Steve Smith & Friends Music 

Adjunct Contributors:

  Dallas Baucom....Backing vocals on "After Midnite"

  Anthony Garcia...Backing guitar "Echo Cove"
  George Hobel.....Bass Guitar on "Go Downtown"
  Tony Prior...........Pedal Steel on "Take me Away"

Loren Bates​...Drums, Percussion and Vocals on select tracks

     Loren was born and raised in Portland, Oregon. He now resides in Charlotte, North Carolina. Loren is incredibly passionate about playing drums, playing, and creating music with other musicians. “It is in my blood, in my spirit and most definitely in my soul.”
    Loren started playing in his parents basement when he received his first drum set at the age of 15. He is a self-taught musician who taught himself to play using a record player, and record albums. His influences come from a wide range of genres
    “Playing music is what I believe I have been put on this earth to do. I love the creative process of recording and the over flowing energy that playing live shows can bring.”
     Loren has been in several bands over the years starting with his first Portland band, "Glacier"1984 - 1989. From 1989-1994 he played with "Shocklottery" and "Madhatter". In  2001 he was invited to join a Christian band called "X over i". Shortly after that he began playing with  "Drunk On Power," a high energy rock and roll band in Portland. 
   Loren moved from Portland in 2008 to Charlotte, North Carolina and has been here ever since. He plays at a local church every Sunday as a core member of the worship experience team. In 2011 Loren took part in a recording project to benefit the citizens of Japan after the earthquake and tsunami. 

 Loren is now currently playing drums with English and is available for studio projects.

Boo English...Lead guitars, Bass guitar, Midi-keyboard, Tambourine, Backing Vocals, Mandolin. Co-Producer for this project.

    Boo is a native Charlottean and his presence in this town goes back to the heady days of the Rock and Roll bar scene in the 80's. Boo received his first guitar as a Christmas present from his mother at the age of 10 years old. Once he got started...he never looked back. Boo has an innate ability to absorb and recreate the guitar styles of just about every influential rock guitarists you can imagine. (We utilized this talent to drop homages and Easter eggs in just about every song we have recorded...see how many you can spot). Boo has also played an international role in the world of music. He worked as a Staff Engineer at SoundChoice Karaoke here in Charlotte for 14 years. If you enjoy Karaoke, then you know that SoundChoice is widely considered to be the pinnacle in that game. Boo has had many artists and producers call SoundChoice demanding to know how he got a hold of their original studio tracks.  Boo is the CEO and head janitor of Knothole Recording Studios, where he provides quality services at a very reasonable cost, for area musicians. Boo is currently working on his own original music band called "ENGLISH".  I strongly urge you to seek him out and listen to it...Some tasty stuff there folks!

www.ENGLISHBANDROCKS.com

This project was recorded  at Knothole Recording Studio in Charlotte, NC. with the guidance of Boo English who was the Tracking, Mixing and Mastering engineer  as well as co-Producer for this project. Boo also plays several instruments and provided backing vocals.
"Thank you Boo for helping with my #1 bucket list item".....Steve

www.knotholerecordingstudio.com

Steve Smith ....Lead Vocals, Backing Harmonies, Rhythm Acoustic and Rhythm Electric Guitars. Co-producer for this project.
      "My fascination with music began at an early age when I discovered I could reach my fathers turntable in the family basement. I sang to millions of imaginary listeners....from the dingy stage in my basement to my "big Arena" bedroom. I even got top billing in my car. I began to take guitar lessons at the age of 12 but did not really begin to take it seriously until my late teens when a doctor suggested I play more to exercise a broken wrist.  In my early 20's, I began performing for real humans at venues in Virginia, Washington DC, Maryland, Colorado, Oregon, California, Washington State and North Carolina. In that time I have been  fortunate to have played with many excellent musicians. All of them influenced me and guided me while I was seeking to find a way to express the sounds in my head. My taste in music and my playing style have been influenced by  many artists and their unique styles.  My love of music has brought me endless comfort  in the sad times and boundless joy in the happy times.
I hope that you enjoy these selections as much as I have enjoyed bringing them to life."
​Thanks for listening

Dr. Ken Haas...  ​Lead and select rhythm guitars.

   "Ken came out of his mothers womb playing guitar...which was very hard on his mother"
     Seriously though...Ken Haas began playing guitar at the age eight when his sister managed to score a guitar using S&H Green Stamps.  One of Kens first exposures to live music was a BEATLES concert in 1964. From that time on, Ken knew he wanted to play music. When he turned ten, his parents started him on lessons with a teacher at a local music store in Philadelphia. His teacher taught him to read music and music theory with a focus on Jazz. At the time... the jazz education was not fully appreciated. It was not until the mid 1970's that Ken fell in love with jazz and Jazz fusion. Ken went on to study this art form with Jazz teachers in New Haven, Connecticut and Charlottesville, Virginia while he was pursuing higher education. While it is true that Ken's primary love is the Jazz genres, he can and will play any style that gives him an opportunity to create music with others. His Jazz background has come in very useful for creating lead sections for original music and to find innovative interpretations for original versions of cover tunes
   Ken and Steve first started playing together in group called "Carolina Southern", a group that eventually reformed into "The DB Cooper Band". Ken is  Steve's "go to guy" lead guitar player for live performances of the "The DB Cooper Band".
Ken currently lives in Charlotte, North Carolina with his wife and family. Ken is a Wellness Doctor who practices the Chiropractic arts, employing a holistic, total person discipline.
With both  music and professional services....Ken has had Steve's back since 2010. And Steve is truly thankful to have met him.