THUNDER BAY — Steve Poltz has made his way to Thunder Bay a few times during his career.
When he performs on Sunday evening at the Italian Cultural Centre with fellow singer-songwriter Danny Michel, it will mark the first time that he’s been in the city at this time of the year.
“I’m kind of happy that I’m going to be there so close to winter,” Poltz said.
“When I was there before it during the summer festival season and I remember there were a lot of bugs that were biting me. I’m sure that’s not the case up there in the middle of November.”
Poltz is on his second straight Canadian tour with Michel. The pair made their way across the country for the first time last year.
They played in Oshawa on Friday and are in Guelph on Saturday.
“We’re really hitting our stride and every show has been a blast,” Poltz said. “I’m really looking forward to getting up to Thunder Bay and playing in front of everyone there.”
Poltz was born in Halifax and grew up in California. He’s been performing since the 1990s and collaborated with Jewel on several songs, including the hit single You Were Meant for Me.
He’s released over a dozen albums in his career and has worked with the likes of the late Mojo Nixon and bluegrass musician Billy Strings over the years.
The tandem with Michel, who has been releasing music since the 1990’s and is from Kitchener-Waterloo, dates back to when they first met 15 years ago at the EagleWood Folk Festival in southern Ontario.
“We always meet up if we were playing the same festivals and we always thought that a tour together might be fun,” Poltz said.
“A lot of the times at these folk festivals, you’d end up doing these in-the-round performances. With Danny, we always had a good vibe and there were a lot of laughs together.
“A lot of the times when the chemistry is right, there’s never a dull moment and that’s been the case so far.”
When asked what makes the tandem a successful one on stage, Poltz says a lot of it comes from how he and Michel perform their songs.
“They’re like-minded, but they’re sort of different,” Poltz said. “I think my songs are a little more Americana and his are a little more indie, but it works really well together for some reason.
“He’s playing an electric guitar up there and I’m playing an acoustic guitar, and he’s got some great stories. It’s weird to explain but we just play really well off each other and that makes the shows go by so fast.
“It makes for a pretty neat atmosphere. The audience is usually signing along with us by the end and they are all on their feet. There’s a great warm vibe.”
Tickets for the show are $40 and are available online. The doors open at 7 p.m. with the concert starting at 8 p.m.
