We recently connected with Steve Conte and have shared our conversation below.

Steve, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. How did you learn to do what you do? Knowing what you know now, what could you have done to speed up your learning process? What skills do you think were most essential? What obstacles stood in the way of learning more?

I started as a drummer at age 7 and began writing songs at 11 years old, having no idea what I was doing on a guitar. I realized that I could make up melodies and words while playing “bass notes” on the lowest guitar string. Song “craft” had definitely sunk into my head from all the listening i had done; to The Beatles, Simon & Garfunkel and everything that was on pop radio in the mid to late ’60s. In the beginning I was just emulating love songs or the kind of druggy, psychedelic lyrics I’d heard in Beatles and other group’s songs but of course I had never done acid or had any kind of mind altering experience yet, nor had I been in love.

As I got older I wrote more about what was really going on in my world and at the same time, I was devouring everything I was learning in my theory, harmony & music appreciation classes in high school. If I heard a sound I loved, I figured out what it was, why I loved it (it usually had some kind of musical “tension”) and applied it to the guitar so I could recall & use it whenever I wanted.

It wasn’t until I started working on jazz standards in college that I actually learned the terminology of song form, the sections like verse, bridge, etc. I just did it all naturally before then, but now with this knowledge I could navigate song structures better and analyze what made my favorite songs work. I would take apart great songs and write my own using the same structures, sometimes with good results, sometimes not. The best ones still come out of nowhere without trying or thinking about it.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I started like most kids did in the ’70s, playing rock ‘n’ roll covers at teen dances, talent shows, etc. But I also worked with my mom who was a skilled jazz singer. We performed at weddings, parties & clubs in NJ and I got a serious education from playing jazz standards with her and the older musicians in her band.

I knew I wanted to have my own career as a songwriter & performer so I moved to NYC as soon as I got out of school and started playing on recording sessions and in the clubs there. It wasn’t long before I played on my first major label record and then on national commercials. Within 3 years of living in Manhattan I got signed to my first major label record deal (Mercury) based on the strength of my songs with my band Company Of Wolves. While the band wasn’t a huge success, I got plenty of notoriety from it and began to get hired by artists like Billy Squier, Paul Simon, Peter Wolf, Willy DeVille, Jim Jones, Willie Nile and eventually found my way to become a member of the legendary New York Dolls, with whom I made 4 albums and toured the world for 6 years. I also had another side career as the vocalist on many Japanese anime soundtracks (Cowboy Bebop, Ghost In The Shell) with music by composer Yoko Kanno.

Currently I have my own solo record deal with Little Steven Van Zandt’s label, wicked Cool Records. I write the songs, produce and on my forthcoming album – The Concrete Jangle – I have co-written half of the songs with my songwriting hero Andy Partridge of XTC. I have have released 2 singles so far from the album (coming in april 2024) that are available on my Bandcamp page. My previous album, Bronx Cheer (also on the Wicked Cool label) garnered excellent reviews and is a testament to my mission statement: Write great songs, sing with heart & soul, play with “feel” and make the production top notch.

I also produce other artists albums as well as playing guitar / writing songs for Finnish rock star Michael Monroe, and playing with Rolling Stones vocalists Bernard Fowler & Lisa Fischer in a fabulous band lead by Keith Richards’ drummer Charley Drayton.

I feel very fortunate to have had the experiences I have had in New York & around the world. My early training from working with my mom and studying jazz helped me adapt quickly to many situations that would be a challenge for many self-taught rockers. I’ve gotten to play with my many of heroes; legends like Chuck Berry, Etta James, Sam Moore, James Cotton, Hubert Sumlin, Johnny Adams, Carole King, Phoebe Snow, Maceo Parker and many others.

I bring all this experience with me when I write songs for other artists, produce & play on their records or perform on their tours. I also teach the craft of songwriting and guitar playing, privately and in online workshops. If people are interested in any of these things they can contact me through my website or sign up for my email list there.

What can society do to ensure an environment that’s helpful to artists and creatives?

Please BUY artists records, rather than streaming them. The reason we don’t have record stores any more is because the digital music revolution (which has been great in many ways) took away the ability for musicians to make a living selling their musical creations on vinyl, cassettes & CDs.

Also, go out and see live music. Buy tickets! Artists depend on these things, we don’t have day jobs. We are lifers, in it for the music.

Is there something you think non-creatives will struggle to understand about your journey as a creative? Maybe you can provide some insight – you never know who might benefit from the enlightenment.

I wake up every morning thinking about creating new “art” and how I can earn a living for myself & my family with the art I have created – be they songs, commercials, film soundtrack music, or whatever. My mind is always racing, thinking about making records, music videos, writing books, writing screenplays, making movies. I have loads of ideas but it takes time and money to implement them all.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://stevecontemusic.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/steveconte
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SteveConteNYC
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/steveconte
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/SteveConteNYC
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/stevecontenyc
• Other: https://steveconte.bandcamp.com https://www.threads.net/@steveconte https://www.tiktok.com/@stevecontenyc

Image Credits
Photo by Anja Van Ast