The Multifaceted Steve Poltz

Does everything an artist says have to be true? Musicians surely take us on journeys with their songs, weaving together tales based on experiences and imagination. Steve Poltz is one of those singer/songwriters, a troubadour who spins stories in his songs and from stages. He can pull your leg while also baring his soul. It’s this mix of oddball creativity and tenderness that makes him interesting and keeps audiences coming to see what the next layer of the onion will reveal.

These qualities have also garnered the interest of other musicians. Poltz has collaborated with Billy Strings (“Leaders”), Molly Tuttle (“Million Miles”), Jewel (“You Were Meant For Me”), Sierra Hull and The Wood Brothers. In fact, Oliver Wood and Jano Rix and The Wood Brothers produced his last record, 2022’s “Stardust and Satellites,” in Nashville, where Poltz now resides. The Source Weekly caught up with Poltz before he visits Sisters on Saturday, Feb. 1 at The Belfry.

Editor’s note: A Saturday matinee show was just added at 1pm — tickets available here.

Source Weekly: You played about 130 shows last year. How many days a year are you typically on the road?

Steve Poltz: I reckon I played about 139 and a half shows last year. One of ’em was only a half-a-show because the power went out mid-gig and there was a tornado warning. So all those folks had to evacuate and got ripped off by Madre Nature. I still owe some people a half a show. I’m good for it. I’ll phone it in.

So I guess that means since the shows are all in different cities, I’m on the road for over 270 days with all the travel and delays and whatnot. I should sell weed on the side since I’m always on the move. They’ll never catch me. Or will they? Either way one of the presidents will pardon me. Those pardons seem to grow on trees.

SW: Besides all the touring and festivals you’ve already got lined up for the year, what’s next? Are you working on a new studio album?

SP: I feel like I’d enjoy becoming a chef. I like chopping onions because it’s the only way I can cry. Otherwise my eyes are jaded and dry like the eyes of a lizard. Are lizards’ eyes jaded and dry? They look kinda bored to me. Unfazed and dry as the desert sand.

So yeah, I need to make a new record. I have the songs. I have the wherewithal. I just need to pull the lever and put my mouth on a microphone and twirl some knobs. It’s gonna happen. I’m a live animal so corralling me in a studio takes a bit of gumption and subterfuge. I need to be handcuffed and covered in baby oil, but there seems to be a paucity of baby oil due to a surfeit of “freak offs.”

SW: You’ve got an extensive list of noteworthy collaborators you’ve worked with over the years. Care to share any behind-the-scenes stories?

SP: Way back in 1995, Jewel and I lived at Neil Young’s ranch when we made Jewel’s debut record “Pieces of You.” The producer was Ben Keith from Neil’s band The Stray Gators. We got to have Neil’s chef “Cookie” make us all our food. He was wonderful and fed all the musicians. Neil and the rest of the guys couldn’t believe how much I could eat so one morning they weighed me before breakfast and after. It was the morning we recorded our hit song we co-wrote called “You Were Meant For Me.” So before breakfast I weighed 148 pounds. After breakfast I weighed 153. Neil Young looked at the scale and said, “Goddamn, that was a 5 pounder! How is he able to eat so much?” I looked like a snake who ate a possum.

Editor’s note: Poltz co-wrote two tracks from Jewel’s diamond-certified debut “Pieces of You,” including the multi-platinum “You Were Meant For Me” — and that’s him in the video below.

SW: What’s your earliest musical memory?

SP: My first musical memory is 1966. I was 6-years-old and my parents hired a guitar teacher to come over and show me the basics. He was a WWII vet and he had a glass eye and a wooden leg. The first thing he did was pop out his glass eye and asked me if I wanted to hold it. I was too scared so I said no. I’ve always regretted that. I wish I could go back in time.

SW: When did you know that you wanted to be a musician full-time?

SP: When I was 8, I stuttered a lot and all the kids made fun of me. I brought my guitar to show and tell. The other kids brought snakes and rabbits and their parents who were doctors and police officers. I brought my guitar and sang “Sloop John B.” After the show and tell, I went outside for lunch and sat alone at the picnic table where I always sat alone. I looked up and there were six girls around me. I remember thinking, “This is all I gotta do? I’ll never have to work a day in my life!” Those thoughts were prescient because I still can’t believe I do this for a living. It’s a complete scam. I’m still waiting for someone to ring the bell of no more fun.

SW: What can we expect from your show in Sisters?

SP: It’ll probably be the greatest show I’ll ever play. I’m planning to peak that night. At The Belfry, I’ll be on the precipice. My skills will start diminishing after Sisters. So catch me at my best. After that show, I’ll start naming my tour the “Catch A Falling Turd Tour.” I seriously recommend coming to this show and then NEVER seeing me again because I’ll only let you down. Don’t miss this once in a lifetime opportunity. Act now. Operators are standing by.