answer one thing before I fly.
Which one of you assholes blew a
hole in the sky? … My generation
ain’t pussies. We don’t need guns
to have a blast. Take that second
amendment and stick it up your
ass!” I also love the mariachi horn
line in the break of this song in
which Steven relives his youth as a
modern-day Millennial lamenting
the damage his actual generation
has done politically and environ-
mentally.
A longtime supporter of edu-
cation, particularly with his
TeachRock curriculum that aims
to preserve American music his-
tory, Steven gives a nod to good
teachers who do their best within
an increasingly shitty system via
the Indian-spiced raga-rock of
“Education.” The exotic tune fea-
tures great use of sitar and tabla.
Also exotic-sounding is “Suddenly
You,” a sultry love song with great
trumpet parts by Ron Tooley and
Ravi Best.
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 59
On “I Visit the Blues,” Steven
does that just by enthusiastically
recalling his early days in the pre-
Jukes outfit Blackberry Booze
Band. He boldly sings, “I ain’t look-
ing for no trouble baby, but if you
need some, I’m your man. I do my
drinkin’ with Mr. Lucifer. Canceled
my ticket to the Promised Land.”
And that brings us to what in
my opinion is the best new Ste-
ven song: “Summer of Sorcery”
the percussive, largely acoustic
Springsteen-like closing title track
that builds into an epic Specto-
resque pop-chestra, kind of like
an innocent prequel to that which
was lost in “Jungleland.”
A good chunk of this rhythm &
bluesy, rock ‘n’ soul collection
also can be heard live. Upcoming
area dates of are July 16 at Col-
lege Street Music Hall in New Ha-
ven; July 18 at The Paramount in
Huntington, NY; July 20 at Keswick
Theatre in Glenside, Pa., and July
26 at the State Theatre in Easton.
INDEX
NEXT ARTICLE
127