Welcome to EastWest Utopia

EastWest came into being in 2000 when Steve Rothero, after many years playing with acoustic bands or as a solo singer-songwriter, began jamming with bassist Dave Davies and keyboard player Ian Stichbury. Steve switched to electric guitar as the trio revisited the psychedelic and West Coast music of the late sixties, taking that heady mix of rock, folk, jazz, Eastern music and the avant-garde as a starting point for their own musical experimentation. The music of The Grateful Dead, The Byrds, Pink Floyd and The Doors provided particular inspiration to the new band and "East West", the 1966 Butterfield Blues Band raga rock improvisation, provided a fitting name. The band recruited drummer Ron Counte to complete the line-up, and Steve began to write material for EastWest’s first album.

 

2003's “Postcards from Utopia” was the outcome, with nine original Rothero compositions as well as the band’s take on Neil Young’s On the Beach and Lou Reed’s All Tomorrow’s Parties.

 

In 2004, with Bill Joyce replacing Ron Counte on drums, the band began work on new material which would develop into the band’s second album "EyeWitness". With Bill’s solid rhythm driving the music, the EyeWitness material became heavier and more intense, still keeping the rich textures and modal structures of EastWest's psychedelic roots.

 

For information, bookings, or to be added to our e-mail database, contact Steve at:

 

s.rothero@ntlworld.com