Published: July 1, 2009 7:30 PM EST
By: Isaac Davis Jr., MBA (Juniorscave.com)
New Music Spotlight July 2009 Edition
Steve Kristoff
Steve Kristoff
Heavily influenced by contemporary folksingers Steve Earle and Fred Eaglesmith singer/songwriter Steve Kristoff and Renana Gross are the perfect duo bringing the best in acoustical folk music that matters. In this recent interview with Steve Kristoff, our Webzine gets the pleasure to speak with the talented singer/songwriter in this fun interview.
Isaac: What was the best part of 2008 for you musically?
Steve: The musical highlight for 2008 was playing at the Metamora Old-Time Music Festival in Metamora, Indiana. This was a bigger, broader audience than we had played for previously. Besides doing a set on stage, we played casually around the town also, which was a lot of fun.
Isaac: What do you feel was your biggest accomplishment for 2008?
Steve: We've gained a lot of confidence just by going in front of audiences at small events and open mic sessions. Our banjo/mandolin sets have come a long way. People also really seem to like the original songs.
Isaac: Describe the music scene in area.
Steve: We are in a small town, rural area, so it has been difficult to build a network. Open mic sessions have been good for finding kindred spirits. There are a few bluegrass bands in the area and several people play folk on their guitars. We're kind of the novelty act with our old-timey mountain music and ukulele tunes, but that helps us be unique, I suppose.
Isaac: What has been the best venue to perform at and why?
Steve: I had the best time performing on the stage at the Ukulele World Congress in Nashville, Indiana, early in June. It was fun to play for fellow uke aficionados. Kazoos are welcome! Look up Ukulele World Congress on YouTube and "Steve and Nonnie" have a couple tunes in the list.
Isaac: Elaborate a little about whom were your biggest influences in the music industry and why?
Steve: My wife and I love the old-time string bands. Our biggest contemporary influences in that genre are probably the Carolina Chocolate Drops and Uncle Earl. Grandapa Jones is a particularly inspiring banjo player. For our uke music, we get inspiration from the Hoosier Hot Shots and the Wiyos. They don't necessarily play uke a lot, but we love that type of music.
Isaac: Let's talk about what you feel you will bring to the music industry?
Steve: Admittedly, our music won't appeal to everyone, but that's OK with me. I hope we can bring our own take on old-time music and old pop tunes and give folks a chance to discover and enjoy fun music from the past.
Isaac: If you had an opportunity to work with one artist or group, who would it be and why?
Steve: I'd love to jam with the Wiyos some day. They sound like they are having fun.
Isaac: How would you describe your music to others?
Steve: We play old-time mountain music on banjo and mandolin. With ukuleles, we play old pop/novelty tunes from the 1920s to 1940s and some roots rock and roll from the '50s and '60s. I like to mess around with blues on ukulele also.
Isaac: What type of feedback have you received from fans about your music?
Steve: People really seem to like the original tunes. We do a couple of those with banjo and mandolin and some others on the ukes.
Our old-time music is pretty traditional, which seems to have a smaller audience. Also, there are many old-time groups that are way ahead of us at the moment, but we're getting there.
Isaac: What can fans expect from you in the next five years?
Steve: We plan to develop our repertoire in both old-time and pop music as well as our skills on our instruments. We plan to put together another CD and play some more local festivals. I've been in a bit of a slump lately with respect to writing, but hope to be back at it soon.
Isaac: Time for some shout outs to your family, friends, and fans…
A big howdy to the boys of the breakfast club and the fellow members of the Tuesday night old-time jam party! You all know who you are.
Isaac: Final words…
Steve: Playing music is great fun. It's never too late to start. Thanks for this opportunity to share our love of music.
