We all have our traditions. Perhaps they come out of habit, and maybe they swell up as involuntarily as a blemish. Steve Means has his own tradition he would like to break, but for now it may benefit his listeners if he continues to write love songs from a Motel 8 every February 14.
On Monday, September 27, the Acoustic Café series hosted musician Steve Means in the Fire Place Lounge. The Nashville journeyman provided the FPL with a taste of music that even the producers of MTV’s hit reality shows have embraced. Having been showcased in series such as “The Hills” and “The City”, you wouldn’t expect the humble demeanor from the man wearing a turquoise flannel on stage. Mean’s spoke with a gentle Tennessee accent but sang with a Beverly Hills voice.
“I’m all about being upbeat with a positive message. There’s a lot of crap happening right now, and I think we all need something to dance to,” said Means.
His song, “Do Something”, lightly takes the message to the microphone. His music lacks pretension and doesn’t attempt to be anything more than it is. “Do Something” is a soft-hearted song that nudges the listener to – get this – do something. But, seriously, why can’t we?
“Everyone wants change, but unless we do it ourselves nothing will happen,” said Mean’s before playing his song. The idea was picked up by the folks at the charity organization Tomsshoes.com, who have used Mean’s songs in some of their ad campaigns. You can even enter “Means” at checkout to receive five dollars off your purchase.
His music is not for everyone, but girls, if you’re a fan of the “The Hills”, you probably have already enjoyed Steve Means music. His sound is similar to an acoustic Boyz II Men, remains more intricate than Nick Lacey, and resembles a more “poppy” early John Mayer.
“So,” the Clock asked, “If you could serenade one cast member from The Hills with one of your songs, which member would it be?”
“I think I’d sing ‘You & Me’ by some candlelight to L.C.” he joked.
The Acoustic Café series will be hosting a spectrum of genres this semester, so if Mean’s style isn’t for you just sample the sounds next week at Underground Sound, featuring Adam Darnell’s solo work and the likes of Brendan Gill, Eric Soboczniski, Brendan Lynch, and Jeff Blair.
We all have our traditions, some good and some bad, but for PSU students Monday’s can provide good live music every week.