Seasick Steve
Seasick Steve has done a lot of things in this life, including being cheated, ripped off, going cold and hungry, and even being a runaway at the age of 14. He channels his hard luck lifestyle into music which is played mostly on a beat-up three string guitar.
At a show on Friday at the Crystal Palace, otherwise known as the Spiegeltent (named after the company that madejust 100 of these tents). Steve treated the audience to a fine selection of music and anecdotes from his past. His best story was related to his now famous 3-string guitar which he took from a friend in retaliation for being “cheated". Notable is the fact the guitar has no name, just the word Japan on the back as Steve said the guitar was “returning home”. Oh yeah, there’s a lot of duct tape and electrical tape on it as well.
Steve did numbers from his newest album “Dog House Music” including well known numbers like “Hobo Low”, ”Things Go Up”, “Yellow Dog”. One song he dedicated to a German Shepard he owned and raised for 10-years. “I got him when he was just a little ball of fur”.
For years, it would be the only companion Steve would have. Things have changed now though Steve is still traveling all over the world as he says it “trying to take people’s money”. He's pretty thrilled by that, but still wants to remain grounded, remembering his troubled youth on the run which is inspiration for his song “Doghouse Blues”. At the end of the show, Steve turned to a familiar friend, Jack Daniels, took a slug and walked off stage. Photos by Naoaki Okamura
photos by Naoaki Okamura
Reported by Sean Scanlan (2008.07.26 / 13:06)