Tag Archives: Call the Breeze

Alfie Boe Favourite Duet: Short List: Seasick Steve

The appearance of Seasick Steve with Alfie Boe at Carfest South 2013 was one of the highlights of the festival for many.  I admit that writing about Seasick Steve is out of my comfort zone: I only heard his name the day before his appearance!  However, despite knowing next to nothing about him, his duet with Alfie on Call the Breeze was a highlight of Alfie’s short set.  As Seasick Steve was then nominated and went on to make the short list of the favourite duet poll (click here), I faced a dilemma; what to write?  I solved this problem by researching a little, which turned out to be fairly problematic (couldn’t find an official bio anywhere) so i did what any self respecting blogger would do.  I found another bio and re-blogged!

This is from All Music:

Like T-Model Ford, Seasick Steve (aka Steve Wold) began recording his own music much later in life than other musicians. A storytelling singer reviving traditional country blues, Wold spent his childhood in California, but left home at 14. As a hobo, he travelled for several years, jumping trains and working odd jobs. After drifting around the U.S. and Europe, he finally ended up in Norway. Aside from his respectable musical background (which includes recording early Modest Mouse, appearing on BBC television, and playing with John Lee Hooker), Wold is also noted for his unusual custom-made stringed instruments. By the time he was in his sixties, he’d finally released some official material. His first solo album, Doghouse Music, out in late 2006, was performed almost entirely by Wold. Another record, Cheap, was recorded with the Swedish rhythm section the Level Devils. An amorous seven-track Valentine’s Day EP called Songs for Elisabeth (six of the cuts were culled from previous releases) arrived in 2010. With a rustic and at time almost punk-blues approach to his material, Wold increasingly merged country blues trance boogie with a street holler voice that makes Tom Waits seem like a mainstream crooner, and the best of his songs carry a hard-earned wisdom that can only come from living on the street one block over from the edge of civility. He released the stark and powerful You Can’t Teach an Old Dog New Tricks in 2011, and returned in 2013 with his sixth offering, Hubcap Music, which featured guest appearances from Jack White and Led Zeppelin bassist John Paul Jones.

Click here to buy Seasick Steve’s music on Amazon and don’t forget to vote in the poll!