Steve Pointmeier
Even In A Bar
With close to two dozen tracks released, Canadian Country artist Steve Pointmeier is creating quite the career. He’s been releasing songs since 2017, been gigging hard, has created a solid social media platform and recently won an award from YYC from the Country Music Song of the Year. He also holds down a full time job. All of that takes a serious amount of dedication, and you can hear the earnestness of his efforts in his singing.
For our readers around the globe that think Canada is only full of Mounties, Lumberjacks, 3-piece prog bands and Bare Naked Ladies, you’re overlooking a vast expanse of farmland and cowboy territory, notably Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba. This is as Western as it can get. Think Colorado, Texas, Kansas, Wyoming…. but colder. The country music that grows here is more Waylon and Alan than FGL and Jason Aldean. It’s the real deal, and Steve’s a great example. Here’s our review of Even In A Bar.
It’s an all-start with the band as they take us through a 1245 progression in classic formation. Great guitar riff and tone, then it trades over to the lap steel and we get a couple of hits before Steve starts the verse. He’s got a solid tenor with clear pronunciation that warms you over like, ok, we’ll say it, Kentucky Bourbon. One of the best elements of good Country music is how everybody gets a turn - licks are traded - and whomever produced this does a great job of making that happen, especially with the sweet B3 tones we hear in the first verse. The chorus gives us just the right amount of lift and a nice progression on the back end that keeps it interesting before you get hit with the second verse right away. Clever writing. Love the way they use the 1245 progression in this - that five of five always opens up the sonic possibilities as is definitely a hallmark of Country (i.e. Write This Down, by George Strait). Track finishes out with a descending progression after another great chorus.
Lyrically, it’s a perfect tale for country - a spurned woman in the midst of “fools on stools” who’s out to get “even in a bar.” It would be great to see this live with a crowd of women who know the words - I’m sure it kills. Production wise, all the tones of this track are spot on and perfect for the genre. This is true to the style in every way possible without any of the current feels that are watering down the genre. Thankfully it’s the type of country we like, and we’ll just leave it at that. ;)
Make sure you scroll down and check out his socials and other tracks. Holy Water is a favorite - great rum running tale! Cold Beer Calling My Name is a textbook example of a working-class Country song, it should be an anthem! Without You on My Mind is a heartbreaker, great in delivery, tones and its sparse arrangement. If you follow the progression of his first release in 2017 to today, it’s cool to hear how the writing and production keeps improving. His tracks keep getting better and we hope to see him down here in Nashville some day.