Steve Schiltz On The New Titles By Longwave, Hurricane Bells, Blue October & Harvard Of The South

Within a few years of forming in 1999, the quartet known as Longwave had a big record deal with RCA Records. Touring was done alongside The Strokes, The Vines and OK Go, music videos were made for singles like “Wake Me When It’s Over,” “Everywhere You Turn,” and “Tidal Wave.” The group went on hiatus not too long after touring in support of 2008’s Peter Katis-produced Secrets Are Sinister, yet none of the “classic lineup” members of Longwave gave up music for the long-term.

In 2018, Longwave — which consists of vocalist/guitarist Steve Schiltz, guitarist Shannon Ferguson, drummer Jason Molina, and bassist Christian Bongers — announced on its social media accounts that it was returning for an April 2018 show at New York City’s Mercury Lounge, also noting plans of making new music. This ultimately led to the October 2019 release of Longwave’s full-length album If We Ever Live Forever via indie label Bodan Kuma Recordings. In addition, the quartet performed shows alongside Blue October beyond a proper headlining gig at New York City’s Bowery Ballroom.

Speaking of that 2018 performance at The Bowery Ballroom, it was properly filmed and The Hype Magazine proudly premiered two live videos from that event last year. Now it is available as the newly-released Live At The Bowery Ballroom album; a portion of the live album’s proceeds to go to the Save Our Stages Emergency Relief Fund.. But that is not the only new release from Steve Schiltz. A previously-unreleased — except within the Japanese market — EP from his band Hurricane Bells is out on November 13th. A full-length album from Harvard Of The South, a Blue October-related side-project, is out on December 11th. And speaking of Blue October, Schiltz is all over the band’s new This Is What I Live For album, which he played and sung on beyond contributing lyrics and music to; he is credited as a member in the liner notes. Meanwhile, a new single by the band Scout is reportedly slated for a near-future released. With other releases (!) also said to be planned for.

To learn more about the new Steve Schiltz-related releases, I had the pleasure of speaking with Schiltz via Zoom on October 11, 2020. While I did not ask him about the inspiration behind the theme song for the Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz podcast or his band Wah Together, he was an open book about all facets of his musical life. More on Schiltz can be found online via www.steveschiltz.com, facebook.com/longwave, twitter.com/Longwavetheband and www.longwavetheband.com.

Feature image by Omar Kasrawi

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Tags: Blue October, Bodan Kuma Recordings, Hurricane Bells, Longwave, Paltrocast, Shannon Ferguson, Steve Schiltz

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."