Ring in 2009 with The Rugburns at The Casbah in beautiful sunny San Diego. Get your flights now and plan ahead because this is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Celebrate with the strange friends you've met on one of the internets. Why you may have met people right here on this weeb sight. The one you're looking at now. Maybe there are people who really want to see you in San Diego. Look how long it took for The Phillies (congrats Lou DeMarco!) to win a World Series. We may never play a show together again for another 20 years. Life is too long to not do what you want to do. Check Kayak for flights. I'll be able to give you hotel suggestions near The Casbah if you like. Think about it- there are people freezing in Siberia and Michigan. You could rent a room at the ocean and try surfing in the cold, cold Pacific Ocean. You could eat fish tacos bro dude bro. Drink a cold beverage while listening to The Rugburns crank out all of your favorite songs. You can dress in drag or wear a mask or just wear jeans. YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD! Just by coming out to the show on New Years Eve. Start 2009 off in a way wicked cool Jesus it's going to be a hoot and you need to do this for your family and for your family's security. Come see Steve Hussein Poltz and Doc Hussein Driscoll Stinky Hussein Aaffedt and John Hussein Castro. Yes- John is flying in from New York City. He'd rather be in San Diego where al the cool people are going to be. Yes- I said it right here folks- If you don't come to this show then for all of 2009 you won't be cool. You be the opposite of cool which is I guess- hmmmm- oh yeah, UNCOOL!

We want to see you and squeeze the living crap out of you. You can get your colon cleansed and go to yoga and drink healthy juices. Or you can eat greasy cheeseburgers at Rocky's and drink tequila or a Starlite Mule at The Starlite.
In fact, you could have a pre show dinner at The Starlite and then cruise to The Casbah which is literally on a half mile away. I'm going to set up a dinner at that fucking place because I can and I love you and want your happiness. Excuse my curse word that just leaked out of my trashy little mouth but I'm excited dammit.

If you don't come to this show then you don't care about your country. Australia, New Zealand and Canada- do you hear me? USA- you too! You will all be marked down on the list as Traitors and evildoers if you don't make it out for New Years. Attendance is compulsory. Don't be an evildoer- be a doer of good. A gooderdoer!
Watch this video to whet your respective and not so respective appetites.
Go to work and save this country.
Until we meet again on New Years Eve I faithfully remain,
Steven Joseph Joshua Poltz

My name is Steve Poltz and I approve of this ad.

My Dad made a message for you guys to download and play at your houses and places of labor. click here to listen
I quite like this message and I'm sure you will too. This is the type of thing I grew up with during Halloween when my Dad and Mom would answer the door to hand out candy. My Pop would be howling out loud and scaring the crap out of all the little kids.

I had a great time in the midwest and I want to thank you for showing up in full force regalia. The show I did for Daytrotter was way cool. I want to thank Sean and his band of merry makers for making my stay in Rock Island Illinois one to remember. You see, I'm a little bit weird, I love discovering new towns to play in and now I am able to rock the quad cities. This is a good thing my friendly friends. The stuff they are doing at Daytrotter is really quite tasteful. They recorded about 8 songs of me playing live in the studio on to 2 track tape. The sound they get out of there is pretty high quality. I'll let you know when my session gets put up on line.

The show at Sleepy Creek was sold out and they made me lasagna. How do I have a following in Fairmount Illinois? All I know is that I can't wait to go back and play another show. The people out in their neck of the woods sure know how to have fun.

I think I went up to Milwaukee after Sleepy Creek. Yes, and then I got to play some of my favorite songs on WUWM and they let me pick out songs for an hour. Here's what I played and the order I played the songs in.

