#johnconte

[steveconte]

Company Of Wolves in Kerrang Magazine, 1989. The industry tried to lump us in with “hair bands” but this is who we were; a rock ‘n’ roll band in jeans, boots & t-shirts. (To hear the Wolves music, check out the link to our Bandcamp page in my Instagram bio) #bandcamp #companyofwolves #mercury #records #kyfbrewer #johnconte #steveconte #frankielarocka #rocknroll (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CqSDuVxoleN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[vickiabelson]

John Conte Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson 

What crazy fun to sit down with my old dear friend, bassist John Conte, whom I hadn’t seen in decades. How is it possible that he appears to have aged barely a day? Seriously! 

John took us back to childhood days, his jazz-singing mother, Rosemary, his early days on guitar, and his brother Steve at first on drums. Their first band when John was 8 or 9, their early songwriting, including John’s first song, Maryanne, Sittin on a Log, which he gave us a little taste of.  He was a boy with a dream of playing arenas with rock stars.  He told us how they flipped instruments, with John choosing bass. His college days, jazz-infused, where he gigged around with stellar players like Terence Blanchard. 

We tripped down memory lane, where we met, in the md-80s at The Rock ’n Roll Cafe on Bleecker Street, 1/2 of The Brothers of Conte, as I affectionately came to call them, with his brother Steve, they were weekly regulars whenever their schedules allowed. John was in Blood, Sweat & Tears, his first major gig, at the time, and told us all about that. Great stories there, including playing Madison Square Garden. Not bad for a 23-year-old. During their tenure at the Rock ’N Roll, late one rainy night they brought in their friend, Phoebe Snow, a life changer for me who had been a diehard fan since high school. The Phoeb’s and I became fast friends, and I have the boys to thank for that as well as for years of amazing live music there, and at Spo-dee-o-dee’s, Woody’s, RockGirl, The Marquee, The Cafe Wha, True Blue and The China Club, where they were also a part of my RockGirl Jam Band. A stellar bassist, with an easy temperament and oh so easy on the eyes, it was always a joy when John was around. I made him tell his requisite Chuck Berry story. 

At that same time, the Conte brothers, as part of The Hudson River Rats, were laying the foundation for much of the session and road work that was to follow. Like Finding himself in the studio with Tony Visconti and David Bowie. John’s description of hearing Bowie vocalize in his ear gave me goosebumps. He talked about laying down tracks with Peter Wolf and Ian Hunter, getting to jam with loads of his heroes. 

The Conte Brothers connected with Kyf Brewer and Company of Wolves were borne. They did some showcases, got signed, did a tour with Richard Marx, and foreshadowed John’s future, one with Southside Johnny and The Asbury Jukes.

John talked us through touring with Joan Osbourne (beautiful words here), Roseanne Cash, and Southside Johnny choosing him in 2007, a gig that would take him through to present day. There was a short tour with Billy Joel during his 2012 comeback with our friend, Tommy Byrnes, lovely to hear John’s take on it, and great stories about his tenure playing with The Disciples of Soul, the house band for the American Music Honors where he got to play with honorees, Jackson Browne, Mavis Staples, John Mellencamp and Dion, as well as host, Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt. John’s shared the stage with Bruce numerous times before, memorably for an impromptu 45-minute set with Southside.  John’s recounting of that and of playing with Peter Frampton (and Sheryl Crow) at the Sandy Hook Promise Benefit is another moving, goosebump-inducing tale. 

I loved every single second with my old friend. It’s thrilling to see how his life has played and continues to play out. The young boy living his dream. Southside Johnyy’s future may be unsure, but John’s certainly isn’t. He’s always got multiple projects cooking, his own music in the works - check him out here johnconte.bandcamp.com and here Facebook.com/johncontebass  I just adore the boy. He’ll always be a rockboy to me and damn, he sure still looks like one.

