Back by popular demand. Steve will make you laugh, cry, sing, blush, dance and rejoice. And that’s just in the first song. Armed with his voice, guitar and a supernova fueled electrifying wit, Steve is the one of the single greatest entertainers rocking the free world today. If you’ve experienced a Poltzformance, then you’ve been LIFTED. In the 24 years since his full-length solo debut, One Left Shoe, Steve Poltz blessed the world’s ears with fourteen solo records, spanning the acclaimed 2010 Dreamhouse and most recently, Satellites & Stardust in 2022. NPR summed it up best, “Critics and fans alike now regard Poltz as a talented and prolific songwriter.” Evoking themes of “hope, love, contemplation, celebration of Wednesday, pharmacists, and the fact that windows are not inanimate objects and they sometimes have conversations with each other,” Steve’s on a mission, keeping a relentless global touring schedule. His is a keen and burning desire to inspire. He rocked the Joshua Tree Music Festival in 2018, 2019, and 2024, and was the first post-lockdown show here in April 2021. In 2022 & 23 he hosted BAHOOTENZIE (a SongSchool & FolkFest) here at the JTMF site. Watching Steve work with budding songwriters of all levels was a site to behold. He tirelessly inspired, cajoled and encouraged for days on end – altering attendees in a supremely positive way. Steve is going to take us on a huge journey at at the fest in May – a show not to be missed – with a huge 1 hour and 45 minute set.
With a cult following that includes fellow musicians, regular folks and festival goers who stumble onto his performances, there’s no common denominator to Steve’s fans. Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia and raised in San Diego, CA Steve toured and recorded with San Diego cult favorites The Rugburns (they still play annual sold-out reunion shows). But it was through his creative partnership with Jewel that he vaulted into the national spotlight; co-writing her multiplatinum Billboard Hot 100-busting smash, “You Were Meant For Me,” and continues to work with her to this day.
Over the years, the Nashville-based troubadour has built a fascinating solo catalog, earmarked by his debut, One Left Shoe, Dreamhouse, Folk Singer, and 2019’s Shine On. No Depression crowned him, “A sardonic provocateur with a lighthearted acoustic-driven wit, suggesting at times a sunnier, less psychedelic Todd Snider, or maybe a less wan, washed Jackson Brown,” while the Associated Press dubbed him “part busker, part Iggy Pop and part Robin Williams, a freewheeling folkie with a quick wit and big heart.”
Among other collaborations, GRAMMY-winning bluegrass phenom Billy Strings tapped him to co-write “Leaders” on 2021’s Renewal and he’s co-written with Molly Tuttle, Sierra Hull, Nicki Bluhm, Oliver Wood and even Mojo Nixon.
He’s resumed his tour schedule, and when he comes to your town, he’ll say, as he does every night, “This is the best show I’ve ever played.” And hell, maybe it just is.
