Steve Merlin profile picture

Steve Merlin

About Me

ARTWORK FOR "CLOSER TO THE MOON" (c) 2008 BY ANTONIO SEIJAS
DEBUT ALBUM "CLOSER TO THE MOON" RELEASED ON APRIL 25!! If you're interested in one of the beautifully illustrated copies, send me a message!
Steve Merlin: singer/songwriter, guitarist, bass & keys player, producer
Steve has been in various bands since he learned to play the guitar, when he was 17. After a year or so he started writing songs, but singing he left to the band's singer at that time. In a while, he started to sing them himself, and a couple of years later there were about 50 songs (lyrics, guitar chords and vocal parts). He started recording them at home in 2001 while in the meantime he learned to play the bass guitar (in various bands), keyboards, guitar synth, and percussion.
Finally at the end of Winter 2008, his debut album Closer To The Moon was finished - a time spread between the songs of over 15 years. By the end of 2008, 6 new songs and 7 'from the shelf' are now combined to make up the second album 'Between Air And Wing', on which Steve is working with 15 musicians and 3 visual artists.
One of the new songs is inspired on prose by the Belgian writer Peter Verhelst. The best thing about writing and making music is that you can do it together with people you've never met in your life, and find out it works - magically.
Steve, guitarist Sjef Poels, and tenor saxophone/flute/percussionist Mister Ed are currently rehearsing for live gigs to promote both albums in Spring.


By Amy Hernandez

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 1/15/2007
Band Website: www.stevemerlin.nl
Band Members: Just me, but I often invite various musicians for recording sessions
Influences:

Marillion & Steve Hogarth, Pink Floyd, Rush, Genesis, Porcupine Tree, Beatles, U2, Bob Dylan, Luka Bloom, Kate Bush, Fish, Peter Green, Fleetwood Mac, Focus, ... those are only some of them...

I also get inspired by Lies van Haaren’s artwork - you can see some of it in the mp3 player here as I’ll be using it for my album.


Sounds Like: People tell me the songs on the album Closer To The Moon sound very much like themselves, though they also sound a bit seventies / like Mike Oldfield / Pink Floyd / ...etc. - of course, that's the stuff I really like. Many instrumental parts, changes in mood, varying from dreamy to up-tempo, from just one acoustic guitar to wide arrangements of different instruments. I like thrilling, story-telling guitar solos, and would love to record one some day :-)
Album Info : April 25, Closer To The Moon, an album I've been working on since 2001, has finally seen the light of day. It features beautiful artwork from Antonio Seijas and Lies van Haaren. Most lyrics and chords date from 1991-1996 - it's my first very own album and it feels like the conclusion of everything I wrote and played between 1991 and 2005. I'm keeping the newer songs, and about nine of the older ones for a second album - to be recorded next Winter.
This May and June I'll be doing gigs in the Netherlands, Germany, and Belgium. Updates will be there soon!
Other Bands : There are two musical projects for which I've played various instruments, recorded, mixed and mastered music since autumn 2006.

First: an acoustic band called Fireflies playing folky singer/songwriter music, for whom I've produced an album and a single in 2007.

Second: "Stip". A good friend of mine, Piet, asked me to help him arrange, record and mix an album for children with 21 songs on it, and if it could be made ready please before Sinterklaas (5th of December). Already in November 2007 we produced a second children's cd. Although these projects have been postponing the recording of my own album, it's been definately worth the effort! A third album of "Stip" will be recorded in 2008..! Dutch parents: check out www.driekleinevisjes.nl and you'll never again have to listen to crap-kids-music..!
Record Label: Unsigned

My Blog

First video footage of Steve Merlin LIVE

New videos of the W2 Den Bosch gigTwo out of six ain't bad for a first gig... The first with Sjef Poels, the first on a serious stage, the first that's been recorded on film, the first support act (fo...
Posted by on Tue, 07 Apr 2009 16:50:00 GMT

Check out this event: Steve Merlin in concert

Hosted By:Steve MerlinWhen:26 March 2009Where:Willem 2Boschdijkstraat 100Den Bosch5211 VDDescription:Steve Merlin ft guitarist Sjef Poels will be supporting Gazpacho on their Tick Tock tour concert in...
Posted by on Sun, 22 Feb 2009 17:20:00 GMT

Demo of new album finished!!

Demo album of 'Between Air And Wing' finished and available on 'special request'!I couldn't be a happier guy at this very moment. Well maybe I could, but I'm feeling pretty darn well for finishing the...
Posted by on Thu, 19 Feb 2009 06:58:00 GMT

13 songs ready for demo-recording new album spring 2009

....8 months after release Closer To The Moon: New Album in making!..End of April 2008, my debut album saw the light of day at a local release party. It is being sold over the internet and in a couple...
Posted by on Tue, 09 Dec 2008 15:23:00 GMT

Closer To The Moon mixed and mastered

Seven Years. Four Months. And One Night.The last 2 weeks I've been working round the clock to mix the album together and finish the last bits of the title track (9:28 minutes!).And it's done!! Artwork...
Posted by on Mon, 21 Apr 2008 08:49:00 GMT

Single "Moon" ready and available!

Hello there, and welcome back!I’m not sure I can remember exactly what I said last time I posted a blog... Something about the 10th of February... Mmm.This morning, March 12, I recorded Mr. Ed&r...
Posted by on Wed, 12 Mar 2008 18:18:00 GMT

The first 10 songs of Closer To The Moon recorded

10 songs out of 15 recorded!After 6 weeks of studio sweating, all the rough materials for the first 10 songs of "Closer To The Moon" are finally on hard disk. Five to go still. I'm guessing the 10th o...
Posted by on Tue, 29 Jan 2008 16:20:00 GMT

New Recordings

What if......computers would just do what they're supposed to do, and record and playback everything without shutting down unexpectedly all the time!I just ventured new recording sessions last week, a...
Posted by on Fri, 17 Aug 2007 14:50:00 GMT

Back In The Studio!!

Hello everyone!It has happened... Preparations in the form of soundchecks, mixing in instruments and voice, making presets for them using the parametric equalizer and experimenting around a bit, i've ...
Posted by on Mon, 12 Mar 2007 04:30:00 GMT

A Season Full of Music

Change! Change! Change!There's a LOT going on here, finally! I've been waiting for a winter like this for three years: loads of free time, no pressure, and plenty of motivation and inspiration.I reall...
Posted by on Mon, 29 Jan 2007 06:16:00 GMT