Steve Matasavich

Welcome to my page. I've been playing guitar, writing music and performing for almost 20 years. I first picked up the guitar when I was around 15. When I was 19, I had the privilege of taking guitar lessons from John Petrucci of Dream Theater for 2 1/2 years. That proved to be a major turning point in my life. From then on, I became very serious about music. I took a few music theory courses in college and practiced my ass off. That was back in the late 80's/early 90's when life was care-free and easy. I could sit around and work on my alternate-picking, and run through scales, modes and arpeggios all day. Fast forward about 18 yrs. I currently play in a band called NeverAfter. Our music can be best described as Gothic, Progressive, Metal or as CD Baby puts it, "Evanescence goes to hell...come join us!" We are very close to completing our 2nd full length cd and hope to release it sometime during Obama's first term (had to through a little sarcasm in. This is way too serious!) I also play in an acoustic duo called Simply Stated with my good friend, vocalist Sal Lazzarino. Over the past few years, we've played all kinds of open-mic nights, showcases, benefit shows, and live podcasts throughout Long Island and New York City. We recorded a 3 song demo in 2008 and we have some new songs on the way(as soon as Sal finishes the lyrics!) as well as our ever-expanding repertoire of eclectic covers. It's also worth mentioning that I played with Zero By None from 2002 until the Spring of 2007. The band had a good run for a few years. I had some great experiences and I'm proud of the music we created. Unfortunately, despite all our hard work the band never attained much success or grew much of a fan base. Eventually, it ran it's course and burned out. My former bandmates are all talented musicians and performers and it would be nice to see them resurface someday in one form or another. As I get older, I find that although I still have the drive and passion to be a successful musician, It's becoming increasingly more difficult to find the time to practice and work at my craft. These days, I seem to spend more time juggling the responsibilities of earning a living, owning a home, being a good husband and supporting myself and family. In other words, I have my priorities in order and I'm not quitting my day job! (Dad will like to hear that) That being said, I do feel blessed to be able to work with some good friends that also happen to be creative and talented musicians. At this point in my life, I think I've found a healthy balance. It's very important for me to maintain a healthy friendship with the people I choose to play with. I continue this musical journey because I truly enjoy what I do and it brings me a sense of satisfaction. There have been times when it hasn't been much fun and that's when it's time to re-evaluate. I can thank my wife Laura for teaching me that valuable lesson. I feel that my musical talent is a gift that has been given to me and I'm doing exactly what I should be doing with it. I believe I was meant to do this and there is a lot more left inside of me. With whatever time I have left, I intend to build a large body of work and a legacy one song and performance at a time. My advice to anyone reading this is...Life goes by fast...document everything! And if you have read this far, you must have somewhat of an interest or curiosity for whatever reason so for that...I thank you for your time! Peace ~S