Folk troubadour, Steve Poltz, has become a regular visitor to Australia and as he embarks on another national tour, he has a very important message for his fans.
“I’m here to invade your shores for the 16th time; let’s get ready to rumble,” Steve says. “I’m doing a lot of festivals: I’m playing the Blue Mountains Folk Festival, Port Fairy Folk Festival, National Folk Festival and Melbourne Comedy Fest [sic] so I’m just going to be wandering around your country, hitchhiking and looking for a ride to get to the next show.”
Steve professes a deep love for Australia, particularly our coffee and breakfast, and says for this tour he’s been working on developing his ‘Strayan accent as well as getting his tongue around a few of our colloquialisms. “I’m not that good at it,” he says of his accent, “I like saying ‘cobber’ and I like saying ‘g’day cobber’, l love that; I think that’s a word we gotta bring back.
“I love this country and I think you guys make good breakfast [and] coffee, that’s good enough reason because that’s my favourite meal of the day.
“I also feel like you guys aren’t as political as we [Americans] are, and I like that. Everyone in America is really on one side or the other side and it wasn’t always like that but politics has become sport; it’s insane what’s going on, it’s become like blood sport.”
As the US Presidential election heats up and the once-mocked notion of a Trump victory now becomes a concerning reality for many, Steve says he’s glad to be in Australia where he can, for the most part, avoid the current political melee back home. “The thing is when you’re a musician you’re going to have both sides showing up [to your shows], unless you’re overtly political on stage.
“I think it’s boring for someone to spout politics on stage and I don’t want to go see someone who, just because they’re a musician, thinks they know everything about politics. I want to go see some music and be entertained.
“You can have different sides of people at your shows and the one thing that draws them together is your music. So if I’m playing, both sides can come out, but if on Facebook I was to make a statement that was anti-Donald Trump or something, man, you’ll realise that ‘holy shit, I have some fans that are actually Trump supporters’ and you think ‘how could that be?’ but then, to each their own.”
In the ‘90s, Steve formed indie band The Rugburns and found a loyal following in the coffeehouses and bars around San Diego and greater California. It was here he met fellow folk artist Jewel and together they penned the 1996 smash hit single, ‘You Were Meant For Me’.
While he currently sells out solo shows and folk festivals around the globe, Steve remains close to his indie roots and says he’d still be perfectly comfortable going back to the intimate club and coffeehouse shows where he started. “I think I could, why not? I’d feel at home doing that,” he laughs.
Although he helped create one of the most popular acoustic songs of the ‘90s, Steve’s never lost his good-natured humour or his love of touring. “Music’s always an ever-changing, expanding beast and I’m always learning something new,” he says.
“If it wasn’t fun I wouldn’t do it; or maybe I would because I need money.”
Steve Poltz is currently in Australia playing nationwide.
