Folk music and storytelling are intrinsically linked, and folk music has seen its fair share of world-class raconteurs.
However, there are raconteurs and then there's Steve Poltz. Poltz chaotically weaves together shows that have the crowd laughing like it's stand-up comedy one moment, amazed by his musical prowess the next, before suddenly crying as he touches their hearts, all within minutes.
To understand the wildly enjoyable Steve Poltz, you must examine his beginnings. "When I was seven years old, my uncle would have me dress up like Oliver, and I would sing the parts," Poltz recounts.
"They would have me say, 'please, sir, may I have some more?' in an English accent, and it would crack them up. I noticed that was a good reward for my pleasure centre, seeing people laugh and smile.
"I made muscle memories from the hits of dopamine, and subconsciously stored it in the back of my head as a young kid. I built up a bank account of good feelings for the days I'm feeling sad and I need to refill it up. Then I make people smile again, I'm like a hamster hitting the feeder bar."
Steve became a household name when he co-wrote 'You Were Meant For Me' with Jewel, who he met while couch surfing and playing coffeeshops in San Diego.
Sixteen albums later, the prolific Poltz continues to entertain with songs about trading Donald Trump for Leonard Cohen and 'Ballin' On A Wednesday', establishing a cult-like following who came for the music and returned for the stories.
"Storytelling is something I developed over time," Poltz shares. "Part of it was a survival mechanism to go along with the reward systems I mentioned.
"As a kid, I was the runt of the litter. I was skinny and I had asthma, so for a survival mechanism, I learned how to make the kids in school laugh. Because I couldn't defend myself against a bully, I learned to talk my way out of things.
"My mind became agile. Then you grow up and go, 'what can I do to make a living? Oh, this works!'"
Poltz's shows are known for no two being the same. He shares his process, and how it developed by hilariously going off the rails. "Let's think of a show like a quilt.
"You have this quilt and the quilt takes you on a journey. Some of the stitches don't match or some of the colours, but somehow it all works. That's like doing a show. You put this thing together and hopefully it works out with a beginning, a middle and an end.
"Sometimes I didn't know when the end was. Once I played at Java Joe's in Ocean Beach, and there were about 300 people there. I said to the audience, 'I'm having so much fun. I'm not gonna stop until everybody's either asleep or gone!' People got kinda nervous and laughed.
"The show started at eight, and at five in the morning, there were three people left. The last guy fell asleep and I ran around the room singing 'We Are The Champions', while Java Joe laughed at me."
Seeing the ease with which Steve charms his crowds, it's hard to imagine he knows the meaning of the word anxiety. However, Poltz confirms it was a journey becoming the artist he is today.
"I used to get onstage anxiety really bad where I couldn't finish a show sometimes. Three different times, I left the club and never went back to get my merch, because I was too embarrassed. I would be nauseous.
"Then, all I did was I just kept doing this for decades. I'm like 500 years old now. Once I ceased caring about my anxiety, the shows got better because I started playing for me, which made it more enjoyable for the audience. I'm still searching for that perfect show, which I'm never gonna get, but I'm searching for it."
Poltz humorously names his guitars, including Smokey Joe, Clackety-Clack, Flowerpot, and Trailer-Trash.
He confirms he was recently given a new addition to the collection, which adds to a familiar musician's conundrum.
"I just got one called Hillbilly Martin. It was given to me by the director of 'Running Wild: The Life Of Dayton O. Hyde', a documentary I did the music for. Her friend had a Martin guitar from 1973 underneath his bed and it got flooded.
"The guitar melted and got crushed, so he gave it to the director and she sent it to a really good luthier to restore it. In his words, this guitar makes no sense. It's stunning how good it sounds.
"I keep trying to get rid of guitars 'cause I had way too many and I wasn't playing them. I'm best with one guitar. I think I have nine guitars now," Poltz pauses. "Oh my wife just said I have 15 guitars, so I'm a complete liar!" he laughs.
No stranger to Australia, Poltz is heading out for Western Australia's Nannup Music Festival alongside a string of headline shows and appearances at Port Fairy Folk Festival, Blue Mountains Music Festival, Bluesfest and National Folk Festival.
Running since 1990, Nannup sees over 100 (mostly local) acts perform alongside workshops, poetry, camping, and artisan markets.
Nannup showcases new talent, originality, excellence, culture and Indigenous heritage, with this year's acts including Red Wiggle Murray Cook's duo Mack and Cook, Nathan Cavaleri, and Peter Bibby among many others.
"I've played Nannup three times," Poltz shares. "I really love it. It's as ancient as red dirt, it's holy ancient land. It's gorgeous and there's wisdom in the dirt.
"This will be my 23rd time coming to Australia, and my 15th in Western Australia. I always enjoy it. I hear incredible music that I haven't heard before."
Now a seasoned veteran, Poltz shares how his journey began when he started challenging himself, and how that has carried him across the years. "Playing to very few people taught me a lot.
"When I started in San Diego, the place started getting packed, and I thought, 'if I went to Phoenix, could I do this?' That was the first challenge, how to even get a gig in Phoenix or Los Angeles from San Diego.
"The challenge of getting gigs farther out of town, three hours away, five hours away, and realising how hard it is, that changed me. Because now you're back to square one, playing to two people who really don't care about you.
"Learning how to get these people to listen and tell somebody else to come see me next time, that's complete survival. You do it or you don't eat.
"Then the journey begins, because you're on your path; and when you're on your path, you're not thinking about even where the years went. Now I'm going, 'how did I get as old as I am? Where did the time go?' Because I still feel like I'm that kid trying to find the next gig."
A true music lover's 'weekend of discovery’, Nannup Music Festival takes place 27 February until 2 March.
Steve Poltz 2026 Tour Dates
Thu 26 Feb - The Dam (Denmark)
Fri 27 Feb - Nannup Music Festival
Sat 28 Feb - Nannup Music Festival
Sun 1 Mar - Lyric Underground (Perth)
Thu 5 Mar - Trinity Sessions (Adelaide)
Fri 6 Mar - Murray Delta Juke Joint (Goolwa)
Sat 7 Mar - Port Fairy Folk Festival
Wed 11 Mar - Ararat Town Hall
Thu 12 Mar - Brunswick Ballroom (Melbourne)
Fri 13 Mar - Memo Music Hall (Melbourne)
Sat 14 Mar - Blue Mountains Music Festival
Sun 15 Mar - Blue Mountains Music Festival
Wed 18 Mar - Camelot Lounge (Sydney)
Thu 19 Mar - Camelot Lounge (Sydney)
Fri 20 Mar - Avoca Beach Theatre (Central Coast)
Sat 21 Mar - Full Throttle Ranch (Buttai Valley)
Sun 22 Mar - Flow Bar (Old Bar)
Thu 2 Apr - Tanks Art Centre (Cairns)
Fri 3 Apr - Bluesfest (Byron Bay)
Sat 4 Apr - Bluesfest (Byron Bay)
Sun 5 Apr - National Folk Festival (Canberra)
Mon 6 Apr - National Folk Festival (Canberra)
