Sundilla prides itself on introducing musicians to people who might never have heard that performer before. But every now and then, we get to present someone who was well-known long before they took the stage at Sundilla, or even long before Sundilla existed. That will be the case when Steve Forbert plays Sundilla on Friday, September 13. Showtime at the AUUF (450 E. Thach Avenue in Auburn) is 7:30. Advance tickets will be $25 for this one, and can be found at Spicer’s Music, Ross House Coffee, Foodie’s, and online at www.sundillamusic.com; admission at the door will be $30.
It was back in 1979 when people were humming a song called “Romeo’s Tune,” thanks to the heavy airplay it was getting, airplay that helped push the song all the way to #11 on the Billboard charts. You know it, even if you think you don’t: “Meet me in the middle of the day, let me hear you say everything’s OK…” That one. And while some might consider him deserving of the label “one-hit wonder,” such a distinction would be selling Steve Forbert short. When New Wave bands began to dominate the FM airwaves not long after, and the best way to have a hit song was to create a great video, Forbert stuck to his guns, continuing to fly the flag for organic roots music that proudly blurred the lines between genres. Releasing 20 studio albums (with #21 releasing a few weeks before his Sundilla performance) in twice as many years, plus four live albums, he has remained prolific well into the 21st century, serving as an elder statesman of Americana music while still writing music that’s spry and steadfast. He’s also a member of the Mississippi Music Hall of Fame, and a Grammy nominee for his tribute to Jimmie Rodgers, “Any Old Time.”
Steve Forbert is a true American musical treasure, underscored by the new album. Like all his albums, it’s saturated with what venerated rock journalist Robert Christgau discerned as his “omnivorously observant” songwriting, marked by Steve’s gift for finding the more profound meaning and magic within everyday moments, as well as his abundant melodic and poetic enchantment.
“Like Warren Zevon, Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Bruce Springsteen, Steve Forbert has left his unmistakable imprint on the landscape of American music,” says American Songwriter. As with other esteemed creative souls, his work is marked by his own distinctive qualities, and he speaks genuinely to his listeners.
As Forbert approaches the milestone of his 70th birthday, Daylight Savings Time contemplates and celebrates the proverbial ‘extra hour of daylight’ that comes with the time change. “Yeah, to chirping crickets and to daylight savings time!” he sings on the album’s first single, “Sound Existence,” “The best ain’t yet to come, but you could still get by just fine.”
Daylight Savings Time is Forbert’s third album helmed by producer/engineer Steve Greenwell. Its core components were cut old-school style at Greenwell’s studio in Asbury, NJ, with drummer Aaron Comess (Spin Doctors) and keyboard player Rob Clores (Jesse Malin, The Black Crowes, Tom Jones.) Supple bass lines were contributed by Byron House (Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, Al Green, and more.) Gurf Morlix, whose guitar and production gifts were elemental in launching Lucinda Williams into the spotlight, tracked his note-perfect six-string contributions at his home studio just outside Austin, Texas.
When Steve arrived in New York City from his Meridian, Mississippi hometown in 1976, his aim was establishing a lifetime of creating, performing, and recording the songs he’d started writing at age 17 after cutting his teeth as a teen in local rock bands. He slotted seamlessly into the “new folk” revival in such Manhattan clubs as Folk City, The Bitter End, and Kenny’s Castaways, yet at the same time took the stage at CBGB, ground zero of the burgeoning punk/new wave movement. He also busked on the streets of Greenwich Village and in the elegant confines of Grand Central Station.
Forbert chose his solo approach of voice, acoustic guitar, and harmonica, accented by foot stomps, to best approximate the melodic fullness and drive of a band. It inevitably caused him to be tagged as one of the numerous “new Dylans” that emerged in the 1970s. “Evoking the young Dylan has become a cliché for artists of this sort,” observed The New York Times, “but, in this case, Mr. Forbert deserves the evocation.” However, Steve focused on refining his singular musical voice and personality.
He quickly won a major label deal with Nemperor/CBS Records and released his heralded debut, Alive on Arrival, in 1978. His next album, Jackrabbit Slim, won similar acclaim and brought wider renown to Forbert with its #11 pop chart hit “Romeo’s Tune.” It provided the stature for his troubadour existence, which has kept him active ever since as “a striking performer, very much worth seeing and hearing,” according to The New York Times.
Steve has released 20 studio albums featuring his songwriting gifts. His live show is markedly different and genuinely of the moment. It has yielded four live album releases on record labels, plus 14 more concert recordings available exclusively on his website. His oeuvre is further rounded out by a tribute album to his fellow Meridian native, country music founding father Jimmie Rodgers, Any Old Time (nominated for a Best Folk Album Grammy award), Steve’s 2020 LP of interpretations of favorite songs by other talents that have inspired him, Early Morning Rain, and collections of outtakes and early recordings.
Venerable Milwaukee concert promoter Peter Jest perhaps best encapsulated Forbert’s creative presence. “His ability to craft songs that capture the essence of the human spirit is nothing short of remarkable. His voice is a beacon of authenticity in a world saturated with noise.“
This will be more than a concert; it will be an event, one you don’t want to miss.