Live out of West Virginia... and Detroit...
and Austin... and San Francisco.

Kurt Wolff, writing in 'Country Music, the Rough Guide,' describes Stephen Yerkey as "one of the greatest little-known songwriters and singers west of the Mississippi. He can moan a gritty blues, growl hard-bitten country from a place deep inside his gut, or whisper the warmth of hope. His voice alone is an amazing instrument, full of quirks and kinks, but at it's core always sturdy, creamy and full-bodied. When Yerkey conjures up visions of cowboys, drunks, and other desperate dreamers, his voice curls and ripples around the words, which jump in all directions but ultimately give in to Yerkey's control, easing to the ground and laying flat out."

"Behind him a steel guitar cries as the music shifts down low and the night moves onward into early dawn. Yerkey's first band was Nonfiction, which he formed in San Francisco in the 1980's with Chris and Lance Campbell. They put out one record on the English label Demon, and while people in the know practically worshipped the thing, it never made Yerkey much of a living. He worked the clubs in San Francisco for a few years as a solo artist, often teaming up with other local artists like Chuck Prophet, Stephanie Finch, and Patrick Winningham."

"He cut songs for an album that was never released, including the awesome 'Texas Is A Big Thing To Have In The Back Of Your Mind', then moved to Austin. After a year however, he was back in Frisco, his momentum renewed once again. He recorded a new selection of songs ... confidence, man, and this time it saw the light of day on the local label Heydey (it was also reissued in Europe by the German label Moll)."

New Label, New CD

March 2006 marks Stephen Yerkey's debut on the Chrysalis-owned Echo label. His new CD, 'metaneonatureboy' fuses Yerkey's amazing voice with production legend Eric Drew Feldman.

Press Clips

JELLY, Glenn Brooks — "Yerkey is capable of authentic sounding ventures in a variety of directions, from Tom Waits-jazzish to Bob Dylan-talking-blueish to country twangyÑeven sometimes a touch of Elvis Costello. But the album still feels cut from the same cloth, partly because of Yerkey's strong, distinctive voice (he reminds me of a new improved version of Norton Buffalo.) By the way, Jason notes that it sometimes feels like you're about to fall into Yerkey's mouth, whatever that means."

THE BAY GUARDIAN, Kurt Wolff — "I'm drawn to Yerkey's rich, beautiful West Virginia-born baritone; he can wrap that voice around a song like a gentle, fire-warm pair of hands or wail the blues like an onery horse-fly in an empty barnyard. Either way, his music tugs at something deep inside...Ê Stephen Yerkey is one of the best singer/songwriters today."

SF WEEKLY — "Steve Yerkey is complicated enough to make sense in San Francisco but country enough to follow Jimmie Dale Gilmore on stage at Austin open mike nights."

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