Steve Poltz

There are musicians, and performers, and storytellers, and then there’s Steve Poltz. When asked to describe him, most who’ve seen him simply smile, lay a hand upon a shoulder, and implore the inquiring party to go to his show. A musician beyond definition, Steve infuses each audience member with the feeling that he is playing specifically for them. This skill is neither spell nor trick, it is a genuine connection that begins the moment he steps foot upon the stage and remains as a vivid memory as long as one can recall seeing him play. It nestles into the children kneeling at his feet, into the young and the middle-aged and those whose crows feet expand at the mere mention of his name. He dedicates the entirety of his being to every single performance with the knowledge that if he lays himself before his audience, they will inevitably return the favor, and each will come out the other end better than they went in. Together they laugh, and cry, and laugh again, and ultimately rejoice in the lives they get to lead and the music they get to share. The great Joe DiMaggio, when asked why he played so hard every day, responded that for every game there was someone who’d never seen him play. It’s a similar marvel to witness Steve Poltz’s dedication to his craft and to his audience, and as a result, an individual need see him play but once to usher in a lifetime of gratitude and adoration. 

Hilary Watson

From downbeat to curtain call, Hilary Watson holds her audience in the nook of her arm as she swings, soars, and saunters through every song. She knows exactly where she wants to go and how she wants to get there, and she routinely gathers listeners together as they file in alongside her for a musical pilgrimage focused on the ride rather than the destination. The refined ease that permeates her sound speaks to a process that inspects the work from every angle, and the end product uses that thoughtful foundation to stretch and bloom in the way that only live music can. When fronting her band, each player displays a supreme confidence in the path she forges, and as a solo artist the audience assumes that same complementary role and as they accompany her through the peaks and valleys of each song. Her dynamic repertoire can set off in any direction while continuously maintaining a sweet spot of comfort and shared confidence that resonates in the pure joy radiating from the performer herself. Someone encountering music for the first time would know exactly what to do at a Hilary Watson show as she is fluent in the unspoken language that keeps us flocking together to share these magical musical experiences. We arrive, we listen, we feel, and in the end, we come to know each other. Meanwhile, the hand of the artist is fluid, unseen, and ubiquitous.