Steve Boller

If you’ve seen Steve Boller perform over the last few years, you’ve heard an
introspective singer-songwriter with a clean first tenor and a crisp guitar style whose
songs stand out from the open-mic pack. Boller has now honed those songs into his year-
in-the-making first album “Let’s Begin”. Boller’s debut will set most people’s
expectations on their ears – it is a fully arranged pop record that paints some wide strokes
of neon over his pleasingly pastel songs.

Boller’s compositional abilities have never been in question, but his prowess as an
arranger have never really been given a full airing at his live performances, which have
traditionally been as a solo. So, even a veteran of multiple gigs will be hearing “Let’s
Begin” as an entirely new experience from an artist they only thought they were familiar
with.

From the a capella opener “Capsize” through the arena-ready pop of “Take What You
Need”, Boller’s bigger sound finds him shaking off the stigma of “acoustic guitar guy”.
“I wanted to create music that sounds like the music I like to listen to,” he says. The
album is designed for a new Steve Boller audience. “I wanted to set the bar high for what
my music will be… and set a different expectation for these yet-to- be-reached ears.”

Indeed it isn’t until “Inukshuk” that the more familiar Steve Boller even shows up, with a
simpler, stripped down arrangement much closer to the pub-crawler sound he may be
trying to get away from. On “Look Back On,” as giant choruses are enveloped in layered
vocals, it becomes harder to imagine most of the “Let’s Begin” songs in the bar-
stool format. But there’s a comfort level that Boller and producer Jonathan Class seem to
have established within the arrangements, as if this is how these songs were always
supposed to be. The production team took some chances, as well. Introducing electric
guitars and drums are one thing, but Boller doesn’t stop there. Horns and Hammond
organ abound throughout “Let’s Begin”.

“And Then The Tears,” and “Never a Mistake” benefit the most from the augmentations.
Already radio friendly pop songs, these two particularly stand-out as Boller’s most fully
realized songs lyrically, but his abilities as a vocalist are what get you paying attention to
those words. Capable of a clear-as-glass falsetto, Boller doesn’t overuse it as a gimmick.
His tricks as a writer and singer are all dispersed economically throughout the record so
that there are eyebrow-raising moments even at the very end.

While the album would stand on its adult-pop laurels alone, Boller’s ballads are really his
strongest suit. “Airplane Mode” is a piano-led torch song that is nearly overwhelmed by
its building string arrangement – but when Boller pulls the song back at the end – it feels
like the victory of a singular artist over multiple externalizations of his art. And that may
be the dichotomy at the heart of this record. It will be interesting to see if Steve Boller
can ever go back to the bar-stool, especially after the pop-grandeur of “Let’s Begin”. - DoItIndy Radio Hour

Take What You Need is a beautiful example of music which cannot be defined, it is its own. Taking elements from all different indie genres: rock, pop, folk - steve has created a masterpiece that will not only appeal to the mass but is beautiful to the ears. His raspy vocals compliment the heavy guitar strums immensely, which start your foot tapping and by the chorus .. that beat gets you on a full out jam! It's both pop and rock on one plate... YUM. - Funspear

Look Back On is both upbeat and peaceful. He has incorporated the right about of instrumental to allow his track to be soothing yet high energy. Taking elements from all different indie genres: rock, pop, folk - steve has created another masterpiece. I know what I'm going to Look Back On .. this song.. when I replay it! - Funspear

GREENFIELD — At a packed house at the Hi Fi in Fountain Square, friends and family recently joined Hancock County native Steve Boller in celebrating the release of the pop singer’s first full album, “Let’s Begin.”

Boller, 27, of Indianapolis, has been performing in show choirs and the Hancock County Children’s Theater since he was in elementary school, but he took up piano and guitar in high school, which sparked the beginning of his music career.

Inspired by artists like Jason Mraz and Ben Folds as a child, he recorded two albums in his room and got more than 100,000 streams on the social media site MySpace, according to his website.

Boller majored in music at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio, where he sang in choirs, studied classical piano and Bossa Nova guitar techniques. These experiences shaped his soulful, eclectic sound, he said.

Though Boller sold his homemade music albums in high school, “Let’s Begin” marks his first professional album, recorded with a hired band at the Varsity Recording Co. in Anderson. The album features 12 tracks of singer-songwriter pop music with a big emphasis on harmony, Boller said.

Boller relished the experience of recording at the Anderson studio, where he said his sound benefited from the counsel of owner Jonathan Class.

“I loved it,” he said. “It was such a creative experience, for us to partner and collaborate on every single song and bring in talented musicians … We did a lot of things an individual might not have done on their own.”

Strings and horns added to the tracks gave the album even more polish, he said.

After the release of “Let’s Begin,” the album rose to No. 3 on the singer/songwriter charts of NoiseTrade, an online free music distribution platform, Boller said. - Greenfield Reporter

STEVE BOLLER – LOOK BACK ON @STEVEBOLLER

August 22, 2016 sommagazine
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Steve began singing and acting at a young age. At 14, he was gifted a guitar and was writing songs soon after. By age 17, he had recorded two albums out of his bedroom and racked up over 125,000 streams for his music on the at-the-time trendy social media site, Myspace. His early efforts were inspired by artists like Jason Mraz and Ben Folds.

He started to find his soulful pop style while studying music at Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio. Many hours spent singing in choirs, studying classical piano and Bossa Nova guitar techniques and even composing music for choir and string orchestra helped give Steve’s music its eclectic sound. Mraz and Folds continued to have a strong influence on his music, but new artists such as Eric Hutchinson and Regina Spektor and classic greats like Elliott Smith and Billy Preston were added to the mix.

