little steven on live performance

Though he’s most famous for two roles: that of Silvio on the Sopranos and, more notably, as longtime Springsteen sidearm in the E Street Band, Little Steven Van Zandt is, first and foremost, a music lover. Since 2003, he’s used his radio show, Little Steven’s Underground Garage as a forum for exposure for scrappy young rock bands. At the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 25th Anniversary Concert at Madison Square Garden, Little Steven used most of his time in the press room to advocate for the inclusion of sorely overlooked artists like the Hollies. He’s even working on his own public school curriculum, designed to instill teenagers with a passion for an understanding of rock history.

This month eMusic’s Access & Rewards program is going to let 25 lucky eMusic members (plus one guest each) experience that enthusiasm up close. On June 16th, at a New York location to be announced, Little Steven will be sharing with a small audience his love for great rock and roll. He’ll talk about the bands that inspired him, and will share his insights on making timeless records, his requirements for a great live show and will reveal how he honed his songwriting skills. It’s a rare, up-close opportunity with a rock titan. Consider it a starter course in pop music appreciation.

To enter, click on the Little Steven banner on our Access & Rewards page, and check out the details and be sure to act fast: the deadline for entry is June 4, with winners being selected on June 9-

To kick off the contest, we’ve asked Little Steven to share a bit about his personal history in rock and roll:

Little Steven on Performing Live:

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band had a big advantage when we finally got into the music business: we had already spent 7 years in the live performance business. We didn’t know it at the time, but we had done the best thing we could have possibly done to prepare for a life in Rock & Roll.

We had managed to make a living playing in clubs which meant — although it didn’t feel like it — that we were already successful. We didn’t realize how unique we were, being able to actually work without playing the Top 40 hits like typical bar bands of the time.

Every big band from the ’50s, ’60s and right into the ’70s made their living as dance bands. People danced to Rock & Roll in those days. If you weren’t exciting enough to make people dance you didn’t work. The Beatles, the Rolling Stones, the Kinks, the Yardbirds, the Who, the Animals, the E Street Band, Bon Jovi, you name it. We were all dance bands.

The extra energy you communicated in the club to make people dance stays with you forever. It made all the difference when we started doing concerts.

When the world discovered us at the 500-seat showcase club called the Bottom Line, sitting there with a “show me” attitude, we killed them. It made our reputation that lasts to this day.