Delicate Steve played an all instrumental set to an elated Soda Bar crowd on Sunday night.
Steve Marion. Ever heard of him? I had not.
But lucky for me I have this particularly lame, fan-girl habit of following just about any band or any body that is somewhat related/close/ tagged by a favorite band/brand/person/celeb etc.
Maybe I exaggerated, because I do not follow thaaaat many people on Instagram—but that’s how I ended up following Delicate Steve, probably over a year ago. He was tagged in something via ANTI Records or Dr. Dog, possibly something else. Regardless, I ended up on his Instagram and he seemed to be a experimental artist of sorts and his posts were pleasant/mildly interesting. Cue “Follow.”
I randomly saw the posts etc. Same as it ever was. A few months pass and the name seems to be popping up everywhere. He is releasing a new album “This is Steve.” NPR is speaking of him. NPR has him do a Tiny Desk segment. He is heavily involved with SXSW. He is being praised by music critics across the board. He is coming to San Diego. He is playing at Soda Bar. Say no more.
Delicate Steve is purely instrumental. I don’t believe a single word was said into the mic. And there is no way to say this without sounding like a complete jackass—but his music almost makes you feel like you are on some sort of upper. Each song has something about it that syncs up with your brain and just makes you…happy.
I’d be a complete fraud if I told you I had any clue what the setlist was. What I can tell you is that the crowd was ELATED. I heard no fewer than 12 people say something along the lines of “This is the craziest shit I’ve ever seen” “I’ve never seen anyone play guitar like that.” All of Soda Bar seemed to be wearing the same stupid smile that creeps up on you whilst listening to your favorite song that cheers you up no matter what.
He hung around after the show and talked to fans, signed some merch. And was somewhat willingly bombarded by questions by me. The guy is a lefty, like my brother. The guy is from NJ but now resides in Brooklyn. The guy is extremely pleasant and humble. And he just happens to be one of the best guitarists we’ve had the fortune of seeing. Keep an eye out for him.