By Jon Chown
Steve Poltz will not let current events get him down, and if you’re feeling blue, he has a message for you.
“Love a Little Bigger, Forgive a Little Quicker.”
It is the title of his new single from his new album “JoyRide,” released Jan. 30, but it’s been an ethos of most of his life. He will likely play some tracks from it during his upcoming performance at Felton Music Hall on Feb. 7, but it’s Poltz, so who really knows? And that’s why his fans love him.
Poltz is a singer-songwriter known for witty lyrics and wild stories. His career spans more than three decades. He’s a folk singer, but you’ll never hear him singing an angry word. Protest, he will, but happily. Poltz said anger and angst are just not in his blood.
“I’ve tried it and I didn’t wear that suit well. I felt like I was cosplaying,” Poltz said. “And I didn’t like the way it made me feel. It wasn’t good medicine. We need good medicine. We need love.”
Poltz was born in Nova Scotia, Canada, but grew up in Southern California, graduating from Palm Springs High School before eventually landing in San Diego, which he still calls home. He began playing music seriously in the late 1980s and gained early attention as a founding member of the San Diego-based band The Rugburns. The group earned a cult following before breaking up in the mid-1990s.
In 1996 he co-wrote “You Were Meant for Me” with Jewel. The song became a major hit and remains one of the most recognizable pop-folk songs of the ’90s. While the success brought financial stability and industry attention, Poltz chose to follow his own winding path. He has released a long list of solo albums, including “One Left Shoe,” “Dreamhouse” and “Shine On.” But he’s really known for his live performances. His songs touch on all sorts of emotional issues we all experience: heartbreak, regret, the desire for revenge, loneliness and, of course, politics, but mostly all with humor.
“I’m following the muse wherever it goes and it’s 100 percent of the time a joyful muse,” he said.
It could have been different. Poltz said his earliest memories are pretty dark. He was born in 1960 and his very first recollection is of his mother ironing the laundry and crying as she watched John F. Kennedy’s funeral.
“That’s not a great memory,” he said. “I very well remember Bobby Kennedy getting shot, and Martin Luther King Jr., and the riots in Watts, and the riots in Detroit. I remember it all. So what’s happening now is nothing new. We’ve always been a very divided country. I’ve seen it. … It’s an age-old story.”
Poltz said he dwells on the positive instead. “I love people and love how people are different. We may never get along, but it doesn’t dissuade me from trying. I’m always an optimist. I’m spreading good vibes and I want people who come to my shows to have a respite.”
Poltz is especially known for his live performances, often taking requests, telling hilarious stories and sometimes even making up songs as he goes along. Nobody knows where he is going next — even Poltz doesn’t know because he doesn’t create a set list.
“I’ve never written a set list in my life,” said Poltz. “I get really excited to know I have a show that night and not know what’s going to happen.”
He explained that over his career, he has had time to see which songs work with an audience, which ones don’t, which songs will sparkle at certain moments or for certain situations. He has a host of songs he can fire off when the moment calls for it. One new song he finds audiences particularly enjoy is “Son of God.” In it, Poltz has a conversation with Jesus, who is trying to downsize. For instance, does Steve want Jesus’ set of Funk & Wagnalls encyclopedias?
“I just like to go out and battle the energy,” he said. “Over the years I’ve been able to acquire different arrows in my quiver that I might need at one certain part of a show. I might see somebody yawning and need to wake them up.”
Poltz said he’s looking forward to visiting Santa Cruz, seeing the trees and the people.
“I get so much joy from making music,” he said. “I’m just trying to bring a little levity to this crazy life we have.”
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Steve Poltz will appear at Felton Music Hall on Feb. 7. Tickets are $46.29 in advance and are available at Feltonmusichall.com.