After a lengthy professional career as a highly regarded sideman, harmonica icon Steve Baker released his first solo album as singer, songwriter and bandleader in 2018. “Perfect Getaway” garnered excellent reviews and showed the 64 year old from a previously unknown side. In the course of the two years since its release, he has played over 50 concerts with his band The LiveWires, developing an instantly recognizable collective sound which regularly wows live audiences.
At the heart of the band lies the interplay between Jan Mohr’s exciting guitar sounds, Jeff Walker’s rock-solid bass and newest (and youngest) member Henri Jerratsch’s elastic drum grooves, underscoring Baker’s punchy vocals and ripping harmonica arrangements. Steve’s daughter Gina adds lovely backing vocals and the tight, sparsely arranged band sound with rich vocal harmonies provides the perfect vehicle for Baker’s deeply personal songs.
In July 2019, Steve took the band into Hamburg’s Chefrock Studios (owned by Peter Keller, producer of German rock megastar Peter Maffay) for a week to record new material with sound engineer Tillmann Ilse at the controls. The resulting album “The Great Divide” contains 11 new originals plus a compelling cover of Bob Dylan’s This Wheel’s On Fire. With this record, the brakes are clearly off and Baker has shifted into a higher gear, providing convincing evidence of just how much he has developed as a singer and songwriter in the past two years. In contrast to its predecessor, The Great Divide is also very much a band album. Though the songs are extremely varied, the sparse arrangements and consistent line-up ensure they share the same character, a band identity and sound which has grown together and is all of a piece.
All basic tracks including vocals were recorded live in Chefrock Studios, with additional recording of overdubs and corrections at fmi Studio, Hamburg and Eject Studio in Handeloh. As with Perfect Getaway, Steve mixed the production with Marcus Praed at the Mühle der Freundschaft in Bad Iburg, where it was also mastered.
Overall the songs are heavier than on the first album and cover a wide stylistic spectrum, ranging from rocking British beat to funky New Orleans, from songwriter to subterranean new age blues. Bakers feeling for timeless pop music is readily apparent, as is his fondness for heavy but catchy rock numbers, and his unmistakeable harmonica sound, always in the service of the song, adds the final touch. His songs of life, love and the pursuit of happiness in the age of lies radiate attitude and strike a deeply personal note which echos our troubled times.
Song recommendations:
Don’t Worry About The Money
Long Distance Man
Judgement Day
The Great Divide
Aktuelle Termine
Gig-History
Tourdaten/Termine
Z.z. leider keine aktuellen Tourdaten/Termine
Gig-History
27.04.2019
Neugraben
BGZ-Süderelbe
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
26.04.2019
Hamburg
Fabrik
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
13.04.2019
Hannover
Bahnhof Anderten
Steve Baker & Band
12.04.2019
Ratingen
Manege
Steve Baker & Band
11.04.2019
Lüdinghausen
Ricordo
Steve Baker & Band
06.04.2019
Wolfenbüttel
Kommisse
Steve Baker & Band
05.04.2019
Bergheim
MEDIO.RHEIN.ERFT
Steve Baker & Band
30.03.2019
Meidelstetten
Adler
Steve Baker & Band
29.03.2019
Mühlhausen
Ratskeller Mühlhausen
Steve Baker & Band
28.03.2019
Wetzlar
Kulturzentrum Franzis
Steve Baker & Band
27.03.2019
Fürth
Kofferfabrik
Steve Baker & Band
23.03.2019
Rendsburg
Hotel Tüxen
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
22.03.2019
Leck
Leckhuus
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
16.03.2019
Gifhorn
Kulturbahnhof
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
15.03.2019
Barlt
Harmonie
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
02.03.2019
Forst
Manitu
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
01.03.2019
Torgau
Kulturbastion
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
28.02.2019
Goslar
Hof Café
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
23.02.2019
Hamburg
Fabrik
Blues Celebration
22.02.2019
Harsefeld
Kino Hotel Meyer
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
21.02.2019
Harsefeld
Kino Hotel Meyer
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
16.02.2019
Dortmund
Amtshaus Mengede
Opportunity feat. Steve Baker
02.02.2019
Bremen
Meisenfrei
Steve Baker & Band
01.02.2019
Salzgitter
Kniestedter Kirche
Steve Baker & Band
27.12.2018
Kiel
Kulturforum
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
15.12.2018
Bremen
Meisenfrei
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
14.12.2018
Hamburg
Magazinkino
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
07.12.2018
Wolfsburg
Lindenhof
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
27.11.2018
– 01.12.2018
China Tour
Steve Baker
24.11.2018
Lüdenscheid
Studio 19
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
23.11.2018
Leipzig
Geyserhaus
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
22.11.2018
Lichtentanne
Kulturzentrum
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
17.11.2018
Eisenach
Alte Mälzerei
Steve Baker & Band
16.11.2018
Bielefeld
Jazzclub
Steve Baker & Band
15.11.2018
Krefeld
Kulturrampe
Steve Baker & Band
09.11.2018
Wolfenbüttel
Kommisse
Chris Jones Memorial Concert / Steve Baker
02.11.2018
Trossingen
Kesselhaus
Steve Baker & Band
31.10.2018
– 02.11.2018
Harmonica Masters Workshop
Trossingen Hohner-Gelände
26.10.2018
Hamburg
Sasel Haus
Hamburg Blues Nights / Steve Baker & Band
25.10.2018
Lucklum
Wegwarte
Steve Baker & Band
24.10.2018
Heiligenhaus
Der Club
Steve Baker & Band
20.10.2018
Lüneburg
Café Klatsch
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
19.10.2018
Buchholz
Empore
Blues Celebration
Abi Wallenstein, Steve Baker, Martin Röttger & Michael van Merwyk
07.10.2018
Amen/Niederlande
Café de Amer
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
05.10.2018
Leer
Kulturspeicher Leer
Abi Wallenstein & BluesCulture
02.10.2018
Landsberg
Theater
Stoppok & Artgenossen
22.09.2018
Verden
Jazz- und Bluestage
Michael van Merwyk & Steve Baker
16.09.2018
Bremen
Haus am Walde
Steve Baker & Band
26.08.2018
Arnstadt
Kulisse
Steve Baker & Band
25.08.2018
Bad Salzungen
Haunscher Hof Open Air
Steve Baker & Band
24.08.2018
Laubach
Festival Blues, Schmus & Apfelmus
Steve Baker & Band
23.08.2018
Hemer
Soundgarten
Steve Baker & Band
30.07.2018
– 05.08.2018 Munster/Frankreich
European Music Workshop
Steve Baker, Dave Goodman, Marie Fofana & Yogi Jockusch