After graduation, Steve moved back to the Indianapolis, Indiana area and began making a name for himself as a singer/songwriter on the local scene. Only July 30th 2016, Steve released his debut full length album “Let’s Begin” with a full band performance at The Hi-Fi in Indy’s trendy Fountain Square district. Produced by Jonathan Class, the album rose to #3 on the NoiseTrade singer/songwriter charts. Singles off the album are now gaining circulation on FM radio, internet radio and music blogs worldwide. - SOM Magazine

Steve Boller has great melody and spot-on timing, both of which he puts to good use in an EP set of pop tunes called “You Can Always Try”, most of which sounds like lost radio hits from a variety of decades. The cool thing is that the songs you've never heard of before sound just as good as the hits he's covering when you catch his live show. If you were lucky enough to find a seat for his album release party on August 24th, then you know exactly what I’m talking about, but if not then choose to see his live set sooner than later. This Indianapolis singer-songwriter has a voice that’s deserved to be heard, and since being discovered nearly two years ago, he has done anything but lay low, garnering for his jazz meets pop signature sound. It is simply impossible to ignore one of the better songwriters to come out of Indianapolis in recent years.

Off his new EP of self reflection and love songs, Boller opens with "Change Something" a smooth bit of acoustic pop, built around guitar playing and a welcoming percussion beat. The next track, “Times Melody” drops you off at the local cafe for an afternoon of coffee and great atmosphere. You can’t help but enjoy the instrument arrangements and backing vocals that set the tone for his next track. On "Life Seems True" he gets into some pretty pure pop territory not so far from Jason Mraz in sound and approach but a true highlight on the project, and a sign of great things to come.

“It’s Okay, I Love You”, steps away from Boller figuring out his place in this world and points its focus in a direction that makes everything else seem to fall away. This is a great love song that leads into this final track, “Choose to Hope” that nicely pulls the whole EP together and reminds us that a positive approach can change something if not everything. The overall result is an album of bright, uptempo songs all written by Boller and sung with confidence and charisma (and a top-notch piece of production work for a remarkably clean sound). He is one of those musicians who just won't fit neatly into any of the existing categories. Is it Pop? Is it Jazz? He writes quirky little songs that reside somewhere between the pop-folk of James Taylor's generation and the power pop of the '80s and '90s. Singer-songwriter probably fits better than any other label, although that's more of a description of the creative process than of the resultant music.

Like most musicians who can’t be placed into the ready-made slots, Boller’s music is far more interesting than that of most Top 40 acts in my personal opinion. Possessed of a warm, slightly original and charming singing voice that reminds me more than a little of Eric Hutchinson. His compositions themselves are so perfectly constructed that they can't help but draw comparisons to the best pop songs of the rock era. All of the above combine to create another collection of unforgettable songs given a lovely glow by Boller and his backing band of musicians. - Indy In-Tune

At this point it’s quite likely that you have heard the sounds of Xavier’s own Steve Boller. I remember meeting the Indiana native English and music major in my freshman year, as he delivered a copy of his then recent album “Leave it All Behind” to one of my neighbors in my residence hall.

Since then he has ingratiated himself with the Xavier and Cincinnati communities through a number of live performances and a personal, grassroots approach to marketing his music. “The support I receive from Xavier students is always going to be key to my success,” Boller said.

The measure of Boller’s success can be defined by two albums, one EP and two singles released last fall.

In coming weeks you will be able to purchase tracks from his recently-released second EP “Feel Just Fine” on iTunes, but until then you will have to settle for hearing samples on his website (steveboller.com) or download a copy from the independent music hosting service Noisetrade (noisetrade.com).

Work for the album began last spring when Boller won the Xavier Battle of the Bands and was awarded eight hours of studio time. Boller, along with his bandmates Joel Valentino (bass guitar) and Mike Todd (drums), quickly recorded five tracks.

Since the recording for the album was free, Boller was able to send the tracks to be mastered by the prestigious West Side Music in New York. “This was an opportunity I would not have enjoyed if it had not been for SAC and the community at Xavier, and I am beyond grateful,” Boller said.The resulting EP is a demonstration of Boller’s musical and lyrical prowess.

The collection opens strong with the song “Flow,” which Boller dubbed, “The most important song I have written.” The steady rhythm of the drums and elegant simplicity of the guitar underscores the message of the song (“let it go, let it flow”) and eases the listener into a more receptive state of mind for the rest of the album.

“Flow” is followed by “Take Your Time,” a more upbeat song that sounds more musically complex than its predecessor and features more instrumentation that showcases the relationship between the conga and the guitar that is featured throughout the album.

The album has a finish almost as strong as its start in “Bottom of My Dreams,” which is heavily reliant on the vocals of Boller to drive the song between small passages of skillful playing from the trio of musicians.

Boller’s fans will likely only be disappointed by the brevity of the album.

Although the tempo of a few songs may be more upbeat, they all bear some lyrical similarity to the first and form a uniform message about taking it easy and being yourself. Thus the whole of the work becomes a soundtrack for relaxation and reflection—to the point that it induces one into a relaxed state of passivity.

What’s next for Steve Boller? The young artist is not exactly sure, but he is planning on playing as many gigs as possible and continuing to get his sound out there while enjoying a successful college career at Xavier.

“I am open to any and all possibilities that music may or may not bring me” Boller said. “I am just trying to enjoy the experience.” - Xavier University Newswire