After the show, Steve came out and signed autographs and chatted with fans. Steve and I had a short conversation about Modoc, the classical piece from High Tension Wires that I learned to play over Christmas vacation.

Some interesting tidbits about that piece:

- It's in the nonstandard tuning of E Flat Major. Steve said that he used E Flat instead of D or E because of the tension of the strings on the neck. Because in that tuning, some strings go up and others down, meaning that the neck tension doesn't change from the standard tuning, so things like the action and intonation aren't affected. Also, he said, it makes it easier to re-tune the guitar when playing a live gig.

- That particular piece on the album was recorded directly into a DAT machine on which he didn't have any editing capabilities. So what he played, he had to live with.

- He agreed that the sonic signature of that piece was something special. It has a very unique sound, and he says he simply got lucky with it. It was recorded in his closet at home.

I was really thrilled he took the time to talk with me and the other fans. It was a fantastic show, and a great night I'll never forget.