Steve Poltz Premieres PHARMACIST From His New Album SHINE ON

Songwriter Steve Poltz is premiering a new song from his upcoming album, SHINE ON, today with Relix Magazine. The track, "Pharmacist" is a whimsical take on what might happen if a person were to develop a crush on their local pill dispenser. As always with Poltz, the song marries clever wordplay with a killler hook, all wrapped up and delivered in his engaging, idiosyncratic style.

Listen to "Pharmacist" HERE.

"I moved to Nashville about three years ago and lo and behold, my neighbor turned out to be a funny dude named Scot Sax," Poltz told the magazine. "He lives right next door to me. I can see him on my security camera, naked right now, mowing his lawn. I forgot that we had met several years earlier at album designer Gary Burden's wedding in Topanga Canyon. Neil Young was the best man!

"Scot is a great songwriter and a good pal. We even started a podcast together called 'One Hit Neighbors.' We've both had one hit song. That's it. ONE. His was with Faith Hill and Tim McGraw and mine was with Jewel.

"So anyways, Scot went to Kroger in East Nashville to pick up a prescription and later we met for coffee. He was saying that it would be funny if you had a crush on your pharmacist and you kept wanting to get sick and get more prescriptions.I loved the idea so we immediately sat down and got caffeinated and wrote that sucker. It's one of my favorite tracks on the record. I love the slacker vibe and the lazy guitar and harmonica."

A Canadian by birth and a San Diego resident for most of his career, Poltz made the move to Nashville, TN, and quickly found a circle of like-minded musical friends, including SHINE ON's producer, Will Kimbrough and co-writers Molly Tuttle and Anthony Da Costa. Evoking themes of "hope, love, contemplation, celebration of Wednesday, pharmacists, and the fact that windows are not inanimate objects and they sometimes have conversations with each other," the record represents Steve at his most inspired and insightful.

Throughout over three decades in music, Poltz has done it all and more-often shared by way of his rockin' countrified folk slices of sardonic Americana (hatched in Halifax). Of course, he co-wrote Jewel's multiplatinum Hot 100-topping megahit "You Were Meant For Me," but he also went on a whale watch with her and a few federales that turned into a drug bust. The two still share the story at every festival they play together. He made his bones as the frontman for underground legends The Rugburns, who burned rubber crisscrossing the continent on marathon tours and still pop up once in a while for the rare and quickly sold out reunion gig.

NPR summed it up best, "Critics and fans alike now regard Poltz as a talented and prolific songwriter." By 2016, he survived a stroke, endured anything the music industry could throw at him, and still performed 280 days a year.

In the end, for everything you can call him "searcher, smartass, movie freak, lover of technology, news junkie, baseball fan to nth degree, lapsed catholic who still believes in god even though all his friends are atheists and think he's an idiot, and maker of fun," you might just call Steve that little light in the dark we all need in this day and age.

"I hope SHINE ON makes listeners smile and feel welcome, and they want to share it with their friends," he says. "Music means energy to me. All things. It connects us, makes us move, helps us relax, and inspires us to change things up."

[Pre-order Links]

STEVE POLTZ ON TOUR

Fri, Feb 8 St Petersburg, FL - Hideaway Cafe
Mon - Sun Feb 11-17 Cayamo 2019
Sat, Feb 23 Solana Beach, CA - Belly Up
Tue, Feb 26 Los Angeles, CA - The Hotel Cafe
Wed Feb 27 Santa Ynez, CA - Tales from the Tavern
Fri, Mar 1 Paonia, CO - Paradise Theatre
Sat, Mar 2 Denver, CO - The Walnut Room
Sun, Mar 3 Colorado Springs, CO - Friends House Concert
Tue, Mar 5 Boulder, CO - eTown Hall
Thu, Mar 7 Fort Collins, CO - Armory Event Center
Fri, Mar 8 Seattle, WA - Ballard Homestead (Abbey Arts Presents)
Sat, Mar 9 Gig Harbor, WA - Morso
Wed, Mar 20 Nashville, TN - City Winery (special Jay Blakesberg event)
Thu, Mar 21 San Francisco, CA - Swedish American Hall
Fri, Mar 22 Chico, CA - Chico Women's Club
Sat, Mar 23 Petaluma, CA - Mystic Theatre
Fri, Mar 24 Felton, CA - Flynn's Cabaret & Steakhosue
Thu, Apr 25 Wilkesboro, NC - Merlefest
Wed, May 8 Toronto, ON - The Dakota
Thu, May 9 Toronto, ON - The Dakota
Sun, May 12 Collingwood, ON - Crow Bar and Variety
Tue, May 14 Miramichi, NB - The Vogue
Wed, May 15 Fredericton, NB - Dolan's Pub
Thu, May 16 Halifax, NS - The Carleton [sold out]
Fri, May 17 Halifax, NS - The Carleton [sold out]
Sat, May 18 Berwick, NS - The Union Street
Sun, May 19 Iona, NS - the Frolic & Folk Pub
Mon, May 20 North Sydney, NS - The Cellar Cafe + Bar [sold out]
Tue, May 21 Halifax, NS - The Carleton

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