Stephen Covell – Sweeter Than

5/26/11: The squadron Stephen Covell served in, the 5th Squadron of the 73rd Cavalry Regiment, was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation in a ceremony at Fort Bragg for its actions four years ago in Operation Turki Bowl.

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Check out Stephen Covell’s new Youtube, posted 3/16/11.

A native of Monterey County,  Covell now divides his time between the Monterey and San Francisco Bay areas. After two Tours of Duty as an Army medic in Iraq, Covell returned to California in 2010, his military commitment honorably fulfilled.

For news of shows:

• Follow  Covell on Twitter:  http://www.Twitter.com/StephenCovell - @stephencovell
• Check his website  StephenCovell.net
• Visit his Pure Volume or Facebook pages.

And for “what’s behind the song”/insights on the guy behind the songwriting, take a peek at Covell’s journal on his website.

Above photo of Stephen Covell by Corie Howell, &hercamera.com

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The post below was originally published on June 7, 2009.

Army Medic Stephen Covell Triumphs in His Tunes Attack on Wave Street

It was a sold-out show at Wave Street Studios tonight, standing room only, and the audience was spellbound by Stephen Covell’s performance. This talented musician deserves to go top-of-the-charts.

The young Jason Mraz fan seated next to me was enthralled with Covell and the songs he performed.  All were his own compositions.  Covell is an exceptional lyricist and joked that he really wanted to be a hip-hop artist; he commented that his song “What I’m Really Trying to Say” was his attempt to put as many words as possible into one song.  And though he zips along, singing most lyrics at a fast clip, every syllable is unmistakable.  (No chance of being frustrated that you can’t understand Covell’s lyrics.)  And Covell hits the high notes (as in “The View”) with the same rich vocal quality and confidence.

I suspect his ease on stage reflects the cool he’s learned to keep as a US Army medic on deployment in Iraq.  Some musicians would’ve been ruffled by Wave Street’s little techno blips, but Covell handled them with grace and humor—he just sailed right along with a big smile, coming through like a longtime pro.

I first heard Covell at Monterey Live, and when I heard he was recording tonight at Wave Street, I was not about to miss it. He’s expected back in this area at the end of the year (just home now on a two-week leave), and expects to do his next Monterey-area show in December. Buy your tickets fast—as word gets out about this guy, he’s going to keep selling out shows.

His closing song, “Sand Hills to Sandals,” is the only song he has written—or expects to write, he said—about his experience in Iraq.  He dedicated the song, the evening’s only somber number, to his fellow soldiers on deployment.

Covell’s music is consistently upbeat, and that makes sense.  He’s a medic, after all, and his goal is to help people feel better.  The jubilation of the people streaming out of Wave Street testified to his success.

For a little more on Covell on this site, see “Preserving Monterey’s History.”

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Music promoter Kiki Wow, who commented on this post, earned a Best of Monterey County 2011 award for  Plaza Linda – Best Budding Scene in a Bucolic Locale.  Plaza Linda is one of Carmel Valley’s  HER Helmet Thursdays spots.