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Billboard Magazine describes Steven
Gellman’s music as "intensely sensitive and impressively intelligent
at the same time". As another reviewer aptly phrased it, Gellman’s
songs are "Kodak moments" from his life.
He often performs in nursing homes and
retirement communities, and even used a choir of senior citizens as
backup on the track "Almeda at 90" from his album "Photobook". Dick
Cerri, President of the World Folk Music Association says "Steve's
natural ability on stage enables an audience to not only enjoy the
songs and stories, but to participate in the performance."
Nowhere is there a better example of
how Gellman touches people's lives than the story of fan Jennifer
Baker, blind and wheelchair bound from a lifelong struggle with kidney
failure. She first heard Steven at a Borders Book store concert and
instantly became one of his most ardent fans. His music was an
inspiration to her in her last months and Gellman performed at a
memorial service in her honor to benefit the National Kidney
Association. The song "A Little Bit Fine" on Steven's CD "Return to
Summer Lake" was written for Jennifer and is one of his most requested
songs.
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His new release, "Love Loss Longing", is
Steven's first concept album. The eleven-song collection describes the
journey one goes through at the end of a relationship. As Steven puts
it, "To me, each song represents a chapter in a book, there is a
beginning, middle and end. Every emotion is explored here -- sadness,
anger, hope and joy."
Gellman performs throughout the United
States and Canada at the premiere acoustic music venues such as The
Birchmere in Alexandria, VA, The Ark in Ann Arbor, Michigan, The Blue
Bird Café in Nashville, TN, The Tin Angel in Philadelphia, PA, and
Club Passim in Boston, MA. In Washington, DC, he has performed at the
venerated National Theatre and the most sought after venue of all, The
White House. Steven has opened shows for Dar Williams, Cheryl Wheeler,
Richie Havens, Richard Shindell and Al Stewart.
Steven has garnered critical acclaim
across the country - he was nominated for 4 awards from The Washington
Area Music Association Awards (WAMA) and by The Gay/Lesbian American
Music Awards (GLAMA) for Debut Album of the Year. His release "Return
to Summer Lake" was chosen by Barnes & Noble for national distribution
and was featured on their listening post wall. Don Murphy of the
National Theatre says "Steven Gellman's insightful original songs and
homespun stories provide a soul-warming folk rock respite in a busy
chilly world."
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