Career
Born in Los Angeles to actor parents, Dan and Anne Barton, music got into his blood at an early age. 11 year-old Steve and his band The Present Tense recorded his song "Lost" with Producer Mike Curb, but due to legalities the single wasn"t released until 2000 as a bonus track on Steve"s debut solo Civil Defense "The Boy Who Rode His Bike Around the World". Barton had his first publishing deal as a songwriter with American Broadcasting Company Dunhill Music at age 14.
He kept writing and went on to play guitar behind Ella Woods on a German United Service Organizations tour.
Next was a tour of Japan in 1978 with a Beatles cover band playing first George, then John, alongside drummer Dave Scheff as Ringo. Barton and Scheff would go on to form in 1979 with bassist Larry Dekker.
Kahne also helmed the poppier follow-up Number Time Like Now which received a rave from Musician magazine that said were “the only rockers left who are capable of writing love songs that are neither cliches nor abstractions.” tapped Ramones producer Editor Stasium for 1985"s psychedelic-tinged LP, “just to see what would happen if we worked with someone else”, Barton says. By their final LP Evening of the Harvest, managed to capture their powerful live sound in the studio, and their adventurous approach was highly praised by David Fricke in Rolling Stone. continues to perform occasionally, including well-received shows at SXSW in 2006 and a sold-out Slim"s show in San Francisco in September 2009. played to packed crowds for several years before the group parted ways and Barton went on to write and record as a solo artist.
Starting in 2000 he released three albums under the band name The Oblivion Click, with bassist Derrick Anderson and drummer Robbie Rist.
Their releases include "Charm Offensive", "Flicker of Time" and the Spectra Records album, "Gallery". In early 2011 Steve released "Projector", an album made up of songs written in the immediate aftermath of his dad"s death in 2009. Steve plays all of the instruments on that album.
lieutenant was recorded and mixed on tape and was produced once again by Marvin Etzioni.
Barton and Etzioni recently completed Steve"s 6th solo album, eyeing a 2014/2015 release. The band on the record is made up of Dave Scheff on drums, Derrick Anderson playing bass, Willie Aron on piano, organ and guitar, Nelson Bragg on percussion, Etzioni on guitar, and Pete Thomas from Elvis Costello"s band playing drums on three of the songs.
The album was engineered by the great Sheldon Gomberg, and mastered by the legendary Bernie Grundman.