Steve Poltz is a unique case study of the type of musician who found a way to forge a livelihood with his art right before the industry cratered into the rare mega-wealth and mass poverty model that is currently destroying the soul of American music. Coming up from the SoCal indie music scene of the early ’90s, he linked up with fellow singer-songwriter Jewel to co-write some of her more massive hits in that last decade of record deals, MTV and oddballs in the arena spotlights.
Since then, he has developed a career as a mainly acoustic artist, inviting a certain joy and intimacy with his audience that relies on a casual but earnest stage presence coupled with his considerable songwriting talent. In short, the man has a charmed life as far as touring musicians go, and tonight at 7:30 p.m. will be playing at the Old Steeple, which, as is often a running theme in this column, is about as perfect a venue as they come for his craft. If this sounds like your thing, grab a $25 ticket online and eat the minor surcharge because this will likely be a
popular one.
This article appears in Enter the Papaya Lounge.