David Holt, David Grissom, Van Wilks, Kyle Ellison
Steamboat’s most successful acts have typically had one thing in common: hotshot guitar players. Perhaps it’s because Stevie Ray Vaughan’s played there, or that Van Wilks, Eric Johnson, Chris Duarte, Arc Angels, Ian Moore, and Storyville’s David & David combo became so closely associated with the club’s aesthetic. Or maybe it was that the room’s tall limestone walls inexplicably welcomed guitarists that preferred their amps turned to 11 (i.e. Billy White, Kyle Ellison). For whatever reason, it’s no coincidence that Steamboat’s best-selling T-shirt pictured a duel between Moore and White. The T’s tagline: “Remember When Sex Was Safe and Rock & Roll Was Dangerous?” At Steamboat, it was the guitars that made it dangerous.
This article appears in September 24 • 1999.