With a brand new self-produced record, “Twelve Songs,” the guitarist sat down with Local Spins to talk recording, West Michigan’s inspiring music scene and the sad late-night food offerings in Grand Rapids.
Inspired by the Inventiveness and the Resilience of West Michigan’s Music Community: Steve Leaf (Courtesy Photo)
SCROLL DOWN FOR TRACKS FROM LEAF’S NEW ALBUM AND A CONCERT VIDEO
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Steve Leaf is buried under a pile of guitar pedals and loop machines for a pop-up show at Grand Rapids’ Brownlee Press.
With Emilee Petersmark singing harmonies, Leaf creates soundscapes of perfectly whimsical textures that wash the room in a digitized symphony.
After chipping away at a career in music over the course of 15 years, Leaf has learned a few things about himself and his art.
“I feel like I can be a cynic, but doing this week in and week out, or going to open mics, I’m not. I’m just so proud of people. Not from a paternalistic point of view, but just like, dude, yeah, just get up there, do whatever you want to do,” he says.
“And I think that helps attenuate my bullshit detector. I really like watching people do genuine shit. And I feel like sometimes, and I mentioned this the other night when I was playing, I used to think that being silly during a show or like during banter or whatever, like that was trying to cover up for something. Now I genuinely want to do that.”
The New Album: “Twelve Songs”
Leaf could be described as a cheerful guy who makes serious art and rips guitar. His alternative, ambient rock songs tackle love and loss head-on. They’re sobering, sometimes even lonely, and downright depressing. But his lyrics are wrapped up in lush pads, smooth beats and Nintendo-like synthesizers, all curated on his own.
Between songs, Leaf is playful and hilarious. He makes fun of himself and banters with the audience. During his show at Brownlee Press, he even curated a bingo board for the audience, composed of common stage banter lines.
Leaf performs next in the Upper Peninsula, at The Fitz in Eagle River on June 17 and 18, and Ore Dock Brewing Co. in Marquette on June 19. He also plays Ethanology in Elk Rapids on June 25.
His new record, “Twelve Songs,” released on Friday (June 11), deals often with relationships during the time he spent living in Chicago for nearly 10 years before moving to Grand Rapids. Leaf co-wrote the record’s lyrics with Bill Chesney (owner of Brownlee Press and a solo artist in his own right).
On “Real Housewives,” Leaf relays a tale about a character being stood up on a date and returning home to watch TV and mosey about his apartment alone: “Make my way back to my neighborhood. Needed to feed my fish, so I guess that’s good. Put the key in the lock, open the door. Sanctuary with hardwood floors.”
LISTEN: “Real Housewives,” Steve Leaf
The story is a prime example of his excellent storytelling, and his ability to turn a scenario that most people have experienced into song. It transcends the mundane into poetry.
“Home is a safe place. It’s like a womb. You know, it’s a nice place to be. That song especially is like a dude, you know, taking a risk, hitting the dating scene and yeah, it doesn’t pan out,” Leaf says.
“He gets ghosted. I’ve been there. I mean, that’s a semi-autobiographical song that resonates with other people. It’s embarrassing, but he just makes his way back to his apartment and makes up excuses like, ‘oh, well, this is okay. This isn’t a big deal.’ So he goes home and puts some reality TV on and yeah, kicks it.”
‘Kick-Ass People’: Steve Leaf is surrounded by them in Grand Rapids. (Courtesy Photo)
Leaf is tall. Even sitting down over a coffee at Roots Brew Shop, he looms over the cup. It’s an oddly cold day in Grand Rapids for May, but we still decide to take a stroll after the caffeine hits.
The gloomy weather has us talking more about the breakdown of relationships and the pain that stems from them. Now engaged, Leaf continues to write songs about breakups and dissipated love. They’re both about fictional characters and his own past experiences.
“I constantly have to let my fiance know that it’s not about her. I don’t know who it’s about. It’s about somebody for sure. It’s like Act Two in any good rom-com. It’s like when the shit hits. That’s what pulls you in. That’s why you’re there. You’ve got to have a character do something shitty for sure. The character has to meet adversity,” Leaf says.
“Everyone I know has been through a breakup, including my fiance. She’s been through gnarly breakups. I’ve been through gnarly breakups, and I think most of my favorite songs are solid breakup songs.”
Leaf decided to do the entirety of the production and recording of “Twelve Songs” on his own, noting that he can be “a bit of a control freak” when it comes to tracking songs.
When the pandemic hit and quarantine was instituted, Leaf acquired gear (an Elektron Digitakt drum machine, a cheap interface off Craigslist) and set out to make a record. He was inspired by the inventiveness and problem-solving reflexes of the West Michigan music community.
“I took that inspiration and made a record myself. Recording started to take on a new life for me after putting together a small studio in my home. It became an invaluable outlet and so I tried to create as much as I could,” Leaf says.
“A lot of it was garbage, like hot garbage that I never want to see the light of day. But there were a number of tunes that I thought ‘wait, this might be good.’ So I assembled those tracks and put out an album.”
LISTEN: “Skeleton Key,” Steve Leaf
Originally from Howell, Leaf spent time living in Chicago after graduating from Michigan State University where he studied sociology. He held a plethora of jobs in the Windy City, including dog-walking, curating an Airbnb and running sound at various venues, all while writing and performing.
Working in a town saturated with other musicians prompted Leaf to look to Michigan where he had an abundance of connections, including his role in the instrumental rock super-group Public Access and performing annually at Earthwork Harvest Gathering.
“There’s a good community, but there’s a shit ton of bands in Chicago. There are so many people trying to do that there. It just became a big grind for me where I was like, ‘I’m not getting anywhere. I’m not doing what I want to be doing.’” Leaf says.
On Stage With Public Access: Steve Leaf and crew at Earthwork Harvest Gathering. (Photo/Local Spins)
“I was going back and forth between Grand Rapids and Chicago, and the first couple of trips were romantic. Then I was like, ‘What am I doing? I just need to move here.’ But I still love that city (Chicago).”
Leaf relocated to Grand Rapids in 2017 and immediately noticed the stark differences between the pace of life. He also shares a hot take about the area’s lacking late-night cuisine.
“This may sound like the classic urban dude moving to a smaller city, but it was so quiet. I was like, ‘Oh my god, this is really nice.’ I lived right on North Avenue in Chicago. So it was loud as hell all the f—ing time,” Leaf says.
“But to contrast, real talk, the late-night food scene in Grand Rapids is garbage. And let me clarify that the food scene in Grand Rapids is fire, it’s hot fire. But the late-night food scene is hot garbage. There’s a huge dip.”
Beyond music and openly critiquing late-night food options, when he’s not performing or recording, Leaf goes for daily jogs, enjoys camping, and TV shows. He notes a few of the shows he’s watched, which include “Mare of Easttown” and “Arrested Development.”
Looking ahead, Leaf plans to perform more solo shows and live-streams, and continue writing and recording, while riding out the end of the pandemic alongside his fellow West Michigan artists.
“End of the day, pandemics are awful. The amount of life lost is almost incomprehensible. It’s terrible, full stop,” Leaf says.
“That said, witnessing the resilience of this community was awe-inspiring. I really hope we never go through a pandemic like the one we’re in the waning days of. However, if we do, I’m glad it will be around kick-ass people.”
VIDEO: Steve Leaf Live (“WYCE at Wealthy”)
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