Driven by a passion for social and environmental justice as well as a simple love of music, Steven Andrew Kacsmar aims to inspire change as much as entertain. This Bay Area songwriter combines folk, acoustic rock, and blues influences to share his message of hope and inspiration that invites audiences to think, laugh, cry, dance, and sing along.

Born and raised in Ohio, he grew up listening to The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, The Who, and Eric Clapton. Inspired, he first picked up a guitar when he was 8 years old and played his first gig by sneaking into the local youth center. Steven migrated to San Francisco three months out of High School and has called the Bay Area home ever since.

After a full-time career in banking that found him playing music whenever he was able, Steven made a full-time commitment to music in 2002. The result was Steven's debut solo CD, "Dreams and Destiny," (SunLotus Music, 2003), produced by Grammy nominee Roberta Donnay.

"Dreams and Destiny" received acclaim for its heartfelt, emotion-laden lyrics and distinctive melodies and drew comparison to the work of both James Taylor and Willie Nelson. DJ Lord Litter chose two of Steven's songs, ("Don't Really Know" and "Time-Through the Years") from the CD for airplay on his "Outlaw for Peace" radio show as well as Cyberstorm Radio

In the same year he released his debut CD, Steven formed an acoustic-rock band, Phantom City. Performing solo and with the band, he has appeared at the Freight and Salvage, The Silverado Resort, The Artemis Gallery, Old Vics, La Pena Cultural Center, The Stork Club, Peri's in Fairfax, The Brainwash Cafe, The ICAN Gallery, and The Masonic Auditorium. Phantom City released their debut CD "City of Dreams" in January 2007, which Steven recorded and produced at his Snoring Dog Studio in San Francisco.

Whether delivering an acoustic ballad, a soaring rock anthem or getting people up out of their chairs, Steven's hopeful vision for the world is always at the fore. The artist frequently contributes his work to peace and social justice events and organizations; his song "There Must Be Something More" was performed in an anti-violence musical at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium, which featured 500 youth performers. "It's Our World" was featured at a meeting of California Peace Action and the 2003 Earth Charter Summit in San Francisco. He wrote his environmental call to action "Small Steps" for the 2004 Earth Charter Community Summit. Steven and Phantom City have also performed at Steve Sodokoff's 'Gimme Shelter' Benefit for the Homeless, at the Civic Center Plaza as part of the San Francisco Parade for World Peace, and appear annually at The OMI Family Festival in San Francisco.

A prolific artist and active member of the Bay Area songwriting scene, Steven continues to pen material for both himself and Phantom City. He hosts a monthly Songwriters Showcase in San Francisco run by Songsalive!, a non-profit organization that supports independent artists. In addition to continually writing and recording his own work, Steven has been recording and producing demos for other songwriters at Snoring Dog Studio and has begun work on his next CD with Phantom City.