American roots music for over three decades. For those of you who know him, you would probably agree with me that he is a walking encyclopedia of blues, jazz, folk and bluegrass music. If you ever have a chance to jam with him (something I would recommend) you'll probably be playing tunes from Bill Monroe, Robert Johnson, and Duke Ellington, all in one session. Steve's latest Album, Easy to Get Lost in the World sums up a lifetime of musical exploration. Listening to the project is a bit like taking a class in American folk music. The journey starts with a visit to the Appalachian Mountains, winds to Nashville for some classic country, and ends up in New York City with a jazz standard. The opening track "Salty Dog Blues" does a good job of letting the listener know where Steve and his ensemble are coming from. Rather than create another Bluegrass Album Band version of the tune, Steve has created more of an old-timey sound adding extra measures to give it a "crooked" feel. The end result is a fresh sound that embraces Steve's passion for Appalachian traditions. "A Fool Such as I" has a classic mournful sound that highlights Steve's considerable vocal talent. His phrasing is reminiscent of country greats Webb Pierce and Lefty Frizzell. A challenging song to be sure, but Steve pulls it off effortlessly. "Sweet Chariot Swing Low" is a beautifully presented a cappella that captures the classic four-part gospel harmony. The group manages to hold pitch and tempo throughout the tune maintaining energy from beginning to end. Musicians that have been playing as long as Steve Howard often have signature tunes. I've have to say that for Steve, that tune is Merle Travis' "Lost John." After playing this one live for the past few decades, he has successfully made this iconic tune his own. In fact, I can't really imagine any other version of it at this point, and for me, that's saying a lot. The tune works perfectly with Steve's percussive guitar style and the phrasing fits Steve's voice like an old glove. . ."