Album Notes

It would appear as though Steve Yanek has done everything he possibly could to stay out of the music business, yet music has always been a driving force in his life.

His story reads like a Hemingway novel full of adventure. Leaving behind a promising career as a singer songwriter in Los Angeles to pursue the quiet life of rural Pennsylvania, Steve has worked as a carpenter, gandy-dancer, transportation engineer and owner of a construction company. In between he started Primitive Records, a small indie label that helped launch the careers of ivet and The Jellybricks. He also dabbled in artist management. But he has always remained first and foremost, a songwriter.

Several of his songs have been recorded by other artists. These modest achievements have kept him close to the music and afforded him the chance to grow and develop as an artist. Now Steve has decided to take the next step in his evolution as a singer-songwriter by releasing his own full-length CD in April entitled, "Across the Landscape." With the help of veteran rock guitarist Jeff Pevar (a member of David Crosby's side-project CPR, and the CSN touring band), some of the best musicians on the East Coast were assembled to produce this talented songwriter's debut disc. Notables include Dixie Dregs and Jazz Is Dead alumni, Rod Morganstein (drums) and T Lavitz (keyboards), as well as veteran singer, Leah Kunkel. This combination of solid, inspired songwriting with such great musicianship has resulted in a CD of uncompromising quality.

When you listen to his songs you see glimpses of a life that everyone can relate to in one way or another. Steve's lyrics are thought provoking and poignant, seamlessly woven together into the thread of his music. Love, despair, hope and self-preservation basically sum up the human condition, and his songs take you for a ride across that landscape.

Steve Yanek was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio, where he began performing at seventeen and quickly gained notoriety as a solo artist in the Great Lakes region. By the tender age of twenty-one Steve was living in Los Angeles and became a familiar face around the LA folk scene at the time. Performing regularly at the famed McCabe's Guitar Shop, as well as The Banjo Cafe and eventually a five night a week gig at Franny O'Brien's. It was there that Steve was "discovered" by British star maker, Derek Bowman (who guided the career of teen-idol, David Essex). Within a few short months he had a manager from London, a publishing deal and was off to Nashville to record an album. The record deal eventually fell apart and Steve headed back to LA to find the musical landscape had completely changed. MTV was dictating fashion and singer songwriters were no longer in vogue. After another potential record deal fell through, Steve became extremely disillusioned with the music industry, and made the decision to leave it behind.

Fortunately, for fans of well-crafted songs his life has come full circle with the release of Across The Landscape. Plans call for promotion of several singles to triple-A radio and high-profile performances in targeted venues and retail stores.