December 30, 2012 ~ Updates on Karlos Paez and Steve Harris ... Live at Casbah!

I have had the pleasure of working with so many great bands in San Diego and I am so excited about many of them performing within the same setting tonight at The Casbah.

I interviewed B*Side Players' frontman Karlos Paez for Reggae Nucleus Magazine in the late 1990's and wanted to catch up with him on his thoughts on his performance this evening.

I have been a fan of B*Side Players for many years and I am sure that quite a few San Diegans have seen them perform; however, I rarely (if ever) see them on the same bill with The Styletones (of which singer Steve Harris, who is also performing tonight) is a part. I sense a similarity in conviction and personal mission with regard to music and promoting soul music from various regions.

Karlos will be performing with special guests and creating a more latin/dance/party set with Cumbias, Reggae and Rancheritas. He "has been representing the South Bay for twenty years and continues to live within and inspire his community through conscious music and lyrics." His goal is to "continue to tour the U.S. and Mexico 6 months a year and have toured with The Wailers, Toots and the Maytals, Ben Harper, The Headhunters & Arrested Development." He is also excited about finishing a new record "with Mexico's best Banda musicians from Sinaloa" and intends to "travel the world and unite different cultures through Music!"

During my conversation with Steve Harris he commented on several bands that are performing tonight. He has played several times with The Amalgamated and attended high school with the frontman, Raphael "RIP" Pena.

Harris says he respects the way The Amalgamated honor Caribbean rude boy culture and their role in rebuilding the scene locally -- which he believes has infused it " ... with fresh musicians and faces."

Harris says that he has known Karlos Paez since the 1990's, performed with him recently during a Gregory Isaacs tribute and considers him "a star" and that his style "is impeccable as is the way he represents his people."

The mutual respect I sense among these performers is exciting in itself; it definitely brings an energy and enthusiasm that will positively impact this evening's show.

The Amalgamated, Karlos Paez, Steve Harris, and The Soulfires all perform Sunday, December 30, 2012 at The Casbah, 2501 Kettner Boulevard, San Diego. Doors open at 8:30 p.m. and tickets are available online at www.casbahmusic.com as well as at the door.

Interview with Local Artist Steve Harris of The Styletones

Most San Diego locals are familiar with the soulful funk group, The Styletones, and the lead singer and co-writer Stevie Harris. Harris is also the lead singer guitarist and songwriter of Stevie and the Hi-Staxx and was previously signed by Cargo Records as solo artist, touring with the group Conglomerate throughout the United States and Morocco.

In 2010 and 2011, I collaborated with Steve Harris on a few San Diego shows geared toward highlighting his acoustic work as well as his side project Stevie and the Hi-Staxx. We recently spoke about the future of his music and, since I learned recently that he also paints, I had questions about his art. With that in mind, I asked Steve to show some of his paintings at an upcoming event at The Go Lounge. What follows are insights about his music-related projects as well as his artwork.

How do you view yourself as an artist?

“My vision is cloudy -- but it is to continue going forward for beauty and some truth I can relate to in my music. I want to stay honest. Right now I’m comfortable letting all directions develop; I want to stay out of the way.

The Styletones continue to be a surprising little dessert for me … I don’t have administrative responsibility so I’m down to step out the way of it rolling.

I will always play acoustic, however. I think best, regardless of whether I have an audience for it, it is my truest art form; my first art form --
‘singersongwritery.’

The Hi-Staxx is my opportunity to play electric guitar in the tradition of my alternative black forebearers such as Muddy Waters, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Jimi Hendrix, Prince, D’Angelo and several others.”

When did you start painting?

“I did my first few paintings seven years ago in Florida but the main thrust has been since late April 2012. I've drawn all my life but the color is new.”

What do you consider to be your main motivation for painting?

“My motivators – honestly, I think I seek father figures -- mostly soul singers such as Al Green and Marvin Gaye. I have always been into Diego Rivera, Pablo Picasso, Vincent Van Gogh, Paul Gauguin and Salvador Dali – more their lives than their art, maybe. Painting strengthens my connection to them and it's not music and so it offers a nice break.

Art is so new to me; I don’t feel any pressure to do anything but enjoy it. I am not pressured to make a living with it because I’m not that good. Strange motivator. I also just like beautiful things so it’s cool to be part of it. It is also very relaxing for me. I have a few watercolors and a few ink drawings -- mainly acrylics on canvas or fancy cardboard.”

What have you gained through painting that may have been a surprise or that is different from creating music?

“As an artist -- in a broader sense -- I see myself as a child. I'm just now gaining real understanding of how little I know and, more importantly, I don’t live like I know the little I do. But I've never stopped creating so there must be a reason for it and that has nothing to do with self gratification or paying bills. Maybe if I get clear enough and sensitive enough, answers will come. I have no history with painting; it’s like a new girlfriend -- no baggage, no expectations. It has helped me realize that your art is not the tools or medium you use to express it. Whatever your frequency is it shows itself. I think the roughness of my sound is translated into the roughness of my brush stroke. I don’t know why I paint flowers.”

How do you feel about the first public showing of your paintings in a club setting, along with your music?

“I've spent a lot my life in bars, playing music. I was also a doorman for three years at El Rio on Mission at Cesar Chavez (San Francisco). It is a culture. I don’t drink either never have -- but I’m a night person, a blues person -- according to Amiri Baraka. I have spent way less time in galleries.”

Steve Harris performs this Friday, November 16, 2012 along with Michael of the Earth and Sun and The China Clippers at The Go Lounge in the College Area, 7123 El Cajon Boulevard in San Diego, Ca. Show starts at 9:00 p.m.