Steve Holy
(Q)- Was performing in the Dallas, Fort Worth, Metroplex area a learning experience for you now that you have an album and single out?
Steve Holy (SH) – Yes. All of those years performing in Dallas and Forth Worth was a great learning experience. I definitely have had experiences performing in front of every kind of audience. And ever type of person. That’s like performing for every person in the country (He laughs.).
(Q)-Much of your music draws from many different classic country sounds from various eras. The production is polished yet it doesn’t sound too slick. Was that an intention attempt on you and your producer’s part or did that sound just come out in the mix?
(SH)- For the most part, I draw from many influences, so it’s easy to sound various ways and record various styles of music. It’s kind of crazy, I’m influenced by a lot of music that has R&B; (African-American) roots. Country has real deep roots as far as back as you can imagine. I think it all goes back to were country started. It’s all about ‘real music’. And while I know that term is often overused these days, a lot of music that is on country radio these days is only recorded as an imitation of what they (the artists) think the (radio) audience wants to hear. It’s all slicked up and it’s surface only. But what gets most people is music that touches their soul and we know where the soul influences in country music come from (He laughs.).
(Q)-What you’ve recorded for your album is dramatically different in several ways then what is being featured on radio currently. To you, don’t things right now within the country music genre seem wide open as far as possibilities and there’s a huge variety of music available to today?
(SH)- Yes. There certainly is.
(Q)- Yet, while there is a huge variety out there, country radio seems to be forcing the genre to become smaller and smaller in terms of music and styles of music that is featured on for most part the radio airwaves.
(SH)- You know, everyone is so worried about appealing to radio and they’re all trying to play to radio and they’re worrying about those guys (country radio programmers) and appeal to those guys at radio. Not necessarily the people (the country music audience at large.) Now many of them (other artists) may disagree. But you can only face the fact that all of these songs that are being released and featured on radio and climbing the charts, or even in some cases, going to Number One, well, they’re (the songs) being forced down people’s throats by radio. It’s supposedly what they ‘should’ be listening to. And, in a lot of cases, no one is buying it (The records and/or the singles that are radio hits.) and yet they’re (Radio programmers.) still trying to force it onto the people.
(Q)-So what happens?
(SH)- Then you get a good song that comes along and you as an artist) get a response such as,’Oh, that’s too risky! That’s a little too far out. It’s away from the format of what we’re playing at radio right now.’ Then that same music is on an album and it sells over time, four million albums. Like LeAnn Rimes for instance. She only went Number Ten with “BLUE” (The album or single?). Now it just blows my mind that so many people (Radio programmers for major market country radio stations.) have a lock on it. That so many people (artists) are recording music just for about 150 (radio) programmers and trying to please them instead of the 250 million people who are in this country and potential country fans.
(Q)- So there’s a huge, vast untapped audience for ‘country’ music out there?
(SH)- Yes.
(Q)-Isn’t creating and performing country music still about an apprenticeship experience to you as an artist? One that takes time?
(SH)- Yes for me it is. But for the others, I just don’t think as a follower, you’re ever accepted by the industry or you’re ever taken seriously by the artistic community. And I think it is the leaders in the end who are remembered.
(Q)- You are willing to accept the risk required to be “leader’ within the country music genre at this time?
(SH)- Yes I am. I’m willing to take the chance of having no radio airplay in some markets is a possibility with the music I’ve put out there. While I respect what some of these guys are doing right now, not everybody is about that.
(Q)- What’s the story behind the song you have out called, “The Hunger”?
(SH)- The bottom line is it’s about what so many people are involved in every day. But they can’t find contentment. And there are people who are in so-called happy relationships who don’t nearly have the contentment that they think they have (He laughs.). So I think that’s a pretty common situation that everybody deals with. If you can’t identify with that song well…. (He laughs.) Now I’m a single guy, but at the same time I am hearing the message of that song and yeah, I would love to find somebody who I’m crazy about. Someone who I can relate to and love.