Three Questions With… Steve Shelton

by Matt Kettmann

Santa Barbara’s Steve Shelton and the Jack Ball Trio release A
Fool’s Hearty Wisdom this Saturday, July 8, 8 p.m., at Center Stage
Theater. The album is impressive both lyrically (Shelton was first
a renowned poet) and instrumentally, with the likes of Wayne Peet
on keys and Tom Lackner on drums, plus the occasional appearance of
Roberto Miranda on bass and Josh Shelton (Steve’s son) on
trumpet.

How does poetry relate to music for you? Poems
have to stand on their own, they have to stand up with their own
internal rhythm. The music is within the words themselves, whereas
once you say you’re gonna write lyrics, you know there is a tune
coming and you have to make sure that marriage works. Your
dad was a jazz musician and now you’re playing with your son. How’s
that? It’s great. It’s always fortunate when he’s free
enough to dip into some sessions. He’s got a great band I love to
plug called Vajra; they’re doing some interesting stuff. He plays
trumpet, he raps, he writes, he sings. We’re keeping it connected,
and that’s fun.

Do you plan to get this album to bigger
markets? Being independent is funny. I just did an
interview with an FM station in Maine. I’d never even heard of
them, but they had my first few CDs. And yeah, the idea is to get
it exposed, get it out to radio stations, get the stuff heard. …
It’s easier when someone else is pushing you than you pushing
yourself, so thanks for this.