When Steve Gage saw the fun his friends had as musicians, he knew he had to make it to the stage as well.
Jennifer Meyers / The Citizen
Director Paul David Bryant, right, of Los Angeles, goes over choreography during rehearsal for the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse production of “Ain't Misbehavin'.” The actors are, from left, Nirayl Wilcox, Tony Perry, Vonetta Mixson, Curtis Wiley and Cheryl Howard.
Director Paul David Bryant, right, of Los Angeles, goes over choreography during rehearsal for the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse production of “Ain't Misbehavin'.” The actors are, from left, Nirayl Wilcox, Tony Perry, Vonetta Mixson, Curtis Wiley and Cheryl Howard.
“I saw the energy of the crowds locally, and it looked really fun and exciting,” he said.
Gage, 20, has carried that ambition all the way to his sophomore CD, “When We Were Infinite,” which he recently released under the auspices of October Nites. He selected the name because he believes it will catch more listeners than his own, much like one of his musical heroes, Chris Carabba, works under the name Dashboard Confessional.
The album was completed on the watch of engineer Gabe Solomon, whom Gage met at a local music show.
“I'm very happy with the product,” Solomon said. “I think it came out very well.”
The music on “Infinite” is the result of Gage's collaboration with drummer Brandon Wakeham and Naren Ananda on guitar, bass and baking vocals. For the first album “October Nites and Midnite Drives,” Gage recorded his songs acoustically with only a programmed piano to accompany his vocals and guitar playing.
The added instrumentation fleshes out the pop/rock sound Gage favors on songs like “Give it a Try” and “So Tell Me...” The rapid-fire drums and power chords make for spirited songs in the style of MxPx or Blink 182.
“When he put the CD together, it blew me away,” said Gage's father, Bill. “I had no idea he had spent that amount of time to put a CD like that together.”
Steve hesitates to label his music emo - a buzz term for the pop-punk genre characterized by some of the musical traits found in Gage's songs.
“Emo's a term that gets thrown around a lot,” he said. “But it is what that music is supposed to be - emotional.”
Gage sublimates emotions from many different sources into his songs. “So Tell Me...” finds him contemplating the way in which connections with friends either stay strong or dissolve as they grow up and go on to college. On “It's Over Now,” Gage laments the alcoholic culture awaiting people his age when they take that next academic step.
“It can ruin lives, it catches people at a young age,” he said.
Translating these raw feelings into songs is a process that sometimes comes easily to Gage, but other times can tax him creatively.
“It's a build-up of feelings I want to get out,” he said. “So I hear the words in my mind and fit them over the music.”
Aside from its emotional depth, Gage's songs also share with the emo genre a tendency toward offbeat song names. “When We Were Infinite” includes “Love According to Kid 'N Play,” which Gage named while watching one of the early '90s hip hop duo's “House Party” films.
Beyond that amusing veneer, Gage aspires to write music that connects with his audience. Whether a song is inspired by love, friendship or growing up, Gage wants his listeners to relate to the subject.
Gage started writing lyrics in middle school while sharpening his vocal skills to songs by pop-punk bands like Blink 182, as well as classic artists such as the Beatles, U2 and Huey Lewis and the News.
Although he played trumpet, sang in the choir and acted in school plays, Gage still sought to write and play his own music.
“He's very ambitious,” Solomon said. “He puts himself out there a lot more than some other people.”
When Gage learned to play guitar in his early teens, his instructor suggested he learn to play the instrument with his left hand. Within a few years he was marrying his words to melodies on the strings. His songwriting skills blossomed and the result was his first release, “Midnite Drives.”
Then Gage was forced to face another first in his musical career: live performance at the CD release party.
“I had never been that nervous before,” Gage said. “You never know what people are going to think when you start singing.”
The melodic sensibility and honesty of Gage's music made for a successful show. He has since played more than 50 concerts across New York state and opened for national recording artists Anorexic Beauty Queen and Honor Bright. But Gage would still like to test his stage presence with a performance before an audience of thousands.
“Like one big show with a well established band,” he said.
Gage is ready to conquer radio as well. He first hit the airwaves thanks to WDWN, the station of Cayuga Community College, where he recently finished a liberal arts degree. Hearing “So Tell Me...” through his car speakers for the first time pleasantly surprised him.
“I just pulled over for a second and smiled,” he said.
With the release of “When We Were Infinite,” Gage is eager to receive more radio play. He would also like to follow in the sneaker-steps of friends whose bands have landed songs on TV shows like “The Real World” and “Gilmore Girls.” Music will soon take a backseat to Gage's career, which he hopes will bring him to the entertainment world as a publicist or an MTV employee.
But if a record company offers Gage a contract, he wouldn't hesitate to continue with October Nites.
