Below are several articles written by a variety of publication over the course of my musical career.
“Singer/songwriter shows increasing polish on new six-song CD” –The Athens News, Athens OH; By Jim Phillips, Athens News Senior Writer, May 1, 2008
As a long-time street busker, Steve Zarate has earned a reputation as a carbon-based iPod. You request a tune, he’s likely to know it – or at least he’ll make a passable attempt to fake it. (He also knows all the verses to Phil Ochs’ “Crucifixion,” which should be mighty impressive to anyone familiar with that epic.)
These days, however, Zarate plays a lot more of his music indoors – he gigs frequently around the area – and also writes tunes of his own. As evidenced by his latest recording, his songwriting skills are getting steadily sharper, as is his guitar playing.
The six-song “Silver Linings” contains a tune or two that Zarate has recorded versions of elsewhere, but this new recording is probably his best-sounding work to date.
He filled out his sound with a band made up of top local players, including singer Laura Nadeau, bassists Dave Borowski and Eric “Junebug” Leighton, banjo player Hilarie Burhans, mandolin player John “Catfish” Juliano, guitarist Tristan Kinsley, keyboard player Bernie Nau, drummer Derrick Nau, and violinists Julia Reeves and Rusty Smith.
Any Steve Zarate record should probably feature a consumer warning label, to protect those allergic to optimism and happy vibes. He didn’t pick the title “Silver Linings” by accident, and it should be acknowledged up front that Zarate writes many songs that are sunny and hopeful.
He tends to unabashedly celebrate stuff he likes a whole bunch, like his former home of Alaska (“Living in Alaska”) or his current home (“Jewel of the Hocking,” with its guileless appreciation of “the College Green at old Ohio U.”)
His stuff isn’t all Kermit the Frog and the Rainbow Connection, though. “Cell Phone Song,” which kicks off the record, is – amazingly enough – quite funny without ever getting mean.
At this late date, writing a song to satirize the people who yammer endlessly on mobile phones might seem a recipe for instant ugh, but Zarate gets away with it. It’s a nimble, clever tune, driven by some tricky guitar picking and a chorus in which Zarate yelps, “Oh my god! I couldn’t believe it!” in flawless imitation of a chattering buffy.
To cover both sides of the issue, however, he makes sure to mention the useful aspects of cell phones, like “if you get in a wreck and need to call emergency personnel.” Fair and balanced, just like Fox News.
“Warren’s Song (Oh What A Ride)” pays thoughtful tribute to the late Warren Zevon, and “Summer’s First Rays” is a sweet little tune on which Nadeau adds a good second vocal.
“Fear Based Thinking” might be a little pop-psych for some tastes, but it’s also musically one of the best-sounding things on the disc, with a little harder-rocking sound than most of Zarate’s tunes, and a tasteful, stinging guitar part from the Princes of Hollywood’s Kinsley.
”Silver Linings” was produced by Bernie Nau and Zarate, and recorded, mixed and mastered by Nau at Peach Fork Studios near Pomeroy.
If you want to buy the CD, you can chase Zarate down at one of his many gigs at The Sandstone in Logan, Rhapsody in Nelsonville and The Galley in Marietta, or catch his street musician act near Athens’ Burrito Buggy. It’s also available at Donkey Coffee & Espresso in Athens. Scheduled appearances and related info are at www.myspace.com/stevezarate.
“Street Guitarist Shares Musical Passion With Athens” –www.SpeakeasyMag.com; by Ellen Cox, Staff writer, Sat, Feb. 04, 2006 | 1:10 pm
Steve Zarate is an Ohio University icon. Many students instantly will say they have seen the “guitar guy” on Union Street near the Burrito Buggy, but little is known about the man behind the music.
Zarate — pronounced like “karate” with a “z” — enjoys a high amount of recognition from students on campus; there is even a Facebook group dedicated to him. Yet, despite his fame, Zarate remains humble and focused on what he says really matters: the music.
Although he grew up in Columbus, Zarate is no stranger to Athens and OU. In fact, he has three degrees from the university. In 1982 he completed his time as an undergraduate with a degree in telecommunications, and he returned for graduate school in 1985. “I thought I would be a writer; I wanted to do features, more in-depth articles.” By 1991, Zarate had completed two masters’ degrees: one in journalism and the other in political science.
Between 1990 and 1991, however, Zarate began to feel that he was meant to do something else. “I felt compelled to do music,” he said.
Zarate, who plays the guitar and the harmonica, developed his love of music from many artists of the 1970s. Around that time he fell in love with many pop songs, and liked how everyone could enjoy them. “They were just good, you know?”” he said.
