SAFETY HARBOR — Canadian-American singer-songwriter and guitarist Steve Poltz will take the stage Friday, March 25, at the Safety Harbor Art & Music Center, 706 Second St. N., Safety Harbor.
Doors will open at 7 p.m. and the show will begin at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door if available. Visit safetyharborartandmusiccenter.thundertix.com.
Though 2021 could have found Poltz adrift due to a tour moratorium, it opened a door — literally, the door of his friend Oliver Wood of The Wood Brothers — and the creation of an exuberant, thoughtful batch of songs that celebrate life in all of its stages.
The resulting album is called “Stardust & Satellites,” and it was released in February by Red House/Compass Records.
Poltz is the sort of prolific writer and collaborator who downplays what seems like a non-stop geyser of creativity.
“I have no rhyme or reason for what I do,” he said. “It’s all magic. I go by instinct. It just felt right, so I went with it.”
Poltz regularly spends more than 300 days a year on the road and would have been on tour last year under normal circumstances. Nashville roots rockers Ditto Nashville rockers The Wood Brothers. Stuck in Nashville, Poltz often joined the Wood Brothers for outdoor socially distant social events, and on a whim he decided to record one song with Oliver Wood and Jano Rix.
That set the precedent. With no studio clock ticking, no schedule or deadlines to meet, the companionship and ability to collaborate with like-minded musicians added a joyful diversion to what was a boring year. Musically, the sky was the limit, and the group of musicians and friends embarked on a musical experience that found cast and crew reaching toward the stratosphere with “Stardust & Satellites,” which Oliver and Jano Rix of The Wood Brothers produced.
Born in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and raised in San Diego, California, Poltz toured and recorded with San Diego favorites The Rugburns. 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.” He 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.” His discography also includes “Dreamhouse,” “Folk Singer” and 2019’s “Shine On.”
