Will Nicoll and Matt Moss, also known as Steel Toed Slippers, have risen from the roots of redwoods in Humboldt County to bring the world a tall and sturdy serving of classic American rock soiled in soul, funk, blues, and jazz influences.  It all started the fall of 2006 when Will and Matt, who didn’t know each other yet, were just beginning another school year in their small town of McKinleyville, California.  Will, a high school junior, roamed around the halls with his acoustic guitar and harmonica on a daily basis, and Matt, a freshman, woke up every morning at 5 am to play drums in the school’s swing band.  It was when one of the school’s counselors noticed Matt playing drums in the band room one day after class that he knew the two had to meet.  He introduced them to each other later that day at lunch and the rest is history (still) in the making.

After deciding on a band name for their new group, Will and Matt and a couple different bass players, took Humboldt County by storm.  Playing at nearly every venue in the county, Steel Toed Slippers became a well known and highly respected name among the local music scene in Humboldt.  It was clear very early on that these small town boys were onto something much bigger than their youthful selves.  In 2007, the band did their first west coast tour with shows from Humboldt all the way to Los Angeles ending with a sold out show at The Whiskey A Go Go. It was at this point that the guys realized that LA was the place to be, and soon decided to re-locate.  For the next couple years, Will attended the Musicians Institute, and Matt studied jazz at the Hamilton Music Academy.

Shortly after the move the STS boys found themselves working among some of their biggest musical influences.  They were invited into the home studio of Stephen Perkins – drummer for Jane’s Addiction – to record their very first EP. This led to countless road trips up and down the California Coast including opening slots for artists such as Little Feat, Fishbone, Cyril Neville and his band The Royal Southern Brotherhood, Dumpstaphunk, Ozomatli and many more.

In the summer of 2011, Steel Toed Slippers went into the studio to record a single song with Kenny Gradney of Little Feat playing bass.  With the help of 8 time Grammy winner, Johnny Lee Schell (Bonnie Raitt), they ended up laying down an entire album of original music that went on to be mixed by multi Grammy award winning producer Ed Cherney.  In 2012 the band released their first full length album, titled Steel Toed Slippers.  Shortly after the release, STS played a headlining set in Los Angeles at The Mint with Bill Payne of Little Feat sitting in on keyboards.   Steel Toed Slippers have been touring and playing extensively looking to do more and more.   The current lineup features, Mark Mickens on Bass and Chris Norton (Zappa Plays Zappa) on Keyboards.

Steel Toed Slippers are always on the go from town to town, and city to city, with one simple objective: to blow minds.  Whether they are performing as a duo, trio, quartet, or quintet, you can count on them to leave their audiences wanting more.  This is a band that is truly here to stay and grow, much like the redwoods that surround their youth.