Steve has been a vocalist his entire life, starting in church. He was introduced to the “bones,” also known as “rhythm bones,” at the Archie Edwards Blues Heritage Foundation (aka, “The Barbershop”) when it was located in Riverdale, MD. He learned from bones players Mike Baytop and Jim Lande and from the wonderful recordings of Richard “Mr. Bones” Thomas and Dr. Fred Edmonds, among others. 

The bones – an instrument many folks have never seen or heard of – are a type of “clapper” percussion (think spoons and castanets) traditionally consisting of a pair of animal bones, though today it’s more common to see rhythm bones made of wood that are shaped like true bones. When you catch your first Piedmonsters performance, you’ll see right away that the clacking rhythm of these bones is an infectious complement to syncopated acoustic music like Piedmont blues as well as zydeco, Irish and Scottish music, many African musical traditions, bluegrass, and other styles. Steve prefers combining hardwood and true bones for a softer, more nuanced sound.

In addition to keeping rhythm for the Piedmonsters, Steve has played with Archie’s Barbershop Ensemble at the Silver Spring Blues Festival, the Washington Folk Life Festival, the Library of Congress as well as pubs throughout the Washington, D.C. area.