New Jersey Stage logo
New Jersey Stage Menu



 

Steve Forbert releases 'Sound Existence' from Upcoming Album, 'Daylight Savings Time'

originally published: 06/03/2024

Steve Forbert has released a music video for "Sound Existence" from his upcoming album Daylight Savings Time, which will be released on August 16th via Blue Rose Music. The song is a portrait of someone’s retirement years in a comfortable suburban American neighborhood. The video stars Cynthia Soler.

Forbert is a true American musical treasure, underscored by the new album. Like all his albums, it's saturated with what venerated rock journalist Robert Christgau discerned as his "omnivorously observant" songwriting, marked by Steve's gift for finding the more profound meaning and magic within everyday moments, as well as his abundant melodic and poetic enchantment.

"Like Warren Zevon, Gram Parsons, Bob Dylan, Tom Petty, and Bruce Springsteen, Steve Forbert has left his unmistakable imprint on the landscape of American music," says American Songwriter. As with other esteemed creative souls, his work is marked by his own distinctive qualities, and he speaks genuinely to his listeners.

As Forbert approaches the milestone of his 70th birthday, Daylight Savings Time contemplates and celebrates the proverbial 'extra hour of daylight' that comes with the time change. "Yeah, to chirping crickets and to daylight savings time!" he sings on the album's first single, "Sound Existence," "The best ain't yet to come, but you could still get by just fine."

Daylight Savings Time is Forbert's third album helmed by producer/engineer Steve Greenwell. Its core components were cut old-school style at Greenwell's studio in Asbury Park, New Jersey, with drummer Aaron Comess (Spin Doctors) and keyboard player Rob Clores (Jesse Malin, The Black Crowes, Tom Jones.) Supple bass lines were contributed by Byron House (Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, Johnny Cash, Al Green, and more.) Gurf Morlix, whose guitar and production gifts were elemental in launching Lucinda Williams into the spotlight, tracked his note-perfect six-string contributions at his home studio just outside Austin, Texas.




Follow New Jersey Stage on social media
Facebook, Threads, Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky



When Steve arrived in New York City from his Meridian, Mississippi hometown in 1976, his aim was establishing a lifetime of creating, performing, and recording the songs he'd started writing at age 17 after cutting his teeth as a teen in local rock bands. He slotted seamlessly into the "new folk" revival in such Manhattan clubs as Folk City, The Bitter End, and Kenny's Castaways, yet at the same time took the stage at CBGB, ground zero of the burgeoning punk/new wave movement. He also busked on the streets of Greenwich Village and in the elegant confines of Grand Central Station.

Forbert chose his solo approach of voice, acoustic guitar, and harmonica, accented by foot stomps, to best approximate the melodic fullness and drive of a band. It inevitably caused him to be tagged as one of the numerous "new Dylans" that emerged in the 1970s. "Evoking the young Dylan has become a cliché for artists of this sort," observed The New York Times, "but, in this case, Mr. Forbert deserves the evocation." However, Steve focused on refining his singular musical voice and personality.

He quickly won a major label deal with Nemperor/CBS Records and released his heralded debut, Alive on Arrival, in 1978. His next album, Jackrabbit Slim, won similar acclaim and brought wider renown to Forbert with its #11 pop chart hit "Romeo's Tune." It provided the stature for his troubadour existence, which has kept him active ever since as "a striking performer, very much worth seeing and hearing," according to The New York Times.

Steve has released 20 studio albums featuring his songwriting gifts. His live show is markedly different and genuinely of the moment. It has yielded four live album releases on record labels, plus 14 more concert recordings available exclusively on his website. His oeuvre is further rounded out by a tribute album to his fellow Meridian native, country music founding father Jimmie Rodgers, Any Old Time (nominated for a Best Folk Album Grammy award), Steve's 2020 LP of interpretations of favorite songs by other talents that have inspired him, Early Morning Rain, and collections of outtakes and early recordings.

Venerable Milwaukee concert promoter Peter Jest perhaps best encapsulated Forbert's creative presence. "His ability to craft songs that capture the essence of the human spirit is nothing short of remarkable. His voice is a beacon of authenticity in a world saturated with noise."




Follow New Jersey Stage on social media
Facebook, Threads, Instagram, Twitter, Bluesky



FEATURED EVENTS

ART | COMEDY | DANCE | FILM | MUSIC | THEATRE | COMMUNITY

To narrow results by date range, categories,
or region of New Jersey
click here for our advanced search.


Night

Night Ranger

Thursday, April 03, 2025 @ 7:30pm
State Theatre New Jersey
15 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901
category: music


 

Night

Night Ranger

Friday, April 04, 2025 @ 8:00pm
Bergen Performing Arts Center (bergenPAC)
30 North Van Brunt Street, Englewood, NJ 07631
category: music


 

SOLOMON

SOLOMON plays DYLAN

Friday, April 04, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Lizzie Rose Music Room
217 E. Main Street, Tuckerton, NJ 08087
category: music


 

McDonald’s

McDonald’s Gospelfest 2025

Saturday, April 05, 2025 @ 7:30pm
Union County Performing Arts Center (UCPAC) - Main Stage
1601 Irving Street, Rahway, NJ 07065
category: music


 

Stoned

Stoned Soul Picnic: Joni, Carole, Laura

Saturday, April 05, 2025 @ 7:00pm
Grunin Center - Studio Theater
1 College Drive, Toms River, NJ 08754
category: music


 


 

EVENT PREVIEWS

Grammy

Grammy Award Winners and Jazz Icons the Yellowjackets Come to Bell Theater in April

(HOLMDEL, NJ) -- Celebrate Jazz Appreciation month with the Yellowjackets, which Jazz Times describes as an "electric-acoustic outfit whose smart, often challenging and unpredictable compositions draw from fusion, post-bop and contemporary jazz." These jazz icons are headed to Bell Theater at Bell Works in Holmdel on Thursday, April 24, 2025.



NJPAC

NJPAC presents R&B superstar Tyrese Gibson

(NEWARK, NJ) -- R&B superstar Tyrese Gibson will perform at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) on Sunday, April 27, 2025 at 7:00pm. He is set to deliver an unforgettable night featuring his chart-topping songs like "Sweet Lady" and "How You Gonna Act Like That." Concert goers can anticipate a memorable experience as Gibson captivates the audience with his powerful vocals and engaging stage presence.



Jersey

Jersey Arts Podcast: Bewitched by Botti - A Chat with the Grammy Winning Trumpeter

Jazz fans, rejoice! Grammy-winning trumpeter Chris Botti will be gracing the stage of the Mayo Performing Arts Center on Saturday, April 12, 2025.



Get

Get the Led Out to Play Three Nights at Scottish Rite Auditorium

(COLLINGSWOOD, NJ) -- Get the Led Out (GTLO) takes over the Scottish Rite Auditorium for shows April 24-26, 2025 at 8:00pm each night. From the bombastic and epic to the folky and mystical, GTLO has captured the essence of the recorded music of Led Zeppelin and brought it to the concert stage. The concerts are presented by the Camden County Board of Commissioners.



Split

Split Level Concerts presents Rod Picott and Anya Hinkle at Jersey Shore Arts Center

(OCEAN GROVE, NJ) -- Critically acclaimed singer/songwriters Rod Picott and Anya Hinkle will co-headline a performance at Jersey Shore Arts Center in Ocean Grove on Saturday, April 26, 2025. Showtime is 8:00pm. The show closes out the 2024-25 season of the Split Level Concerts series which highlights renowned Americana and contemporary folk musicians in a uniquely intimate setting. The series will resume in the fall.