Quick Q and A with Steven Bacon
 by Cliff Garber  ·  4 May 2009

Steven Bacon is a hard-working singer-songwriter who has played his songs coast to coast but is currently calling Boston his home. Steven’s music is contemplative and captivating. As Peter Mulvey says of Steven: “It’s good to see a writer taking on the big topics — God and country, the state of the interior soul and the national one.” Take a little trip over to Steven’s website or to You Tube to watch a video of Steven performing at NERFA 2008.

Growing up, was there a single catalyst that made you realize that music was what you wanted to pursue or is it something you’ve always known you wanted to do?

I’ve been drawn to making music for as long as I can remember. We had an old breather organ when I was a kid that I used to figure out church songs on and make up my own melodies. The organ had those little black and white chord keys on the side — the kind that play a major, minor, or 7th chord at the touch of a button. I remember becoming enthralled with the A minor button because a) I was obsessed with minor chords, and b) I figured out it sounded dark and good if you held down the A minor chord button while playing any of the white regular keys organ keys.

It’s been a heck of a year for you. What was the high point and what are you most looking forward to in the upcoming year?

I’ve had a number of high points this year. Instead of picking one I’d like to mention some things that happened in the past year that I’m grateful to have experienced :

Being asked to play on stage with Glen Hansard at the Agannis Arena, playing shows with the Bacon Brothers, spending the afternoon with Ellis Paul and trading songs (thanks to Rachel Klein), winning Tom Bianchi’s Singer Songwriter Open Mic competition finals (aka “The Main Event”), getting the chance to work with Kathy Sands-Boehmer, being invited to play the me&thee with Chris O’Brien and Antje Duvekot, finally experiencing the awesome-ness that is NERFA and Folk Alliance, becoming more a part of the Somerville / Cambridge music scene, having the chance to busk outside of the U2 concert at the Somerville theater last month, getting to do a mini-tour of Alaska this winter with dear friends, playing the Hard Rock Cafe in Memphis while being backed by a full African-American children’s gospel choir (and the wonderful Nancy Apple and Nate Spencer), and playing in the street in Davis Square last Saturday while a bunch of children danced to my music with complete abandon.

I’m not sure where to come from here. Right now I’m really looking forward to finishing an album, going to the Kerrville Folk Festival, and then doing a tour of Europe.

Knowing you and your experiences busking (street singing) has been a very important part of your identity as a musician, what does it mean to you?

Street performing has given me the ability to make a living as an artist in whatever way is most natural to me. It’s the way I hone my songs. I get instant feedback on what connects and what is inaccessible. Everyday I go out with the goal of improving my playing, singing, writing, performing, patience, and faith. There are no rules, no one to challenge my version of art. I can wake up whenever I wake up, work on music for as long as I want, go out and play music whenever I’m feeling it, and meet wonderful people and have unbelievable experiences in what seems like a random series of perfectly timed accidents. I feel like it’s opened the world to me. Although I love to play straight gigs (indoor scheduled gigs), what really turns me on is going to new places and finding a good spot to set up and play for whoever happens to walk by. I don’t need to ask permission or worry about getting paid or being fed. That all takes care of itself. As Peter Mulvey advised me: “Just Play Play Play, and everything else will sort itself out.” My European tour will largely consist of impromptu and unplanned performances in unusual places. Everyday I’ve lived as a street and subway performed has felt like a Saturday to me.