
Danny Michel met Steve Poltz on stage at the Eaglewood Folk Festival in Pefferlaw, Ontario.
“I didn’t know who he was. And he played one song and I thought, ‘who is this dude??’ By the end of that set we ended up singing some song from the Rocky Horror Picture Show together.”
They’ve been friends since. “It’s been a real joy,” Michel says. “He’s a character and a lot of fun. Steve has a magic quality to him.”
Last year they decided to do a Canadian tour together as a duo. Show after show sold out.
“We just have so much fun. The shows are different every night. It’s like a live art instalment, we just build the show as we go.”
“It’s kind of scary,” he adds, “because I like to be pretty organized so it’s really out of my comfort zone but I love it.”
“Steve is such a wild man, we’ll be in the middle of a song and all of a sudden he’s out in the middle of the audience and I’m on stage trying to find the guy I’m playing with.”
Michel is a celebrated singer-songwriter known for his rock, pop, folk and world music. He’s an adventurous spirit, as evidenced by his work collaborating with the Garafuna Collective in Belize and also recording an album (with input from astronaut Chris Hadfield) on a Soviet-era icebreaker ship.
Poltz, a Canadian-American singer-songwriter based in Nashville, is known for his joyful, zany personality and mastery of his craft. He’s collaborated with everyone from Jewel to Billy Strings. (Fun fact: he co-wrote Jewel’s mega-hit, “You Were Meant For Me” and appears in the music video.)
When we chat with Michel, it’s the day before their first show, in Kingston, Ontario. “I saw on the guest list some of the guys from The Hip are coming, so that’ll be nice to have them there, hopefully we’ll get to say hi,” he says.
Michel says he loves the vibe created by the audiences at their shows. “The kind of people who want to come see us are really fun, open-minded, like-minded people. If you’re in a bad mood and things are crappy, come to the show and I promise you you’ll get a hug in the lobby and leave with a smile on your face.”
“If someone doesn’t have a good time, I’ll give them their money back. Well, wait, no, Steve will give them their money back,” he says, and laughs.
Danny Michel and Steve Poltz are playing Grande Prairie on November 21, Edmonton on November 22 and Calgary on November 23 (though the Calgary show is sold out.) Details at Danny Michel’s website.
“Devices” by Steve Poltz and Danny Michel, from 2018: