The Wave

Creter, Steve
Published: April 1998
Story: Catherine Scharnberger
Photo: Carrie C. Biagio

If you're in the mood for some "swamp music," check out the next performance by the Steve Creter Band. That's how Creter defines his group's sound, a mixture of country, Delta blues and Southern rock.

"Most of the music that we do is deeply rooted in what I would call 'country blues,'" he explains. The Palmyra-based band covers artists including John Fogerty, Muddy Waters and Stevie Ray Vaughan. The group members are also working on their debut CD of original material, which they hope to have completed by Christmas.

The band formed over a year ago and has been together with its current lineup for several months. Joining Creter on stage are John Christopher on bass and backup vocals and Jeff Shoop on drums and backup vocals. Creter covers guitar, vocals, Dobro, acoustic slide and harmonica.

Creter has been playing guitar for over 30 years and says during that time, he's learned to appreciate certain venues. "I prefer small clubs. They're more intimate," he remarks. "You can do more of a story-teller kind of show, where you can play an original song and explain why it was written. It's just a nicer feel." Interaction with the audience is important to the band, he says, but not in a physical way. "If you're really a music listener, come see us. We're not a hype kind of band. We try to play music that's more to be listened to. We all sit down when we play. We try not to lay on the smoke and mirrors. We emphasize the music and the content."

Creter says several aspects make his band unique, including their instruments. "We use a lot of slide guitar work. I do electric slide, Dobro slide and acoustic slide," he notes. The band also uses electronic drums rather than acoustic, for a reason. "That allows us to control the volume. We're not a volume band, and we don't play loud. You can come listen to us and have a good time and we're not going to blow you off your chair."
- Fly magazine

Creter, Steve
Published: November 2002
Story: Ashley M. Groff
Photo: press photo

Steve Creter is a model guitar player. The Palmyra native was recently chosen to appear on the pages of the National Reso-Phonic Guitar Inc. product catalog, due to hit the streets after the holidays. A song from his 2001 album will be included on the catalog's compilation CD. "It's an extreme honor to be included with some of the best slide guitarists from the past and present," cites Creter.

Locally, Creter captivates audiences with his Mississippi-Delta blues/bluegrass/country guitar-playing style. Joined by The Pirates of the Road, Bob Grimwood on bass and Jeff Shoop on drums, Creter plays mostly original music. "We have a weird instrumentation," he explains. "It seems like ever since 'O Brother Where Art Thou?' people are really interested in more roots-type music, and in the show I play everything from a metal-bodied reso-phonic guitar to the banjo, plus electric and acoustic." Creter says he was blown away by the positive reception from the crowd during his recent concert with Robert Cray at the Whitaker Center in Harrisburg.

Creter began plucking at 10, and recalls performing in a band as a teenager at school dances. In the early 1970s, he was washed away by the acoustic tidal wave of Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young and formed an acoustic duo with a friend. He says following that, his father, an avid lap steel guitar player, inspired his current music interest. He founded the band Southbound, which played the area through 1982. Today, Creter owns two studios and gives guitar lessons. "The way I look at it - especially what I do on resonator guitars - through teaching and performing, I'm preserving an art form," he relates. "Those guitars were invented in 1926 and very popular through 1934, then lost their popularity because amplifiers came along."

The trio is looking to play overseas in ports of call such as England, Holland, and Germany. "... Blues artists over there really love that music," says Creter. Creter indicates that he is also working on his next album.
- Fly magazine