Much of Zarate’s extensive musical knowledge comes from those artists. He began to teach himself guitar at about the age of 15. “Once you know a song, you can work through it,” he said.
Not only does Zarate know and love music, he also carries a small book with every song he knows, complete with an impressive table of contents that helps him to find a listing of each artist’s songs quickly.
Zarate also drew his love of music and his style of playing from teenage experiences. In those years, he spent several summers as a camper and a camp counselor.
“I remember at night, the camp counselors would get out guitars and we would just play,” Zarate said. He said the campfire atmosphere is part of what he attempts to create for passersby on Court Street during Fall and Spring Quarter weekends.
“People love to sing, but they don’t always know it,” Zarate said. Sometimes he even pretends there is a campfire to get listeners in the mood. “I will sometimes say, ‘Watch out, you’re getting close to the fire!’ to help someone feel like they’re actually at a campfire.”
One of Zarate’s songs, “Invisible Campfires” pays tribute to that idea. As stated on the lyrics page of his Web site, the song was “inspired by many nights of singing by the Burrito Buggy with drunken Ohio University students. Surely everyone loves to sing around campfires — even those who don’t know it yet. Dedicated to all who enjoy singing a real good song.”
The lyrics to “Invisible Campfires” accurately depict these campfire-like scenes:
There on the corner, ordering their burritos, They come in all shapes and sizes, collegians and the local Joes, I sing with them on weekend nights, searching for the songs that fit just right, Building those invisible campfires, out where the concrete flows…
Can’t burn your fingers on this flame, Pull up a log, we’re glad you came, Don’t hide your voice away in shame, Let’s sing another…
For Zarate, it’s all about creating a scene where everyone is comfortable. “It’s something opposite of the bar scene; they can clap or not clap, sing or not sing,” Zarate said. He explained that the world is really how you see it: “You can imagine the world in flames, or in peace and harmony.”
Before performing, Zarate sits in his van with a tape player and tunes “into songs I really enjoy,” he said. “I might play those if no one shows up right away.” Zarate said he noticed that people tend to “crave the familiar,” but that often they are not opposed to listening to his favorites. “Sometimes I play them something they’ve never heard and they end up getting turned on to something new.”
Zarate said his favorite performing moments come when listeners circle around him. “I can look from face to face and see them all lit up,” Zarate said. “Not that I’m responsible, but it’s the spirit through the music.”
For the time being, Zarate is seeing if he can make music “viable.” After working with Americorps for two years, he now is trying to make music a full-time job. “I’m interested in giving lessons or in playing at parties or other events,” he said.
Students interested in contacting Zarate to take lessons, to hire him for an event or to purchase one of his three CDs can do so by e-mailing him at stevezarate@hotmail.com.
“Songs of a Street Artist” –The Ohio University Post, Athens OH; By Paul Kita, Culture Senior Writer (paul.kita@ohiou.edu), November 14, 2005
Steve Zarate has released “Jewel Of The Hocking,” a four-song disc highlighting the uniqueness of Athens, Ohio. But Ohio University students might know him best from what he calls the “invisible campfires” next to the Burrito Buggy on weekend nights. Accompanied by his guitar, his harmonica and a mental library stuffed with songs, Zarate has entertained weekend Uptown-goers for years. “Jewel Of The Hocking” is a gem capturing the spirit and essence of what it means to live in Athens. The Post sat down with Zarate and asked him about music, performing and burritos.
The Post: You’ve written something like 200 of your own songs. How many covers would you say you have in your repertoire?
Zarate: I don’t know. How many meals have you eaten? It’s just one of those things. I’ve gone 10, 12, 15 years between certain songs without even thinking about them and then somebody will ask for something and I’ll remember. People say ridiculous things like, “He knows every song there is,” and that’s not even close to the truth. I’d say I can do tunes by about 300 different artists.
The Post: You might get this a lot, but you have a master’s in journalism and political science, a bachelor’s in telecommunications…why have you decided to stay in Athens?
Zarate: This is a comfort zone for me. There is lots to love about this place. When I wrote the song “Jewel Of The Hocking” in 2003 for a CD about Athens and Ohio University, I sat down and the first thing that popped into my head was: “I found a family of friendships down Athens, Ohio/ with a wealth of rolling hillsides and a sky so blue/ however far I roam I’ll always feel at home on the college green at old Ohio U,” and those are my feelings about Athens.
The Post: How would you describe your relationship with your audience on a typical beer-soaked Saturday night?
Zarate: Warm-hearted. Fun-loving. I just try to be generous with my energy. I’ve just found, over the years – without being too vain about it – I can be the life of the party with a guitar, because I know so many of these songs and I love to sit around and play.