Mini Skirt Esquivel and His Orchestra Esquivel: Cabaret Mañana
Woody and Dutch on the Slow Train to Peking Rickie Lee Jones Pirates
Tropical Hot Dog Night Captain Beefheart Shiny Beast (Bat Chain Puller)
Have You Seen Her The Chi-Lites The Chi-Lites: 20 Greatest Hits
The Shining Badly Drawn Boy The Hour of Bewilderbeast
Independence Day Elliott Smith XO
Left of the Dial The Replacements Tim
Cemetery Polka Tom Waits Rain Dogs
A Case of You Joni Mitchell Blue
Shining Star Earth, Wind & Fire Greatest Hits
Natural High BLOODSTONE (Jackie Brown soundtrack)
Moon River (From "Breakfast at Tiffany's") HENRY MANCINI

If you get a chance, download these songs and put them in this order and close your eyes and feel really good. I promise you'll smile and dance around and maybe even cry.

The benefit for Jon Dee Graham was a success. We raised over 5 grand but that doesn't even begin to put a dent into his medical bills. Keep your grapes peeled for other opportunities to help this fine American out with his medical bills.

I made it back just in time to play a sold out show at Anthology in San Diego. They informed me that I was the first person to ever stage dive in their illustrious club. I played with The Cynics so it seemed like the proper thing to do. Yes it did.

Finally, there are some new Canadian shows coming up
Nov 12 Hugh's Room Toronto
Nov 13 Garden Street Cafe Guelph, Ontario
Nov 14 London Music Club London, Ontario
Nov 15 Irish Mountain Music House Concert Meaford Ontario
Nov 16 The Black Sheep Inn Wakefield, Quebec
Nov 17 The Moonshine Café Oakville, Ontario

Happy Halloween!
Steve

I had the strangest thing happen. First of all, I was switching planes at JFK on my way from San Diego to Halifax when I gave a call to Francois, the director of the Deep Roots Festival in Wolfville to let him know my plane was on time. He started to inform me of my set times and that I would be doing a song swap with Peter Case. I was excited to catch up with Peter as I hadn't seen him in some time. Plus, I'm a huge fan so that was a bonus and a half. But then, somewhere in the conversation he let it slip that I would be emceeing Friday night's show on the main stage. I freaked out because I don't really think of myself as an emcee and it kind of pissed me off because no one had informed that this was going to be my role. He kept saying to me, "You'll be great! Don't worry steve. You're a natural." I immediately got off the phone and called my Canadian booking agent and let him know I wasn't happy about this at all. He said, "I thought i told you. Sorry about that." This further infuriated me and then I just decided to let it go. I think it was just my ego thinking it was below me to be an emcee. Plus, I was nervous having to introduce acts and I didn't want to screw it up as I had no time to prepare. It turned out to be really cool because I got to play songs songs between all the acts while the stage was rearranged. So I learned a lesson that I should sometimes just chill the duck out when I start to freak out over a supposed slight. It was actually really fun being the emcee. Except for the fact that I was referred to as a clown. I'm funny how, I mean funny like I'm a clown, I amuse you?

Anyways, that's not what I'm here to talk to you about. The weirdest thing that happened was when I walked out on stage midway through the show I asked the audience of 1,500 people at Convocation Hall at Acadia College to let me know who they wanted me to vote for. I told them that I was a dual citizen of The United States and Canada. So since I am allowed to vote in the upcoming election I promised that I vote for the candidate they wanted. So I asked the crowd, "how many people here in this beautiful theater want me to vote for John McCain?" There was dead silence. I mean, you could have heard a pin drop. Then I asked, "how many people here want me to vote for Barack Obama?" The place went nuts. Lots of screaming and wild cheering. So then I opened up my jacket which had remained closed up all night (above) and said, "I guess I wore the right shirt!" They even mentioned it here.
I just thought that was very strange and the dead silence was not expected.

I just added a show in Austin, Texas on Oct 20. It's at The Continental Club and I go on at 11 pm. It's a benefit for Jon Dee Graham's out of control medical costs from his unfortunate car accident while driving home from a show in Dallas. We're going to raise enough hopefully to take care of the thing in one shot!
Peace,
Steve