David Steinhart is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for the bands Pop Art, Smart Brown Handbag, and the Furious Seasons.[1][2][3][4][5] He has been active in the Los Angeles pop scene since the 1980s.[6]
David Steinhart | |
|---|---|
 Steinhart performing in 2016 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | David Steinhart |
| Genres | pop, folk |
| Years active | 1984–present |
| Labels | Stonegarden Records |
Career edit
Steinhart has been a staple of the Los Angeles indie pop scene since the 1980s. His career spans 30 years and over 20 releases.[6][7][8][9][10]
He founded the band Pop Art in 1984 with his brothers, Jeff and Richard, and bassist Tony Ortega. Other players such as keyboardist Lyn Norton, drummers Steven Weisburd and his cousin, Steve LePatner, contributed to the band's albums over the years.[7][9][11][12] Pop Art was active for 6 years and released 5 records.[7][9]
After Pop Art disbanded, Steinhart released two solo albums before starting Smart Brown Handbag in 1993. Smart Brown Handbag included Norton, Cindy Albon, Steinhart's brother Jeff on bass, and John ‘Slim’ Glogovac on drums and percussion.[13][14] SBH was active until 2006 and released 10 full-length albums.[7][9][15]
Steinhart has been active in the Furious Seasons since 2008.[7][16][17] Band members have included Jeff Steinhart (bass), Paul Nelson (guitar/vocals), Bob Gannon (drums/percussion), Eric Marin (keyboards), Nate Steinhart (guitars) and Ray Chang (violin/guitar/vocals).[16][17][18][19] In late 2015, after the release of My Love is Strong, the band changed their focus to modern folk music. The band became an acoustic trio consisting of Steinhart and Nelson on acoustic guitar and vocals, and Jeff Steinhart on standup bass. The trio perform in the Los Angeles area, and has played shows with John Hiatt and David Lindley.[20][21] Look West, the band's fifth album, was released in September 2016.[22][23] It was Steinhart's first entirely acoustic studio album.[22][24] The Furious Seasons have released 5 full-length albums and are still active and continue to record.[7][8][25] In May 2017, the Furious Seasons released the single "We All Belong", a folk style protest song.[26]
Steinhart's music has also been used in television and films.
Musical style and reception edit
Music magazine the Big Takeover describes Steinhart's musical style as “soft, finely crafted, windswept pop,” commenting that Steinhart sings and writes, “warm, literate, sober, preoccupied folk pop, always well-crafted, and full of small, conspicuous, workmanlike extras (pacific strings, mellotron, piano, guitar tweets, a southern blues harmonica), [with an] aptitude for unpretentious, poppy hooks.”[16][17]
Steinhart's music is often understated and driven by his distinct vocals, which critics have called a “privilege of craftsmanship”.[16][17][18][27][28] His voice is noted for its range and has been called “soaring... redemptive... at once world-weary and angelic”,[28] “cynical and charming at the same time.” The Arizona Daily Star labeled Steinhart's vocals in Pop Art, “clear, crisp, and angst-driven.”[29]
Steinhart composes songs about relationships and heartbreak, earning him a reputation as “especially adept at chronicling complicated reunions with faded flames.”[30] LA Weekly wrote that, “For anyone who needs a little reassurance about that thing called love (or has had it with whiny dirges on the radio), Smart Brown Handbag's ouch-that-hurts anti-luv songs, harmonies, bouncy bass lines, and-peppy rock-style riffing are just what the therapist ordered,” praising Steinhart's honesty in his lyrics.[31]
Rolling Stone commended Smart Brown Handbag's The Big Sigh, writing that "Smart Brown Handbags catchy guitar pop has been rumored to be on the edge of greatness for a long time and we believe the hype."[32] The Orange County Register defined SBH's sound as, “early R.E.M jangle-pop with Johnny Marr guitars and slightly, off-kilter Paul Weller-influenced vocals.”[15]
Discography edit
Solo edit
| Year | Album Details |
|---|---|
