Steve’s been working in the music industry as a session guitar-player for over a decade! After an early breakthrough with the band, No Hope In New Jersey, who released their debut album in 2005 on Atlantic Records, Steve’s spent many years performing as a live-musician for various artists throughout the UK and Europe!
‘When anyone enquires if I know of any guitarists for session work or touring my mind immediately goes to Steven. A fantastic player and all round good guy. It was a pleasure working with him and I look forward to doing so again in the future…’ - Joel Death (A&R Consultant at Cooking Vinyl)
‘Steve has been employed by us at Solar on a session basis and has always delivered. A dedicated and extremely talented individual I wouldn't hesitate in recommending within the music industry…’ - Gunther Walker (Senior Manager/Business Affairs at Solar Management Ltd)
‘Steve is a fantastic guitarist, songwriter, arranger, and all round top fella. He will always find the right sound or part to serve the song he is playing. Aside from the fact he outshone my own musical abilities by a country mile, it was great touring with him!’ - Nick Fowler (Session Guitarist for Gaz Coombes, Fionn Regan, Emiliana Torrini)
Services Offered:
- Live Work, One-Off Shows, Touring and Fly-Dates
- Studio Sessions
- Online Sessions (tracks delivered via wetransfer or dropbox)
- Songwriting & Arrangements
- Music Production/Engineering/Mixing
Additional Services:
- Backing Vocals
- Bass Guitar
- Drums & Percussion (incl. drum programming)
- Piano
- String Arrangements
- Orchestration
Tell me about your project and how I can help, through the 'Contact' button above.
Credits
Interview with Steve Marsden
Q: What are you working on at the moment?
A: I'm currently recording with a singer/songwriter on a single release for the summer; plus I'm prepping for some festival dates with an American artist called, Jesca Hoop!
Q: Analog or digital and why?
A: Hmm...I always embrace both! I'd say analog guitar gear and record it digitally! To me, there's always something lacking in amp-emulated software that doesn't quite work in a mix! A mic-d guitar amp, to my ears anyway, just seems to find it's place easier!
Q: What do you like most about your job?
A: It's a bit of cliche, but...basically I get to play my guitar and work in music for a living!
Q: What questions do you ask prospective clients?
A: 1) Musical references - it's important to know what the artist or producer is hearing guitar-part-wise, and then my job is to interept their ideas as quickly as possible! This applies to touring or studio work! 2) Time frame - if it's a remote session, then keeping within the time frame agreed is really important! Plus I always ask if they'd like the files dry or with effects... 3) Budget! If it's a songwriting demo and there's several songs to record, then fees can be negotiated!
Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?
A: Well, I was in a band that I formed with some friends after University and we landed a deal with Atlantic Records, but sadly it didn't work out! After that, the A&R guy that signed the band recommended me to an artist who needed a guitar-player for a tour that had been booked, so I was hired for that gig, which then led on to other work and 12 years later I'm still doing it!
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: I'm a rock/indie/pop guitar player - those are my main strengths; plus I love playing with guitar-effects and textures!
Q: What's your strongest skill?
A: I'd say listening - that's an important skill to have! For me, it's about making sure I follow the brief/references asked, whilst constantly being aware that I'm working for the artist/producer and that it's not the other way around!
Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.
A: More recently I've been touring and doing fly-date work; as well as providing remote recording sessions for songwriting demos!
Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?
A: My main musical influences are: Johnny Marr, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Brian May, Tim Pierce and Steve Vai! For me, those guys are players that serve the song without overshadowing the songwriting!
Q: What do you bring to a song?
A: I always strive to bring melodic guitar-playing to a song! I'm usually employed for creating textures and space, along with the occasional 'shred' solo! 😉
Q: Can you share one music production tip?
A: There was a Tim Pierce (LA Session Guitarist) interview I read where he said that he always starts with the chorus section and then works backwards! I'd agree with that 😉
Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?
A: Ryan Adams!! I'm a massive fan of his songwriting and the production of his records! I'd like to think that I could contribute something to one of his songs 😅
Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?
A: Telecaster - Axe Fx - MacBook - Pro-Tools...RayBans
I was the Composer, Producer and Multi-Instrumentalist in this production
- Electric GuitarAverage price - $250 per song
- Acoustic GuitarAverage price - $250 per song
- Bass ElectricAverage price - $200 per song
- Pop-Rock ArrangerAverage price - $150 per song
- Fender Telecaster
- Gibson Les Paul
- Epiphone Sheraton
- Fender P-Bass
- Marshall JCM 800 (2203)
- Marshall JMP (2203)
- Fender Hot Rod Deluxe
- Fender Blues Junior
- Vox AC-15
- JHS Pedals
- Xotic
- Boss
- EHX
- Dunlop
- Logic
- Pro-Tools