John Conte Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson 

****Wednesday, 1/29/25, 1 PM PT, 4 PM ET****

Streamed Live on my Facebook

Replay here:

[jeffkazee]

#earlyelton #eltonjohn #madmanacrossthewater #piano #pianotrio #rockmusic #fairfieldtheatrecompany #stageone #jeffkazee #richpagano #johnconte #fabfaux #asburyjukes #southsidejohnny

[vickiabelson]

****TODAY SPECIAL TIME 1 PM PT/ 4 PM ET****

Today LIVE - special time for an old friend. I’ve known bassist John Conte for 4 decades, the first two of which he played regularly at every venue I booked. Starting at The Rock ’N Roll Cafe on Bleecker Street, 1/2 of The Brothers of Conte, as I affectionately came to call them, with his brother Steve, they were weekly regulars whenever their schedules allowed. John was in Blood, Sweat & Tears, or maybe this was just after? During their tenure at the Rock ’N Roll, late one rainy night they brought in their friend, Phoebe Snow, a life changer for me who had been a diehard fan since high school. The Phoeb’s and I became fast friends, and I have the boys to thank for that as well as for years of amazing live music there, and at Spo-dee-o-dee’s, Woody’s, RockGirl, The Marquee, The Cafe Wha, True Blue and The China Club, where they were also a part of my RockGirl Jam Band. A stellar bassist, with an easy temperament and oh so easy on the eyes, it was always a joy when John was around. 

Coming from a musical family, his mother, Rosemary, is an accomplished jazz singer, and his brother, Steve, is an amazing guitarist and vocalist and the two began making music together as kids. They’ve had innumerable bands together since, including The Conte Brothers, The Hudson River Rats, The Crown Jewels, Company of Wolves, and The Contes.

A seasoned session musician, John’s studio work included working with Tony Visconti and David Bowie, he appears on LPs by Peter Wolf, Ian Hunter, Rachel Yamagata, Steve Forbert, and Garland Jeffries to name some. 

John toured with Joan Osborne, spent a year on the road with Roseanne Cash, and has been playing with Southside Johnny and Asbury Jukes since 2008. He’s taken the stage with Springsteen for an impromptu 45 min set, he’s jammed with Cyndi Lauper, Carole King, Etta James, Julian Lennon, and Willy Deville to name a few.  He’s performed perform with Jon Bon Jovi, Rachael Yamagata, Natalie Merchant, Patti Smith, Marshall Crenshaw, Sarah Bareilles, Ian Hunter, John Waite, Marc Cohn, Jeff Golub, Paul Shaffer, Rita Wilson, Steven Van Zandt, Felix Cavaliere, Donovan, Chuck Berry, Howard Tate, Darlene Love, Eddie Brigati, Al Kooper, Denny Laine, Leslie West, Willie Nile, Peter Yarrow & David Johansen.

It’s been over 30 years since I’ve seen my old friend. To say I’m looking forward to this is a crazy understatement. John is an understated fellow, and this may be his first long-form solo interview. Hope you join us for this momentous reunion. 

John Conte Live on Game Changers With Vicki Abelson 

****Wednesday, 1/29/25, 1 PM PT, 4 PM ET****

Streaming Live on my Facebook

WednesDaily by Toni Vincent & @peter_and_paul_ Cartoons

[steveconte]

The Coolest Song In The World this week!

Thanks for the fab outro Michael DesBarres - from the album The Concrete Jangle on Wicked Cool Records and available now! Find it at the top of my link tree: https://linktr.ee/steveconte

#vinyl#album#theconcretejangle#CD#single#download #Thommyprice#johnconte#andrewhollander#AndyPartridge#XTC#PrairiePrince#newsingle#coolestsongintheworld #steveconte#wickedcool#records#littlesteven stevenvanzandt #newmusic #newyorkdolls #michaelmonroe#willydeville #music #guitar #rockandroll #LP #blackstar #gibson #zemaitis

[steveconte]

Reunion in the studio to cut the last track for my album w/ Brian Delaney on drums! Haven’t recorded with him since we did the New York Dolls album Cause I Sez So at Todd Rundgren’s house in Hawaii back in 2009. These tracks are sounding FIERCE!! #briandelaney #drums #newyorkdolls #steveconte #johnconte #littlesteven #studio #newalbum #wickedcoolrecords #nyc (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cocg-HTu1dU/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[steveconte]

#TBT Back in the NYC ‘90s Company Of Wolves played Cat Club, Limelight, CBGB, The Ritz, Sanctuary, hung out at Scrap Bar & were one of the last bands to record at Atlantic Studios! You can find our records on Bandcamp… #kyfbrewer #johnconte #steveconte #companyofwolves #rocknroll #nyc (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/ClEJ033uWCz/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[steveconte]

