Over the years neither L.J. Witter nor Steve Gerick realized that the other had musical ‘chops’ since they rarely discussed it. It wasn’t until Steve mentioned he played ‘some guitar’ and L.J. said “Hey, I sing a little” that a seed was planted that has grown into a fervent collaboration that has lasted more than a decade.
In 2008, Steve and L.J. decided to create music together and produced their first studio album. The fact that both Gerick and Witter were well past middle-age, deciding on a name for the band was more of a problem than actually creating music. They settled on The OGeeZ, which in modern parlance could mean Original Gangsters, Old Geezers, etc. Since we deemed ourselves more of the latter than the former - The OGeeZ it was!
Their music can only be described as “genre-bending” as their musical tastes explore the boundaries of everything from Blues, Latin and R&B to Pop, Jazz, and even Rap. As a result of their diverse musical predilections, their fanbase stretches the globe.
The fact that these two are still creating great music at their age is notable, especially L.J. Witter who is eighty years young! For all who are way past middle-age and love to sing and play music, we hope our music will inspire you to reexamine the boundaries of your artistic talents.
“The OGeeZ are a talented twosome from California consisting of guitarist-composer Steve Gerick and lead
singer and lyricist Lew Witter. Presently working in the San Francisco Bay Area, this studio act writes and
records a healthy combination of songs in the genres of rock, pop and R&B. Their original work is the
product of their desire to produce what they call “a counter-culture sound” that demonstrates their “desire to
avoid the status quo” in the music industry as well as their diverse backgrounds.”
— William Phoenix, The Examiner
On their new album “Feelings,” The Ogeez branch out from roots in rock and blues for this collection of
smooth romantic R&B
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“The OGeeZ are a talented twosome from California consisting of guitarist-composer Steve Gerick and lead
singer and lyricist Lew Witter. Presently working in the San Francisco Bay Area, this studio act writes and
records a healthy combination of songs in the genres of rock, pop and R&B. Their original work is the
product of their desire to produce what they call “a counter-culture sound” that demonstrates their “desire to
avoid the status quo” in the music industry as well as their diverse backgrounds.”
— William Phoenix, The Examiner
On their new album “Feelings,” The Ogeez branch out from roots in rock and blues for this collection of
smooth romantic R&B. Guitarist-composer Steve Gerick has produced a lush atmosphere of percussion,
strings, horns, guitar and keyboards around singer and lyricist Lew Witter’s tales of love and amorous
intrigue. Gerick, whose guitar role models range from Jimi Hendrix to Eric Johnson, Larry Carlton, and his
personal hero Wes Montgomery, is a gifted musician, composer and arranger who put his studio chops to
good use in creating this intricate and appealing music. Witter’s lyrics speak to the ups and downs of
romance, with nostalgic traces of lost love. His vocals, mellow as vintage bourbon, are reminiscent of work
by contemporary singers such as Grammy-winner Gregory Porter, whose music explores similar territory.
“Feelings” is the fifth album by this California-based duo and should appeal to lovers of R&B, smooth jazz,
and mellow varieties of jazz.
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