The Post: Do you see the other musicians of Court Street – Spoon Man, Piano Man – as your competition?
Zarate: Absolutely not. First of all, Spoon Man, Stephen Rounthwaite – I’ve performed with him often. Rick the piano player is a great guy. They’re not competition at all.
The Post: So why the Burrito Buggy? Why not the gyro buggy or a bar uptown?
Zarate: It’s just from experience. A long time ago, in ’89 or ’90, I was living with a friend of mine. I went to The Union one night to hear him play and had to pay three bucks to get in. While I was in there I was listening to him play and I was like, “You know, I’ve heard him play every one of these songs on my couch in my apartment. Why did I spend that $3?” So after I heard a few more songs I went out and tried to make that $3 back. Down near the Burrito Buggy, I brought out my guitar and started playing and before I knew it, I had $17 in there.
The Post: How do you hope the people of Athens view you?
Zarate: A kind and warm-hearted person who shares his talents with the community for the greater good. What I mean is, yeah, I can get some dough from selling records, but I feel as if I’m providing a public service.
The Post: What is your favorite burrito in case someone wants to give you a tip this weekend?
Zarate: Chicken chili.
To purchase “Jewel Of The Hocking” for $5, contact Zarate at stevezarate@hotmail.com. The EP will also be available at Blue Eagle Music, 40 N. Court St., and Donkey Coffee and Espresso, 17 1/2 W. Washington St., for $6. Zarate will also be performing by the Burrito Buggy Thursday, Friday and Saturday.
“Local Songwriter Releases Ode to the City He Loves” –The Athens News, Athens OH; By Jim Phillips, Senior Writer, November 14, 2005
According to my computer – which certainly ought to know – Athens singer/songwriter Steve Zarate has somehow turned into a heavy-metal band called the Scorpions.
At least that’s what the machine tried to tell me when I popped in a dubbed copy of Steve’s new CD release, “Jewel of the Hocking.” Apparently, the digital brain in my eMac’s plastic head got all confused when it couldn’t recognize the record, and simply slapped on the first band name it could think of.
Needless to say, I was taken aback. In all the years I have known Steve, I have seen him in a spandex leotard only once or twice, and it’s not really his look. He also lacks the proper size and texture of hair for throwing violently back and forth while he plays guitar. And the less said about his brief flirtation with smoke machines and lasers, the better.
When I pushed the “play” button, however, I was instantly reassured. There was the same sparkling acoustic guitar playing, the same warm, ingratiating voice and heartfelt, occasionally goofy lyrics I’d known for years.
Steve’s tunes are probably also familiar to about 50,000 Ohio University students and alums, from the many years that he’s been known as “the guitar guy” for his off-and-on street gig by the buggies near Baker Center.
While there’s much more to Zarate than his busker persona, he’s always been happy to be identified with this little college burg that he loves. “Jewel of the Hocking,” in fact, is kind of a four-song valentine to his adopted hometown.
Recorded live at Donkey Coffee and Espresso, it’s about as drenched in local feeling as a townie could desire. Check it out if you’re the kind of person who misses this place something terrible whenever you go away.
The cozy live format at Donkey is perfect for the kind of audience-friendly music Zarate makes, and the four tunes on the CD all cover some happy aspect of life amongst the mystical pentangle of hills that we like to call Athens.
There’s the funny (and timely) “Some Public Access,” which hymns the DIY joys and demotic empowerment of getting a show on the Public Access TV channel. “Get yourself some public access/You won’t hardly have to practice,” it promises.
”Health Food Store” is another celebration, this time of the wonders of tofu, granola and fiber in general. With nary a hint of sarcasm, Steve exhorts his listeners to eschew the lard-laden fast-food burger, and gobble up some fresh fruits and veggies. Word in the entertainment business has it that hearing this tune is what inspired Cookie Monster to finally widen his diet.
“Invisible Campfires,” so say the liner notes, was inspired by the countless nights Zarate has camped out by the Burrito Buggy and plied his tunes for the passersby. People get friendly and open around a campfire, and join in songs without embarrassment; that, the song suggests, is what being “the guitar guy” is really about.
”Can’t burn your fingers on this flame/pull up a log, we’re glad you came/Don’t hide your voice away in shame/let’s sing another,” the song urges.
Capping the disk is the title tune, which won inclusion on “Four Year Heaven,” a CD put together by the vocal group The Local Girls, to celebrate OU’s 200th birthday. It’s an honest, unabashed love song to a place where the singer, a city boy by birth, found “a family of friendships” and a place to call home. Be it ever so humble…
“Jewel” boasts a dazzling cover photo of Athens from the air, courtesy of Athens NEWS photo editor Ed Venrick (unpaid plug). On the back, it’s got Steve himself, all geared up with guitar and mouth harp in holder, and standing in front of — you guessed it — the Burrito Buggy.
