the Fiery Band!!
Long a solo artist relentlessly touring the Eastern US, Virgin
Islands and Europe, Dan Stevens sought out Connecticut's best
and most "fiery" musicians to form the band he had long envis-
ioned. The name for the Fiery Band was inspired by lyrics from
the Gary Davis song Light of This World where Davis exclaims,
" I got fiery fingers and I got fiery hands... When I get up to
heaven I'm gonna play in the Fiery Band."
Chris D'Amato and Billy Bileca fit the bill perfectly, both hav-
ing toured nationally with famed blues diva Debbie Davies.
D'Amato, aka "Smokin' Opey”, is a master guitarist and has been
an important member of the New Haven scene for many years.
Bileca who also toured with Jeff Pitchell is a world class acous-
tic bassist and is a protege of Joel Dibartolo of Doc Severensen's Tonight Show Orchestra. Rounding
out the band is tasty drummer and road veteran Jonathan Lichtig formerly of Greg Picolo and Heavy
Juice.
The band performs primarily upbeat acoustic and electric blues and originals from Dan's
highly acclaimed three CD's plus a diverse selection of vintage popular roots music. Available
in numerous configurations including duo, trio and four piece, the band is adaptable to concert, festival, community or private event and club settings.
Photos: Debi Friedlander
Photo: Tamara Bileca
Billy Bileca