Veteran Los Angeles singer-songwriter and guitarist David Steinhart has been making music for over 30 years as a founder the band Pop Art in 1984 and Smart Brown Handbag in 1993 (both bands still have cult followings). In 2008 The Furious Seasons was formed and Steinhart was joined by his brother, Jeff Steinhart on upright bass and Paul Nelson on guitar and harmony vocals.
As a trio, Steinhart has assembled one of his finest small orchestras in The Furious Seasons. On June 22 the band will release Now Residing Abroad, their 6th album and 2nd album with the current lineup. Co-produced with music engineer, Glenn Nishada, Now Residing Abroad consists of 13 songs of acoustic music with folk, pop, Americana and as Steinhart puts it, “kind of jazz overtones.” The music is easy to listen to and can seem overly restrained if you listen casually, but upon closer listening there is a depth, passion and attention to detail that will draw you in. Taking a soulful approach to the music Steinhart’s “husky yet melodic” vocals help make The Furious Seasons’ sound uniquely their own.
Now Residing Abroad crystallizes the sound of 3 musicians who have great chemistry and love playing together. Jeff Steinhart played electric bass for 35 years and taught himself the upright 5 years ago as the band became more acoustic. He has now honed his craft to where the bass line “slides in and walks around” as one reviewer stated. Paul Nelson has developed a style of playing for the trio that produces a sonic tapestry, with interwoven lines and textures that create aching melancholy that is perfectly suited to David Steinhart’s lyric and vocal delivery.
Today Glide is offering a sneak peek of the new album with an exclusive premiere of the video for “Expo Line”, a song that embodies the theme of time passing and questioning your place in life and in an expanding city. The video features the band playing acoustically, giving us a glimpse of their good-natured musical chemistry. Together they craft thoughtful folk with a power pop undertone brimming with rich harmonies and short yet sweet guitar solo.
Dave Steinhart shares the story behind the tune:
“‘Expo Line’ is a song about the train line in LA. The place where I worked had empty tracks behind it for 30 years while I was there and probably another 50 before that until the train came. I use the train line running from Union Station near Dodger Stadium to the Beach in Santa Monica as a mini-travelogue, to talk about what it’s like to watch a city grow to both good and bad effect. I also reference being aged out of an economy, like many people find themselves in our aging population. The train in LA works to both bring people together and divide them at the same time in different ways. Mix that with the rampant gentrification happening in our city and it creates a world of varied opinions and issues. It also creates winners and losers in the process.”
WATCH:
