Steve Von Till

Stephen Francis Von Till Jr. is an American musician, poet, and educator, best known as the guitarist of the band Neurosis, in which he also shares lead vocals with Scott Kelly. He has performed and recorded with Neurosis’ experimental alter ego Tribes of Neurot. Von Till also records solo work under both his given name and the moniker Harvestman.

Steve Von Till
Birth nameStephen Francis Von Till, Jr.
GenresPost-metal, sludge metal, experimental, folk, psychedelic, drone, gothic country, singer-songwriter
Occupation(s)Singer-songwriter, musician
InstrumentsVocals, guitar
Years active1989–present
LabelsNeurot Records
Associated actsNeurosis, Tribes of Neurot, Culper Ring, Harvestman
Websitehttp://www.vontill.org

Equipment

Neurosis

Von Till plays Jazzcaster- and Telecaster-style guitars assembled from Warmoth parts. He employs Lollar P90 (bridge) and Bartolini strat style (neck) pickups. His main distortion pedals are Keeley modded ProCo Rat pedals, a vintage MXR Distortion +, Land of the Rising Fuzz shin ei clone, and a Fulltone OCD.

Using a wide variety of delay and modulation effects, his pedalboards have been known to include the Mutron Phasor II, MXR Carbon Copy delay, Dry Bell Vibe Machine uni-vibe clone, Electro-Harmonix Bass Micro Synthesizer, and a Chicago Iron Parachute Wah. His signal routing is all controlled by a custom made switching system by Bob Bradshaw of Custom Audio Electronics. The signal is routed to a Mesa/Boogie Mark IV with 2 2x12 Ear Candy cabs and a Garnet Session Man 2x12 combo (commonly replaced with a Fender ’65 Twin Reverb Reissue combo when renting gear).

Solo

Von Till's main acoustic guitar is a 1965 Gibson J-50.

Music

Solo

Von Till's solo music as a singer songwriter has been described as a hybrid of "haunting[1] folk songs,[2] rural psychedelia and expansive gothic Americana full of melancholic beauty".  These songs are often built around sparse arrangements, the centerpiece of which is his distinctive solemn weathered voice and minimal acoustic guitar stylings.  

Harvestman

In many ways a catch all for his other musical interests and influences, distilling his love for home recorded psychedelia[3], ambient, folk, lo-fi, krautrock, fuzz guitars, analog delays, and vintage synthesizers into a cohesive meditative body of work.  Borrowing the concept from dub music of using the recording studio as an instrument, Von Till often considers the mixes themselves as the performance where he is able to break down, manipulate, and rebuild the tracks into new forms.

Personal life

Outside his role as a musician, Von Till works as an elementary school teacher.

Poetry

On May 6, 2020 Von Till announced a collection of poetry and lyrics titled Harvestman.

Discography

With Neurosis

With Tribes of Neurot
  • Rebegin (1995)
  • Silver Blood Transmission (1995)
  • Static Migration (1998)
  • Grace (1999)
  • 60° (2000)
  • Adaptation and Survival: the Insect Project (2002)
  • Meridian (2005)

Solo albums
  • As the Crow Flies (2000)
  • If I Should Fall to the Field (2002)
  • A Grave Is a Grim Horse (2008)
  • A Life Unto Itself (2015)
  • No Wilderness Deep Enough (2020)

As Harvestman
  • Lashing the Rye (2005)
  • In a Dark Tongue (2009)
  • Trinity Score to the film h2odio, a full-length feature film by Italian director Alex Infascelli.
  • Music for Megaliths (2017)

References
  1. Sottile, Leah (March 12, 2015). ""What Are We to the Stars?": Neurosis' Steve Von Till Gets Deep on the Majestic Splendor of Idaho". Vice. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  2. "Steve Von Till – A Life Unto Itself (album review ) | Sputnikmusic". www.sputnikmusic.com. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
  3. "Feature: Interviews – Harvestman (Steve Von Till)". Scene Point Blank. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
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