steez
While they occasionally slip into the realms of disco, house and jazz, steez's members feel the closest relation to funk.
It all began with a busted motorcycle, borrowed by a guitarist from a bass player, after a successful first show at Madison's during the weekend of Halloween 2003. Four years later, the band The band prides itself on having a unique sound, which led them to create the term "creepfunk" to describe their style. While they occasionally slip into the realms of disco, house and jazz, steez's members feel the closest relation to funk. "Anything funky is the bottom line," notes guitarist Steve Neary. The band fondly refers to their fans as "steezburgers" and notes that they have a reputation for setting record alcohol sales during their shows. While the band members love playing and living in the Madison community, they've definitely felt the pressure of trying to build a successful musical enterprise in what many local bands refer to as the biggest small city in the Midwest. "There's definitely a lot of competition here. There are just so many musicians, which is what makes it great, but [it's] also difficult to make a name for yourself. On any weekend night, there's probably 50 shows going on," notes Neary. steez is starting a tour in Janurary around the heart of the country, including stops in Illinois, Iowa, Colorado, and Missouri. The dates for the tour, along with more music by the band, is available at its MySpace page. The group has one last show in Madison this year -- their annual "Moustache Party" -- scheduled for Der Rathskeller at Memorial Union on Friday, December 14. This tradition started at a show last year when steez decided to hold a mustache contest during their set break. The winner received a non functional guitar painted by the band. The band promises a prize for this year's mustachioed winner too, but is keeping it under wraps until the big night.
