Live Review - Steve Bonham
GSMC Online Music Club - Sunday 3rd January 2021
One of the great things about these GSMC Online Music Club (from the artists living room to yours) events is not only do you get to hear the music that these musicians make but you also get a glimpse into the world where they create them. So is the case for tonight’s show with Steve Bonham with a backdrop of shelves of books, which isn’t surprising considering that he is also an author as well as a singer and song writer, Steve would have normally performed with his band The Long Road but with Covid restrictions tonight’s show is solo.
The set opens with the catchy foot tapping song ‘Wrapped Up on You’, Steve also uses this set as an opportunity to try out some of his new songs and as well as numbers that fans would be familiar with. Steve is a great storyteller and explains that he likes to go on long treks and many of his songs are based on true life experiences like the ‘Moroccan Song’ which tells the story of meeting a Californian girl on top of the Atlas Mountains and the ‘Ballad of Dwayne & Billie Marie’ which was based on trekking in the Appalachian Mountains in the USA, although several of his songs are closer to home like ‘This is my England’ which tells of his hopes for his home country and the need for kinder times. Steve’s style covers a broad band of folk, blues and country with elements of honky - tonk and ragtime thrown in for good measure. The beautiful ‘Hummingbirds’ see’s Steve play harmonica alongside guitar and vocals and ‘Riding the Road’ is a love song for America with a great tune and chorus. The set finished with Western Requiem which is the last song of the American Odyssey which is a 15 song cycle recorded by The Long Road and due for release at the end of January.
This was a really enjoyable performance from this prolific song writer who blends his love of travelling with his lifelong experiences into songs that are both catchy and accessible.
You can find out more about Steve Bonham & the Long Road by visiting their website at https://www.thevagabondway.net