NOTES

October 29 Sunday 2023





















Rickey

The band was in between shows and thought 
I needed to switch out playing my 12 string acoustic 
guitar to a six string electric just so our all girl group 
would have a more rocker image.

We hadn’t been in the infamous NYC music store long, 
in fact we had just walked in and on our first pass thru 
when Carol announced,  “I found your guitar Stephie” 
pointing at a floor display of guitars all each in their own 
stand.  It was the Rickenbacker she was all excited about.

I had no judgement as my eyes laid upon that unique silver 
body with a gorgeous brown fret board.  Umm so that could 
be my guitar I thought to self, why not after all I had no expectations 
or thought process to what was to be my first new electric guitar.

Unknowingly love at first site, more like an arranged marriage for 
I knew nothing of how to pick one out except on looks & feel which 
isn’t really a bad thing I mean you got to start somewhere.

However to know some technical stuff about the guitar such as what 
pickups are in it, is the neck piece bolted on or is it one piece constructed, 
does it have a tremolo bar, who or what company made it, etc., some info 
could point you  toward which guitar is best suited for the style(s) 
and genre(s) music you want to play.

- Sp


October 2023
Miss Bliss at Oakledge Park, 
in South Burlington Vermont USA,
photo shoot for Greek Picnic album.





September 2023

Rewind - Miss Bliss reunion!

SP in the white shirt.
Carolyn in back on drum kit,
Carol & Sandy.

 

 

August 4 Friday 2023

You have landed at SPE home site!
Home away from home site is:
https://www.reverbnation.com/stephpappasexperience



July 28 2023

89 WhiteOut
Just before heading out to play a 3 hour show in 
Waitsfield Vermont, the drummer I was bringing with 
me backs out of the gig. Looks like I am going it solo. 
Off I go down 89. 

When I pull into the parking lot there's Nathan Scott, 
a drummer who I met briefly thru the Crawford brothers,
we used to work at 7th Generation in Burlington and with 
them was another computer tech name Tony, yeah their 
all computer techs, he's from India and built a fan base for 
me but I haven't made it over there yet.

So here I am at the venue and Nathan says he drove 
over the mountain from Huntington to see me play. After 
I told him my drummer backed out, he said his kit is in the car. 
Next thing we know we are playing the gig, making up every 
song in the moment all impromptu.

After the show we sat, ate and chatted. I asked him what his
worst habit is and I got an honest answer. He may have asked 
mine I don’t recall but I woulda said I am a what ya see is what 
ya get, that way you can decide f you want to hang out with me 
again or not lol.

Next show is WRUV, college radio with Dommer Barber hosting 
Exposure the longest running show there. It started in the 80's 
and has had a string of host.

I brought Joshua Cleaver on bass guitar and Nathan. Dommer 
asks how we all met. So I told him. Well, I met Joshua in a 
parking lot while delivering 7Days Newspaper. He was at a 
recording studio in the same building I was dropping at. I saw 
him with a couple his bandmates carrying instruments. 
We just started chatting.

With all the gigs I was doing I always needed musicians cause 
some of my regular band had other projects to keep up with. 
I asked Joshua if he could play by ear due to all the impromptu
nature of my gigs. He answers "yep" right away without a blink 
of an eye.  Then I added answering Dommer how I met Nathan.

What I haven't told ya'll yet is Nathan drove home over the 
mountain in a snow storm and I drove the highway, 
we both hit white outs.  Winter gigs are tough in Vermont.

The next song the three of us played was impromptu 
about the drive home,  it's called 89 WhiteOut. 

Btw HBD to song single 89 WhiteOut 
released on this day in 2016.

Hear song:
https://www.reverbnation.com/.../song/26342030-89-whiteout
or here at this site-
https://stephpappas.com/music
c





July 21 2023

HBD to song single EVERYTHANG 

Released July 22 in
2014! This song was edited out from a 2
hour show at Higherground in South Burlington Vermont. 
One of my producers was there that nite and said he didn't like the music much. 
However from the screams captured on the recording apparently the bulk of 
audience seemed to feel the opposite. How many local acts can say underwear 
was tossed onto the stage at them in their home town. 
Hear song: https://www.reverbnation.com/stephpappasexperience
T-shirt was made from a pix taken that night- www.stephpappas.com/store
song is also at: https://stephpappas.com/music




July 15 
A Few July Album Facts
Two Albums were released in July.
What's Happening At Vibesville! in 2012. 
Jellyfish in 2013Btw the exclamation is part of the title.