Little Steven w/ the band; Charley Drayton, me, brother John Conte, SVZ, Brian Ray. Yesterday Brian & I recorded 2 of our co-written songs; one for his next record and one for mine. 😎🎸🎶🎤💜 #littlesteven #stevievanzandt #wickedcool #records #brianray #paulmccartney #steveconte #johnconte #charleydrayton #rockandroll #garage #rock #littlestevensundergroundgarage (at Manhattan, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/Cihy-tRuddd/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[steveconte]

Company Of Wolves debut album review in Circus Magazine, 1990. (Written by Howie Gordon) #companyofwolves #circusmagazine #circus #rockmagazine #kyfbrewer #johnconte #steveconte #howiegordon #rocknroll #pregrunge (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CiXZoQjO47S/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[steveconte]

1988: Me onstage w/ my blues band The Hudson River Rats. It was at this venue, Under Acme in NYC that I would meet singer Kyf Brewer and form Company Of Wolves shortly thereafter. #UnderAcme #NYC #hudsonriverrats #blues #band #history #CompanyOfWolves #KyfBrewer #SteveConte #JohnConte #FrankieLaRocka #rocknroll #music #rocknrollmusic (at Manhattan, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CR00vKpnGRa/?utm_medium=tumblr

[steveconte]

The B-Side credits on my new Wicked Cool Records single! It’s remarkable how good this 1995 demo of “Rock ‘n Rye Queen” sounds - recorded on a Tascam 8-Track CASSETTE machine! The differences between this & the version on my 2014 Steve Conte NYC album are; lap steel guitar, a 4th verse (other lyrics) & a crazy bunch of harmonies at the bridge. Have ya heard it? If you'd like a signed copy of the Glow-In-The-Dark green vinyl 7” record, “Recovery Doll” b/w “Rock ‘n’ Rye Queen” send an email with how many copies you’d like and your mailing address to: info@stevecontenyc.com You’ll get a reply with how much & where to pay. Thanks y’all…rock on! 😎 ———————————- #SteveConte #NewSingle #RecoveryDoll #RocAndRye #Queen #WickedCool #Records #RockAndRoll #Vinyl #7Inch #LittleSteven #StevenVanZandt #undergroundgarage #Radio #SiriusXM #CoolestSongInTheWorld #JohnConte #SteveMurphy (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CQQsAjjnCxZ/?utm_medium=tumblr

[steveconte]

The Brothers Conte. #johnconte #steveconte #music (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CL0nO05nJvS/?igshid=dt8rg5jiolgt

[steveconte]

Steve, age 12 w/ Princess, the family dog. Photo taken by brother John Conte. #youth #photo #dog #mutt #johnconte #steveconte (at Matawan, New Jersey) https://www.instagram.com/p/CLmiocpnivX/?igshid=yyqt6rqo2f1k

[steveconte]

Me & brother John during our Crown Jewels days - finding all sorts of fun stuff as I continue my big SC/SC (Steve Conte Seasonal Cleaning) 😎 #crownjewels #rockandroll #band #steveconte #johnconte #nyc (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/CGNpUAgHbeJ/?igshid=134nd5u4fzc93

[steveconte]

I'm putting out an EP with previously unreleased songs on Bandcamp...Tomorrow at 12 noon NYC time! It's my band w/ brother John - Crown Jewels! Interested?? #newrelease #newmusic #EP #steveconte #crownjewels #johnconte #rocknroll (at New York, New York) https://www.instagram.com/p/B97yyjRnC84/?igshid=1d7ye43s3js0o

[steveconte]

The Cats who are responsible for making my new album tracks sound and feel so good!! R-L: Me, Charley Drayton, brother John Conte, Andy Hollander. #SteveConte #NewAlbum #CharleyDrayton #JohnConte #AndrewHollander #AtomicSound #Brooklyn #Rockandroll #Gibson #Guitar #zemaitis #everyday (at Atomic Sound LLC) https://www.instagram.com/p/B3HZGOWn4xG/?igshid=upvfcbgdftmg