The Steepwater Band

Formed in Chicago in 1998 around Jeff Massey, Joe Winters and Tod Bowers, The Steepwater Band belongs to an American rock tradition marked by blues rock, classic rock and southern-rock influences, featuring a direct sound, thick guitars and a live approach that retains elements of the jam-circuit ethos. Initially focused on Chicago-style electric blues covers, the band soon turned to original songwriting and released its first EP, Goin’ Back Home, in 2000, followed by the album Brother to the Snake in 2001. Michael Connelly then joined for a brief but formative period, which led to Dharmakaya in 2004. Throughout the 2000s The Steepwater Band played regularly across the Midwest, appeared at several editions of the Chicago Blues Festival and developed a presence in Europe, notably in Spain. The discography continued with Revelation Sunday (2006), Grace and Melody (2008) produced with Marc Ford, then Clava (2011), Shake Your Faith (2016), Turn of the Wheel (2020) and Return of the Wheel (2022). Since 2012 Eric Saylors has strengthened the lineup on guitar, and Joe Bishop has held the bass since 2019.