Seasick Steve

SEASICK STEVE

FB / IG / TWITTER / TIKTOK / LISTEN

ABOUT SEASICK STEVE:

Some describe Seasick Steve as a “blues man,” but he thinks of himself as more of a “song and dance man” meets “professional busker” meets “done almost every job under the sun’ got lucky” kinda guy. Today, the veteran performer — whose rise from journeyman musician to selling out Wembley Arena and five appearances at the vaunted Glastonbury festival is the stuff of legends – is soon releasing his latest album, The Last Season of America, a collection of stirring protest songs and heartfelt reflections on the state of his home country due September 18 on Steve’s new label Eastcote Recordings. 2026 marks twenty years since an unknown American singer / songwriter — a grandfather armed with just a beat-up, three-stringed Japanese guitar and an old wooden box to stomp on — made his TV debut on Jools Holland’s BBC Hootenanny on New Year’s Eve 2006. It was a flashpoint moment for Seasick Steve, so named because of a penchant for carsickness rather than seasickness. Steve never imagined that he would go on to play almost every major festival, selling out numerous tours and legendary venues along the way, or that he would have sold almost two million records worldwide, including three top ten albums in the official UK album chart. Steve’s musical journey began as a boy in 1950s Oakland, devouring his fathers collection of 78’s: from pioneers of jazz and R&B (The Ink Spots, The Mills Brothers, Ella Fitzgerald, The Nat King Cole Trio, Jelly Roll Morton, Louis Armstrong) and iconic early country music (Hank Williams, Left Frezzell, Patsy Cline) on through to the revolutionary sounds of Buddy Holly, Elvis Presley, and early 60’s Doo Wop and Motown. The greatest revelation, however, was the Blues: Steve’s deep and abiding connection with the sound grew throughout the mid ’60’s as he witnessed live performances from legends including Son House, Mississippi Fred McDowell, the Reverend Gary Davis, John Lee Hooker, Howlin’ Wolf and Lightnin’ Hopkins. It forever changed his life, informing every step of his musical journey. His life has been a winding one. He witnessed the freewheeling 60’s up close, seeing various icons of the era, from Otis Redding and Bo Diddley to The Doors and Sly and The Family Stone. He was an active musician through the 70’s and 80’s, perhaps most notably performing in Shanti, a group fusing Indian and rock music. In the 90’s, he was a mainstay in the Seattle scene, producing records by local musicians including Kathleen Hanna and Modest Mouse. Though now living in Norway — a purposeful attempt to create physical distance from the country whose state of affairs gets harder to watch by the day — Steve’s love for his home country remains. Though this protest record seethes with sadness and anger, it ultimately casts a hopeful glance at the horizon, anticipating a brighter future to come. Much like Steve’s longstanding and winding career, his message and voice have an enduring, timeless power.