Stevie Starlite Articles


From "Buddy's Corner", Chicago Rocker
By Buddy Monaco



 
       Consistently playing to full houses across the Midwest, along with a new album out featuring 12 cuts of his raucous and riotously funny material; now 10 years gone and Stevie Starlite is still knocking out his own self-styled form of Rock and Roll on his own terms.

       Playing a solidly booked schedule of weekends from month to month with a dedicated following, this X-rated rocker and his band are probably the most completely entertaining act to play on any music circuit; to include in his show a variety of rock & roll, rockabilly, comedy, X-rated stage encounters, and a brutal X-rated attitude about love, life, and the pursuit of happiness and--oh yes, women!! A favorite target for Stevie's liberation of thought...ladies this show is not for the squeamish or the faint of heart, for Stevie can tear your heart out with his searing and cutting tongue during a good night's performance,-- but all in all it's all in fun.

       With songs on his album titles "I know what You Want," "Looking at Her Ass," and "The Girl With the Scab," you just know where this no-holds-barred rocker is ready to take you...and oh yes, don't forget to watch your back when the "Padre Pio Trio" rolls into "Old Brown Eye is Back," a single release which is on Stevie's own Snorko Records, available as is his new album "Live From the South Side."

       Stevie's live show is loaded with good times and an unbelievable "crowd participation" that has to be seen and heard to grasp the understanding of it all.

       Beyond all the craziness and ass-grabbing, there is a talent here that must be exposed. Stevie and his band, bass player Tommy Biondo and drummer Russ DeLuca are three of Chicago's premier musicians.

       Stevie is a very accomplished guitarist whose Telecaster tones can be rivaled by few. Not only a great guitarist, Stevie is also a fine technician; having had a hand in designing a line of professional amplifiers for Ampeg. Stevie is equally adept in the recording studio where for years he had his own studio that he built and then recorded and produced all his own work.

 
       Bassist Tommy Biondo, a true rock & roll veteran with a long line of rock lineage, is probably one of the most visual and well-known bass players in the midwest. Starting his career years ago he formed a band called "The Ants". That project led to the late, great "Theatre Band" which had one album released on Spirit Records called "Diamonds" along with playing live dates with the Police, Rick Springfield and Jefferson Starship to name a few.

       With the demise of "Theatre", Tommy then hooked up with Don Griffin and the Griff band for two and a half years as vocalist and bassist. Then as time went by, he found his way to the Stevie Starlite project where he has become an integral part of the show. Tommy adds a dimension of driving bass with his killer bass sound as he prowls the stage in his full length leather jacket which has become his playing trademark. Tommy's addition to Stevie's wild stage antics makes for a great performance and a great crowd pleaser night after night.

 
       Drummer Russ DeLuca, always keeps their performances in time with the proper meter so Stevie and Tommy can go off with their sometimes erratic on stage behavior and return to some sense of normality, picking up on Russ' drum beat which is always right in the pocket.

       The combination of talent with these three musicians, along with the zaniness and scathing tongue of Stevie and the addition of the fourth man in the band- that is the crowd and its participation, a night out with Stevie Starlite is sure to be a rocking and hilarious experience to remember.