15 years after releasing his first album, Jeremy DeBardi – leader of Steel Beans, a band from Everett, WA – is blowing up on social media, thanks to a video that's gone viral on Twitter.
The video in question, for the enticingly titled Molotov Cocktail Lounge, was first released a week ago on the Steel Beans Instagram account. The video was shared on TikTok, then reposted to Twitter on October 1, and nearly 400,000 likes later DeBardi has a whole new set of fans and enough financial support for his first west coast tour.
It's easy to see why. It's the kind of ferocious, lo-fi blues racket popularised by The White Stripes, but there's only one musician involved. It's the sound of the Jon Spencer Blues explosion with the look of Ron Jeremy, as a moustachioed DeBardi drums and plays guitar simultaneously – beating out a rhythm and playing guitar on his strumming hand's downstroke – while his shirt is open to the navel. It's really quite glorious.
The result of all this excitement is the kind of boost many hopeful musicians can only dream of: a tour free of financial concerns. On August 24 DeBardis launched a GoFundMe campaign in the hope of raising $7000 to support a tour of west coast cities, and in the last few days donations have skyrocketed, with funds rising to above $9000.
"I've emailed venues until the skin wore off my fingers and at this point I'd be happy on any slot," writes DeBardi on Reddit, in an appeal for bookings. "My stuff is definitely very 60s rock, but includes some 70s punk feel and some other genres along with some comedy and experimental strangeness. I will not bore your crowd, I will tell you that."
Steel Beans formed in 2007. Subsequent releases include 2011's The Variegated Tonal Opulence, the following year's Moonchild (Hitchhikes Southbound For Sunrise On The Wrong Side Of The Road), and Steel Beans XIII: Albatross Birdbath, which was released in 2017.
Tour dates below.
Steel Beans west coast tour 2022
Oct 07: Portland No Fun, OR
Oct 08: Bend Silvermoon Brewing, OR
Oct 09: Reno Matador Lounge, NV
Oct 10: San Francisco Brick and Mortar, CA
Oct 13: San Pedro The Sardine, CA
Oct 14: Los Angeles SteelCraft Bellflower, CA
Oct 15: Las Vegas Double down Saloon, NV
Oct 16: San Diego Til Two Club, CA
Oct 19: Tucson Templeton's, AZ
