# The Szuters

The Szuters were a rock band, active from ~1995-2001. After the breakup of their previous band, Outta the Blue, brothers Mike and Cj Szuter formed The Szuters alongside bass guitarist Mike Vincent, and drummer Johnny Fedevich.
Following the group's disbandment, re-formation into Magna-Fi, and that band's subsequent folding, The Szuters name has been revived as Mike Szuter's as a solo project.
Mike Szuter would later revive The Szuters as a solo project in 2020.

## History

Brothers Mike and Cj Szuter had been playing music together since they were very young, eventually forming the band Outta the Blue in the mid-1980s. They played around the Cleveland music scene, releasing three studio albums and an EP between 1985 and 1994, before morphing into The Szuters around 1995.
The new band was signed to Victor and released their self-titled debut album exclusively to Japan in 1996, produced by Paul Gilbert of Mr. Big fame. A sophomore effort would follow in 1998 in the form of American Pop, once again being exclusive to Japan. Bass guitarist Mike Vincent would be replaced with Tony Santoro on this record, and Paul Gilbert took a back seat in the list of producers.
At the end of that same year, The Szuters would release the EP, Last Band Standing. It was published through Decompression Records, a label the band created and ran themselves. In contrast to the rest of The Szuters' discography, this EP released in the United States alone, making it their first and only attempt to break into the North American market. This could explain the track list being split between new songs and remastered cuts from American Pop, as very few people outside of Japan would have had a chance to hear them at all.
Recorded in 1999 and released in 2000, Not Quite at Budokan is the last true album recorded by The Szuters as a four-piece, once again only released in Japan by Victor. Following a shift in musical style around this time, The Szuters would cease until Mike and Cj met bassist Rob Kley and drummer Charlie Smaldino in Las Vegas. The Szuter brothers would form a new band with them, continuing under The Szuters moniker for a short time throughout 2001, once again trying to find success in North America. However, the changes in market, lineup, and sound distanced the new material from what had come before, so they started brainstorming band names. It was Smaldino's suggestion, Magna-Fi, that would become the new group's title, and they would release their debut album, Burn Out The Stars, independently in 2003, and on Aezra Records in 2004.
It can be assumed that The Szuters already having recognition in Japan is why Burn Out The Stars was released in that region under the previous band's moniker, with the album being titled Magna-Fi instead. This version of Burn Out The Stars would feature a few new songs, while also removing a couple from the original track list.
After this, The Szuters moniker would lay dormant for near two decades until Mike Szuter revitalized it as a solo project in 2020, releasing the album Sugar that year and The Devil's in the Details in 2021.

## Band members
### Current lineup

* Mike Szuter - Guitar, vocals (~1995-2001, 2020-present), keys, piano, drums, bass (2020-present)

### Past members

* Cj Szuter - Guitar, vocals (~1995-2001)
* John Fedevich - Drums, vocals (~1995-1998)
* Giovanni Mastro - Drums, vocals (1999-2001)
* Mike Vincent - Bass guitar, vocals (~1995-1996)
* Tony Santoro - Bass guitar, vocals (1997-1998)
* Craig Martini - Bass guitar, vocals (1999-2001)

## Discography
### Studio albums & EPs

* The Szuters (1996)
* American Pop (1998)
* Last Band Standing (1998)
* Not Quite at Budokan (2000)
* Magna-Fi* (2003)
* Sugar (2020)
* The Devil's in the Details (2021)
*Japanese release of Magna-Fi's Burn Out The Stars.

### Singles

* Farther Falling Star (Radio Edit) [1998, promo]