Steelhead: Latest News

Alan and Barry were interviewed and performed a couple of acoustic songs in KMBQ 99.7 's studio on Danny Ryan's show here in the Matanuska Valley. It was Alan's first time on the radio and he did well! The station 'lost' the recording of the second half of the interview and one song, but we heard from a few other people that it sounded great! First half is on the music page. 

Well, for the survivors it was great.

Alan couldn't make the trip (he was in Las Vegas for a national billiard championship!), so we brought Steve and former Steelhead member Mike along for the shows. We had a hell of a good time! The locals showed us that they KNOW how to have a good time. So good in fact, Doug and Mike don't remember much between our last set Saturday night and Monday...It hurt just to look at them...

The weather was great, got to BBQ a bunch of just-off-the-boat halibut, hang out at Outside Beach, and attempt to drink the bar dry (we didn't succeed) in between shows. There was some sleep involved, somewhere.

If you missed us (we missed some of you!), we'll be back the 3rd and 4th of July for the best party in the state!

Fast ferry runs three times daily from Homer. www.seldoviabayferry.com

Anything larger than a bicycle will have to go on the State Ferry, Tustemena. Reservations recommended.

Got our first outdoor show of the season set for May 21st. Gonna be a party! Then down to Seldovia for Memorial Day weekend, always a blast. Keep an eye on our calendar.

Alan's been tearing it up with Distraught, opening for Dokken and Great White.

Doug is pleased to announce he's single again.

Dan, well, we just don't know...

Barry's lost behind his studio rack, trying to cable a patchbay...

 

Hope you guys are all right!?

Had a great time at Four Corners last couple weekends. (And don't forget they got $2 Jello shooters at the pull tab bar!) hope to be back there soon...

Spring starts this weekend, by the calendar anyhow, and I'm watching the snow slowly begin the melt.... So we got busy and are booking our favorite venues for this summer's Alaska tour (coming soon to a town near you!) Let's see...Fox, Wasilla, Cooper Landing, Palmer, Seldovia, Willow, Six Mile (for rafting), etc. Keep an eye out.

St. Patty's Day show at Sully's tomorrow night, kind of an annual thing now with the band. Cool and cozy music venue, nice folks, cold beer.(Not green). 

Well, we took some time off for relaxing, winter vacations, and just generally taking some needed time off from performing, last show being on New Year's Eve.
So to kick things off, we're going to release that pent up urge to rock the rafters at Four Corners the first two weekends in March. It might still be winter outside, but we'll heat up the inside! More later...

2010 just kinda seemed to blow right on by into 2011. What a year it was! Finished it out up at the Houston Lodge on New Year's Eve. We played until the Jager ran out, sometime early in the AM.

Anyhow, we're taking a couple of months off for R & R and not performing live again until March 4 and 5 at Four Corners. Until then, go out and SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC! We do!

We'd like to introduce you to the latest addition to the band: Dan 'The Man',on guitar and vocals. We found him on a street corner in Palmer, playing some killer riffs through his Marshall stack. Too bad it wasn't plugged in. So we thru him and his gear into the van, drove to that evenings show, and decided to keep him after hearing him play.
Seriously though, he helps to keep the band inline to our classic ROCK and blues roots with his rock 'n roll attitude. We're glad to have him.

Once performing under a name so terrible they wouldn't even confide in me what it was, the band now known as Steelhead holds the Big Lake area as their stomping grounds for delivering their brand of classic rock & blues, with a quickly expanding playlist of more than 200 favorites and even some original tunes.

Even though Big Lake is a bit out of the way, Steelhead's interest in traveling all through Alaska and even performing within our very own Kenai Peninsula earns them their spot on Rock the Peninsula.

Below is a short interview I had with Barry Billings, the bassist/rhythm guitarist for Steelhead that should give us a peek at what makes this musical foursome tick.

RTP: How did the band get its name?

Barry: The band started under a different name, and two of the original three members thought the name stunk (actually it sucked) and changed it to Steelhead. We were basically asking everybody at the club where we were working for ideas and liked this one.


RTP: What are your bandmate's names and what instruments do they play?

Barry: Steelhead usually performs as a four piece, with (presently) three regular musicians, Thom, [Myself] and Doug, and two rotating musicians, Chuck and Dan. Thom Bjornton plays lead and occasionally bass guitars. [I] play bass and rhythm guitars. Doug Herschbach plays drums and percussion. Chuck Bussey plays rhythm and bass guitars and mandolin. Dan Walsh plays some killer harmonica. Everybody sings lead and backing vocals.


RTP: How long have you been playing together?

Barry: Thom and Dan have played together since time began, [I] joined the band in 99. Chuck came along a few months later in early 2000. Doug started with us the end of last year. All of the guys had been playing and performing for many years before joining forces. Probably the strangest thing about the band is we all live within a few miles of each other in Big Lake, which makes regular practice sessions a lot easier.


RTP: How would you describe the type of music that you play?

Barry: The guys all have different musical styles which comes together on stage. Thom leans towards a jazz and blues influence. Dan is definitely the blues. Chuck's bluegrass roots are hard to hide. [I] have adapted [my] acoustic style onto the bass. Doug is 100% rock n' roll. We perform a few original songs, but people really like the classic rock and blues, and yes, a few country cover tunes, that are our mainstay. A lot of the songs the boomers grew up with and still listen to, so their kids have grown up hearing them.

Our material ranges from The Beatles to UB40 from Clapton to Stevie Ray Vaughan from Clint Black to Dwight Yoakam, and pretty much everything in between. We've got around 200 songs on our playlist, and always learning new ones.


RTP: What cities/venues do you most often play?

Barry: We have stayed busy performing in the Mat-Su Valley, which actually covers a large area. We perform at clubs (bars), breweries, lodges, the State Fair, music festivals, community events, etc. We even had a gig on a stage set up on the ice, in a heated tent, on the middle of Big Lake for the start of the Iron Dog 2000 snowmachine race this year.

We have gone into Anchorage and down to the Kenai, but it seems there are more venues in 'the valley'. We are always seeking new places to play though. It's too much fun not to.

I think the best part about performing is all the great musicians that have shown up and sat in with us, for a song, a set, or for the evening. The music that comes from those impromptu 'events' has been incredible. Or maybe it's when we play a brewery and get to sample their finest stout! Just getting to have fun and bring our music to the people is the best part of performing.