| 1992 | Everything She Says
|
| 1993 | The Almighty Night
|
| 2001 | Clean
|
Pop Art edit
| Year | Album Details |
|---|---|
| 1984 | Radio Tokyo Tapes Vol 1: Ancient Art |
| 1984 | Pop Art
|
| 1985 | A Perfect Mental Picture
|
| 1986 | Long Walk to Nowhere
|
| 1986 | Live at KCRW
|
| 1987 | Snap Crackle Pop Art
|
| 1989 | Never No
|
| 1989 | Neon Fire
|
| 1990 | Later on in the Same Life
|
| 2000 | Really Blind Faith: A Retrospective, 1984-1990
|
Smart Brown Handbag edit
| Year | Album Details |
|---|---|
| 1993 | Smart Brown Handbag
|
| 1994 | Silverlake
|
| 1995 | Sabrina
|
| 1996 | Monkey in the Middle
|
| 1997 | Lullabies for Infidels
|
| 1999 | Little Things Are Everything
|
| 2000 | Just Like Driving Backwards
|
| 2002 | Fast Friends
|
| 2004 | The Big Sigh
|
| 2005 | Harry Larry
|
| 2002 | Fast Friends
|
Furious Seasons edit
| Year | Album Details |
|---|---|
| 2008 | The Furious Seasons
|
| 2009 | Thank You for Saturday
|
| 2011 | My Analog Face
|
| 2015 | My Love is Strong
|
| 2016 | Look West
2018 Now Residing Abroad 2020 La Fonda
|
References edit
- ^ "Stonegarden Records". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
- ^ "The Furious Seasons: My Analog Face". 6 November 2012. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
- ^ "Smart Brown Handbag". Archived from the original on 2005-02-08. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
- ^ "IUMA: David Steinhart". Retrieved 2013-11-20.
- ^ "Artist: Ethan James & Cindy Albon". SecondHandSongs. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
- ^ a b "100 Favorite Albums of 2004". Hoboken Rock City.
- ^ a b c d e f "Smart Brown Handbag". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
- ^ a b "David Steinhart". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
- ^ a b c d "David Steinhart". AllMusic. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
- ^ Spurrier, Jeff (1986-01-19). "Pop Art: Pop-folskters Pop Off". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
- ^ Raymond Ecke (Nov 1994). "Striking Gold on Silverlake". Vol. 8, no. 9. Cover Magazine.
- ^ Jeff Spurrier (January 19, 1986). "Pop Art: Pop Folksters Pop Off". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Eric Layton (November 1987). "Smart Brown Handbag: Just Like Driving Backwards". Entertainment Today.
- ^ "COAT". Retrieved 2013-11-20.
- ^ a b Ben Wener (May 4, 1996). "An 'Argument' for the band with a sound and sensibility". The Orange County Register.
- ^ a b c d "The Beauty of Folk Music". Retrieved 2013-11-20.
- ^ a b c d "the furious seasons". Retrieved 2013-11-20.
- ^ a b "Music Review: The Furious Seasons – My Analog Face". 6 May 2012. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
- ^ "Special Night at Yamashiro Farmers Market to Benefit Ellen "Twinkles" Meyers". Retrieved 2013-11-20.
- ^ Shelagh Dolan (10 October 2016). "The Furious Seasons Look West On New Album". Indie Band Guru. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ Emily Hinde (January 6, 2017). "The Furious Seasons "Look West" with New Release". No Depression. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ a b "The Furious Seasons: Look West". CMuse. September 27, 2016. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ Jake Tully (September 15, 2016). "The Furious Seasons Release Look West". Turnstyled Junkpiled. Retrieved January 25, 2016.
- ^ Cody Conard (November 6, 2016). "The Furious Seasons - Look West". The Big Take-Over. Retrieved January 25, 2017.
- ^ "Releases". Archived from the original on 2013-12-10. Retrieved 2013-11-20.
- ^ Gonda, Christopher (May 11, 2017). "The Furious Seasons- "We All Belong"". PureGrainAudio. Retrieved May 30, 2017.
- ^ "David Steinhart – Clean". Retrieved 2013-11-20.
- ^ a b C. Darling (April 11, 1986). "Reviews: Pop Art". BAM.
- ^ M. Scot Skinner (1986). "Metaphoric ballads form Pop Art's trademark". The Arizona Daily Star.
- ^ "Smart Brown Handbag". Retrieved 2013-11-20.
- ^ Libby Molyneux (November 7, 1996). "Good Times: Smart Brown Handbag". LA Weekly.
- ^ "The Big Sigh". Rolling Stone Online. April 11–13, 1997.