Rocket Shop 8/17/2011: Steph Pappas

Words by John Powell. Photo by Brianna Christenson.

How was Steph Pappas’ day? “I had my guitar on my back, I rode around on my motorcycle, putting up posters, went for a swim, and went home wet.” That’s the sort of energetic and impromptu fun Steph brings to music, bringing her acoustic guitar and harmonica in to Rocket Shop for a live set of improvised songs.

“I usually bring my amp,” Steph explained, “but I thought, ‘Change it up.’” Host Sam Donnelly was graced with an improvised song about her experience earlier that day, hitting a boulder on her bike and flying over the handlebars. Steph pulled out her bottleneck to plays some slide, singing songs about a station mic malfunction, and plugged her around-town tour, including Monkey House and Red Square.

“I don’t have a day job,” Steph explained about the new tour, “so I had to do something.” This includes organizing a new national and international tour somewhere in the future. Even though in the studio Steph slammed the city for placing boulders in bad places, it was all in good fun (credit michael). “I got nothing but peace and love in my heart, for real.” Indeed, the message is have fun and rock out. It doesn’t hurt anybody and it makes them feel good.

Steph and Sam cranked some songs off the album “Live and All the Radio Hits”, a record of Steph’s shows and, well, radio hits. After the show, Steph hung around to explain that after years of a day job it was time to quit. “I just play music,” was the summation, and that’s about what you’d want to hear.

The Rocket Shop playlist: Steph Pappas played some impromtu, improvised songs live in the studio, then: The Steph Pappas Experience, Live-Recorded Songs Number 1 Radio Hits. Cameo Harlot, "Yailbait" Benhamin Carr, "Amiable Fellow"