“Sometimes those opportunities only come once,” he said. “It's been a dream of mine since I was a little kid.”
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
If you listen
Album: “When We Were Infinite”
Who: October Nites
Visit: www.myspace.com/octobernites
Click here to listen to a sound clip.
Gage, 20, has carried that ambition all the way to his sophomore CD, “When We Were Infinite,” which he recently released under the auspices of October Nites. He selected the name because he believes it will catch more listeners than his own, much like one of his musical heroes, Chris Carabba, works under the name Dashboard Confessional.
The album was completed on the watch of engineer Gabe Solomon, whom Gage met at a local music show.
“I'm very happy with the product,” Solomon said. “I think it came out very well.”
The music on “Infinite” is the result of Gage's collaboration with drummer Brandon Wakeham and Naren Ananda on guitar, bass and baking vocals. For the first album “October Nites and Midnite Drives,” Gage recorded his songs acoustically with only a programmed piano to accompany his vocals and guitar playing.
The added instrumentation fleshes out the pop/rock sound Gage favors on songs like “Give it a Try” and “So Tell Me...” The rapid-fire drums and power chords make for spirited songs in the style of MxPx or Blink 182.
“When he put the CD together, it blew me away,” said Gage's father, Bill. “I had no idea he had spent that amount of time to put a CD like that together.”
Steve hesitates to label his music emo - a buzz term for the pop-punk genre characterized by some of the musical traits found in Gage's songs.
“Emo's a term that gets thrown around a lot,” he said. “But it is what that music is supposed to be - emotional.”
Gage sublimates emotions from many different sources into his songs. “So Tell Me...” finds him contemplating the way in which connections with friends either stay strong or dissolve as they grow up and go on to college. On “It's Over Now,” Gage laments the alcoholic culture awaiting people his age when they take that next academic step.
“It can ruin lives, it catches people at a young age,” he said.
Translating these raw feelings into songs is a process that sometimes comes easily to Gage, but other times can tax him creatively.
“It's a build-up of feelings I want to get out,” he said. “So I hear the words in my mind and fit them over the music.”
Aside from its emotional depth, Gage's songs also share with the emo genre a tendency toward offbeat song names. “When We Were Infinite” includes “Love According to Kid 'N Play,” which Gage named while watching one of the early '90s hip hop duo's “House Party” films.
Beyond that amusing veneer, Gage aspires to write music that connects with his audience. Whether a song is inspired by love, friendship or growing up, Gage wants his listeners to relate to the subject.
Gage started writing lyrics in middle school while sharpening his vocal skills to songs by pop-punk bands like Blink 182, as well as classic artists such as the Beatles, U2 and Huey Lewis and the News.
Although he played trumpet, sang in the choir and acted in school plays, Gage still sought to write and play his own music.
“He's very ambitious,” Solomon said. “He puts himself out there a lot more than some other people.”
When Gage learned to play guitar in his early teens, his instructor suggested he learn to play the instrument with his left hand. Within a few years he was marrying his words to melodies on the strings. His songwriting skills blossomed and the result was his first release, “Midnite Drives.”
Then Gage was forced to face another first in his musical career: live performance at the CD release party.
“I had never been that nervous before,” Gage said. “You never know what people are going to think when you start singing.”
The melodic sensibility and honesty of Gage's music made for a successful show. He has since played more than 50 concerts across New York state and opened for national recording artists Anorexic Beauty Queen and Honor Bright. But Gage would still like to test his stage presence with a performance before an audience of thousands.
“Like one big show with a well established band,” he said.
Gage is ready to conquer radio as well. He first hit the airwaves thanks to WDWN, the station of Cayuga Community College, where he recently finished a liberal arts degree. Hearing “So Tell Me...” through his car speakers for the first time pleasantly surprised him.
“I just pulled over for a second and smiled,” he said.
With the release of “When We Were Infinite,” Gage is eager to receive more radio play. He would also like to follow in the sneaker-steps of friends whose bands have landed songs on TV shows like “The Real World” and “Gilmore Girls.” Music will soon take a backseat to Gage's career, which he hopes will bring him to the entertainment world as a publicist or an MTV employee.
But if a record company offers Gage a contract, he wouldn't hesitate to continue with October Nites.
“Sometimes those opportunities only come once,” he said. “It's been a dream of mine since I was a little kid.”
Staff writer David Wilcox can be reached at 253-5311 ext. 245 or david.wilcox@lee.net
If you listen
Album: “When We Were Infinite”
Who: October Nites
Visit: www.myspace.com/octobernites
Click here to listen to a sound clip.
Citizen
Hot Jobs
New! Off the Menu
The Citizens' Say
Post your comment - click hereThere are No comments posted.