Shel Silverstein, William Blake, William Wordsworth, Beverly Cleary, Quincy Jones, Mom and Dad, Grandmas and Grandpas, Beetlejuice, Lionel Ritchie, Paul Simon, Bob Dylan, Indigo Girls, and Bob Costas
Sounds Like
Rufus Wainright, trying to articulate his consonants. John Mayer, having finally cleared his throat. Bonnie Raitt, having had a sex change, and having degraded her guitar skills considerably.
Music is my first memory: 2 ½ years old at the organ, playing harmony notes over my Mom's piano renditions of show tunes and hymns. If a note didn't sound right, I'd fiddle around with it until it did. That remains to this day my idea for harmony: experimenting until it sounds beautiful to my ear.
In high school, I found myself fascinated by romantic poets like Keats, Wordsworth, Blake, and other great lyric writers like Shakespeare and Dickinson. Their words struck me as passionate and beautiful. There I was, admiring their works long after they were gone, and it dawned on me that immortality could be achieved through art.
I wrote my first songs as English class projects, and when I played them for my classmates, I knew I had found a very fun thing to do for the rest of my life. I received my first guitar as a high school graduation gift, and with it I began to write what would eventually become my first album.
For the next decade I earned my living singing harmonies, arranging songs and driving across the country in a beaten, old Ford van. My voice developed, I became comfortable on stage and I learned how to sleep in the most awkward of positions.
Two guitars and three van engines later, I’m working on my first full-length album. I’m lucky enough to be working with some wonderfully talented musicians, who inspire me to do better. I spend my days in the studio or at the piano, chasing chords and words. If I’m stuck, I make some eggs, read some Schopenhauer or ride my bike around the lake until I see the Minneapolis skyline in the distance.
And then I remember that feeling I had in high school; the feeling of knowing that I was meant to do music. I still have it now, when I wake up at 3am with a song in my head, or when I tinker at the piano and stumble across those notes that go together like peanut butter and jelly.
I’m no Emily Dickinson, and certainly no Shakespeare. My only hope is that some of my thoughts and dreams and loves will outlive me through my music, and that years from now, a 2-year-old might be fiddling around to find the perfect harmonies to go with my songs.
RECENT PRESS:
I just think he’s the most likable singer/songwriter I have ever listened to. He’s not violating the power of the guitar and voice to put out cookie-cutter crap. I imagine his music was written in a quiet room in his cottage in the middle of, say, a forest. His lyrics are sweet and honest; his music is not boastful or showy, yet it holds your attention ransom until its demands are met.
The Bang Project,Syracuse, NY
"Wish" music video - produced by The Brilliant Factory
Showcase Minnesota featuring Kevin Steinman Band
Playing at the Fine Line in Minneapolis with Josh Kelley, Keaton Simons and Alexa Wilkinson, April 2007
Live at the Half Moon in London, January 14, 2007
Live at the Cobden Club in London, October 2, 2006:
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hey! just wanted to say hi and see what was cookin'? Nothin crazy new over here, just enjoying a peaceful afternoon. Have a great week :) much love ~adrian edward
Hi Kevin! I hope you're well. I look forward to your new album. Even my 14-year-old daugther likes your music a lot! It's really, really beautiful. I hope to see you on stage sometimes again.
Hey Kevin. Yes, thanks, it was great to catch up with family and friends. I am in the middle of a terrible fire here in California....it literally looks like Hell. Please send rain. xox
Just stopping by to say hi and wish you a wonderful weekend. Your next LA date is in the diary! I'll be taking a trip to the UK Aug 1 to 16 to see my mum - looking forward to it and I'll give it your regards shall I? :)
Hey hey Kevin, Spring ended up being chaotic with major life changes.....September sounds great! I have some friends there....maybe I can bring them along? LOVE the piano/guitar combo at that venue.....I just bought my first piano....it's old but I love it (my kids too).
Thanks for the add! This year Clapperclaw Festival will be held on Saturday, September 5th @ Intermedia Arts. I hope you can join us! Stay tuned for further details this summer!
So I just moved to St. Paul this week :D and funny thing, last show you told me about was at the 400 bar... well I'm interning at the Southern Theater now right up the road. too bad that show wasn't this weekend instead of last month... anywho, hope everything is going well, let me know when you're playing around the area again so I can finally make it to a show :D cheers.
Hi Kevin! I haven't left you a comment for ages... But that doesn't mean I drifted away from your music!!
Things have been a little crappy for me lately, but hearing your music soothed my soul. It's so beautiful that it made me cry because I felt a sense of comfort and relief. Your music is magical, Kevin.
hi kevin! it was wonderful to hear you play last night. didn't get a chance to meet you, but met your wife & she's just lovely! look forward to hearing you play again soon. take care!
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