Search - Steve Ewing :: Common Side Effects

By Kevin C. Johnson POST-DISPATCH POP MUSIC CRITIC Thursday, Jul. 31 2008 It took only five CDs to get there, but former Urge front man Steve Ewing (photo below) may be at his Urge-like best on his new CD "Common Side Effects." Ewing's first four post-Urge CDs were his own projects, but "Common Side Effects" is a Steve Ewing Band release, which takes it back to the old school for Ewing. "This might sound closer to what the Urge used to do, though there's no horns or keyboards," Ewing said. "There's not a lot of stuff going on productionwise. It's just straight-up rock, and it sounds like what I always used to do in this capacity. It's the first record I've cut with a full band," said Ewing, who had gotten used to performing in an acoustic duo. Drummer Tony Barbata, guitarist Adam Hansbrough and bassist Nick Jost fill out the band. Much like his time with the Urge, Ewing is allowed to simply sing on "Common Side Effects" rather than doing nearly everything to make a record "Prince or Lenny Kravitz style," He hadn't been able to just sing for a long time. "I can see myself doing this for quite a while. I've formed a great bond with them, and they're top notch," Ewing said of his band mates. "I have a lot of trust with them." The band recorded everything in a couple of weeks, mostly in one or two takes. The idea of holing up in a studio for six months to record was thrown out the window in favor of getting in and out quickly. "I wanted to go back to the simple process of making a record, and you can only do that with a good band," Ewing said. "We knew what we wanted to do, so we said let's not take a lot of time." The title track to "Common Side Effects" likens love to a drug. "It's something that's great, fantastic," Ewing said. "Then there's the side effects, the other part of being in love, being responsible to another person." The song "Sweetest Enemy" follows a similar theme. "It's about how the people you love the most will probably cause the most heartache and pain," he said. "Common Side Effects" also comes with an unexpected cover: the Jacksons' "This Place Hotel." "I always wanted to play that song with a band, so we did it," Ewing said. "I really don't know what Michael was talking about when he did that one. I get the feeling at some point the girls got overwhelming, and he had a hard time dealing with it." As for the Urge, Ewing said there is no news, although the members sometimes update each other on their projects.