I held 8 jam sessions at Vibesville, a recording studio rather than a 
venue like these type of things are normally at with alcohol and an audience.
However each session were recorded and later selected songs were put onto 
an album and all 8 sessions were uploaded to You-Tube.
No cover tunes. All songs were impromptu, made up in the moment. 
There are many song styles on the final disc, a collection from all 8 sessions.
Jellyfish in July 2013 is a mix of impromptu music and a few songs I already 
had, such as Dance Around It, Jellyfish, and Energy the arrangement was changed 
from a rap acid blues version to a if you will stretch this description, a jazz one. 
Lyrics & music to Danny, Pirate For Peace, Revolutionary Dance Party, Dis-Rup-Tion, 
Love Love Love, No Fear, Peace & Love- were still in progress as we recorded.

Songs:- https://stephpappas.com/music
and
Jellyfish & more songs: https://www.reverbnation.com/stephpappasexperience




June 16, 2023
 

Happy Band

L-R original authentic SPE members: Joshua Cleaver, Steph Pappas, Ted Looby, Matthew Nerbak photo credit Margaret Michniewicz at Positive Pie in Montpelier Vermont.

There are atleast 13 SPE band mates however SPE often appear as a downsize version of six and in various instrumental configuration.

Full line up or configuration to draw from:: 3 doo whop singers, didgerido, harmonica,(s), washboard, bass guitar(s), 3 guitars, 1 or 2 drummers, 3 percussionist, tablas fiddle, keys, trumpet and a few other non traditional rock n' roll instrumentation.

Check our RISE: https://www.reverbnation.com/stephpappasexperience/song/28898398-sp-exp-rise























 

Email is how musicians have been booking shows now days, no more telephone. 
When internet became a thing, I was still using a landline.   I didn’t get internet hooked 
up to my home but a few years ago. Yes I know what century it is.    I used a friends lap 
top or the library.

There I was setting up my Heartland Tour and needed to move quicker to snag 
some gigs that were time sensitive.   I was surprised someone at every venue answered. 
They were surprised someone called.   Especially the gigs I was lining up in Nashville.

The process to play the Bluebird in Nashville is a thing.   They require a demo just to 
play the open mic.   After that then maybe you get to play a showcase of 3 songs.
 
Barbara in Nashville, the very one Melissa Etheridge sings of,  
https://youtu.be/uQ9ZR8OVlfQ   is the very same one who books acts at the Bluebird.
 
Barbara picked up the phone one afternoon when I called.    That call sent me to the 
top performance level.   I was offered one of the two slot choices that’s typically reserved 
for famous Nashville songwriter’s or acts with a big draw.
 
That conversation is a whole other cool story and is what’s called luck in the business. 
All those Nashville shows were lucky.









 


 



Posted March  10th  2023
 

There was a benefit In Montpelier Vermont some years back that I was invited to play at. 
The organizer said there's going to be hours and hours of music and that each artist 
gets to pick a cover song to perform on their own or with the house band she had lined up. 
I picked Heroin by Lou Reed.
The band was dreading my song choice, thought it was going to suck and wondered 
if it was even suitable for general audience? Also I opted out of band rehearsal. It was
 kind of far. So I sent a version of the song for cord changes purpose along with a note 
answering some of their questions; trust me I'll make it work just start with a D guitar 
chord. I would like to include the didgeridoo and fiddle players that are part of the house band.
The dreaded part of the band’s night came upon them. The two players who may have had 
the most faith in me were on the didgeridoo and fiddle, they blended into the guitars 
stumming out that infamous D chord in my instruction note, the song emerged. 
Somewhere in the song I found myself doing that rock n’ roll slide thing across the floor.
After the show the house band elaborated to me even more so how much 
it was going to suck, now all bright eyed and bushy tailed we were laughing hard.











 

 

 

 

 

Posted November 19 Saturday 2022

My very special Save Bee Project is under way with 
new raglan (baseball 3/4 sleeves) style T-Shirts 
and hand made yarn Honey Bees in an effert to bring
awarness that bees and their hives are in danger.


Bees are essential to our food crops.

This explains it well;
https://www.ecowatch.com/save-the-bees-guide-2655304561.html

While it's all about the bees however, I have added
some special personal touches into the shirt design!

4 shirt variations to check out! Go team Save Bees Go!
https://stephpappas.com/store

TY! Design by Steph S. at Gotham City Graphics
TY! Amalgamated Culture Works, especially Johnnie & also Curt!
TY! Remy at  https://www.facebook.com/ArgyleBestiaryCo




Posted November 16 Wednesday 2022

T- shirts are in!   Pictures will be up shortly.
Shirts choices are grey or white,  Sleeve choices
are orange, denim, olive, maroon.   

Posted November 11 Friday 2022

SPE Save Honey Bees Project-
New baseball t-shirts arrive soon.




Posted October 12, 2022
HBD to song single Metal/Country
https://www.reverbnation.com/stephpappasexperience




 













 

Picture of SP Sept 18th /Burlington Vermont at Waterfront Park