The CD is on sale at Donkey and Blue Eagle Music.
“Guitarist Graduate Connects With Crowds Through Songwriting” –The Ohio University Post, Athens OH; By Jason Kane, October 10, 2003
Weekend nights Uptown have long been associated with bars, bands, and crowds of students passing each other on the street. Over the past several years, however, the sounds coming from the area near the intersection of Court and Union Streets have caused many to stop and listen.
Steve Zarate, an Athens resident and accomplished guitarist and singer, has become something of a local legend for his natural ability to transform the strip of sidewalk near the Burrito Buggy into a virtual campfire.
On a typical Friday or Saturday night, Zarate is known to draw a boisterous crowd of 20 or more people around him.
Mike Shook, a Hocking College junior who works at the Burrito Buggy, said, “He’s pretty successful at getting large crowds to get involved. He’ll play any song you request. Once a few people start singing, usually the whole crowd starts up.”
His desire to share music with the people of Athens, as well as the extensive list of memorized songsfound in his request book, are the results of a lifelong passion.
“I strongly agree with Martin Scorsese when he said something like, `I can’t imagine my life without music. There’s air and then there’s music.’ It’s a language,” Zarate said. “Music seems like it gets right to the heart of emotions a little quicker than words.”
As a teenager, Zarate served as a junior counselor at an Ohio summer camp. After the campers were asleep, the counselors would sit around a campfire with guitars and sing the music of James Taylor, The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel and others.
“I love singing with people and sharing that kind of feeling…`let’s sing just to feel the singing.’ It gives people camaraderie, a feeling of being part of a group,” he said.
Today, he said, he views his love of music as a spiritual calling, but in his earlier years he felt an overwhelming pressure to conform to society’s standards of an acceptable occupation.
An OU graduate with a bachelor’s in telecommunications and a master’s in both journalism and political science, Zarate attempted for a time to resist his desire to gravitate toward music. He left Athens and moved back to his childhood hometown of Columbus to try to work in the mainstream press, but said he quickly became repulsed by the corruption and blind acceptance of authority he found in the media there.
About 12 years ago, Zarate began to accept his calling as a musician. He remembers this time as an emotional awakening in his life. “It was as if my higher self were telling my lower self, `Be confident. You have this gift for a reason. Don’t turn your back on it!’ I realized that I’m most happy when I let the music flow through me,” Zarate said.
Since then he has written 175 songs and released two albums, Homecoming and Invisible Campfires. Zarate is working as a freelance writer until he completes the payment of his student loans, but admits that he probably will have to move away from Athens in the future to better support himself as a musician.
The lyrics from his song, “Jewel Of The Hocking,” express most accurately his fondness for the town: “I found a family of friendships down in Athens / With a wealth of rolling hillsides and a sky so blue / However far I roam I’ll always feel at home / On the college green at old Ohio U.”
Mike Oates, sound technician for Donkey Coffee and Espresso, 17 ½ W. Washington St., said people like Zarate represent the very essence of Athens. “Steve is Athens. If I were to show some friends a snapshot of the demeanor of the city, it would be him,” Oates said. “You only find people like Steve in Athens.”
“Recording History: New CD Captures University, Athens In Song” –Ohio Today (Ohio U. Alumni Magazine); By Corinne Colbert, Fall 2003
Ohio University has long been known for a happening music scene. And in the first half of the 20th century, the hills truly were alive with song.
“They sang as a student body, they sang with their sororities, they sang at dinner—they sang all the time,” says Mimi Hart. “There’s joy in singing together.”
Hart knows all about Athens music: She was a member of Hotcakes and the Bopcats in the ‘60s and ‘70s and has gained national renown as one-third of The Local Girls. But she’s also learned a lot about musical traditions dating back nearly a century through research for an upcoming compact disc celebrating Ohio University and Athens.
Four-Year Heaven: Ohio University Players and The Local Girls Present the Songs of Ohio University, a 14-track CD coming out in October, was born almost three years ago when Hart noticed a short article in a 2001 edition of Ohio Today about the 1939 OU Revue. The story mentioned the song “Four-Year Heaven” by composer Vern Smolik and lyricist Rex Koons.
Intrigued, Hart hit the University archives and discovered that “Four-Year Heaven” was one of many songs written by students and alumni about Ohio University. Another was “The Campus Is Lonely Tonight,” penned in 1941 about the departure of most men on campus after the Pearl Harbor attack. Helen Townsend Corns, a student at the time, wrote the lyrics, and Ernest Mariani, BFA ’43, composed the score (although he had never put it down on paper until encouraged recently by Hart).
“One goal of the CD is to reintroduce these songs to the repertoire,” Hart says.
In addition to the old tunes, the CD will feature two songs generated by a contest sponsored by The Local Girls, which in addition to Hart features Gay Gehres Dalzell, BMUS ’77, and Athens native Brenda Catania. Of the many entries, the group chose “The Green Hills Of Athens,” a bluesy number by Kathy Fagan Clark, BMUS ’78, and “Jewel Of The Hocking,” a country-tinged song by Steve Zarate, BSC ’82, MS ’90 and MA ’91.
Zarate wrote his contribution in a couple of hours and spent almost three weeks polishing it before entering it in the contest. A longtime Athens singer/songwriter who lived in Alaska for 5½ years, Zarate drew on his longing for the town in composing the lyrics.
“Often I’d dream I was back on the College Green on a sunshiny day, only to wake up and find that I had to go to my office job in downtown Juneau,” Zarate says. “I wanted to put that glowing picture of sunlit Athens in the song.” (…)
Ultimately, homecomings—emotional and physical—are the CD’s goal. “I hope we can evoke that time for some alums,” Hart says. “I want to inspire people to come back to Athens. Every weekend is homecoming if you come back.”
“An Evening with Steve Zarate” –Athens Musician Network web site; By Michael Oates, July 31, 2003
I recently felt privileged to spend an evening with one of Athens’ own homegrown artists, Steve Zarate. But in my estimation, calling Steve simply an artist is an understatement. Born in Providence RI and raised in Columbus OH, Steve’s an interesting guy who’s seen and done a lot, and he shared a little of his experience with me during our visit.
I have long been fascinated with Steve and his life story. I first met him next to the Burrito Buggy uptown, where he’s become well known for playing original music on weekend nights along with fulfilling requests for Athens’ local late night community. When I first encountered Steve I was instantly captivated with his musical depth and knowledge of practically every important musical artist since the 1950s, as well as with his ability to play guitar and entertain a crowd.
If you’re unfamiliar with Steve Zarate you probably either haven’t lived in Athens very long or you rarely if ever go uptown on weekend nights. I look at Steve and people like him as one of the reasons I’ve decided to call Athens OH my home. He’s one of many local characters who make this town so amazing and unique. As we sat together, Steve shared with me a great deal from his life. This article may only scratch the surface of our discussion, but I hope your curiosity about this local artist grows enough that you will be sure to go have a few words with him yourself.
Steve describes his musical origins as the direct result of “sitting beside campfires as a teenager watching summer camp counselors play guitars.” On the opening title track of his appropriately named latest album, Invisible Campfires, he expresses his ongoing desire to turn ordinary sidewalks into virtual singalongs through the power of melodic imagination: “Can’t burn your fingers on this flame, Pull up a log, we’re glad you came, Don’t hide your voice away in shame, Let’s sing another….”
The first artist to pull Steve’s attention toward rock and folk music in the early 1970s was the legendary Elton John, who attracted Steve (among others) with “his passion and his incredible sense of melody.” Steve, who infuses passion and strong melodies into his own music, reminisced about pretending to play piano parts to songs like “Daniel,” “Honky Cat” and “Crocodile Rock” on his pillow in the dark as a young teenager, emulating his favorite artist by imagining himself onstage and escaping from the outside world. (A student of astrology born in early March, Steve considers this typically Piscean: “When the outside world doesn’t match up to our high standard, we often escape somehow.”)
Steve realized as a teenager that music was his passion. After teaching himself guitar at age 15, Steve felt the influence of many other important artists, undergoing particularly intense Beatles, Neil Young and Grateful Dead phases. Singer-songwriters of the 70s like James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Jackson Browne, Dan Fogelberg, Cat Stevens and Harry Chapin filled his head with great tunes, as did major 70s bands like CSN, The Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin, Yes, Jethro Tull, Steely Dan and many more.
Plus Simon & Garfunkel, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen, Van Morrison, The Band,…the list goes on and on, as you can see by checking Steve’s “little blue book,” a small reference book he’s created with an unbelievably lengthy list of mostly-memorized song material, including plenty from the 50s, 60s, 80s and 90s. More recently, he’s become a huge fan of certain eclectic singer-songwriters, particularly Bruce Cockburn, Greg Brown, Michael Hedges, David Wilcox, Kate Wolf and Nanci Griffith.
Steve sees music collections as “a big group of frozen best friends, and every once in a while you can thaw them out with your stereo and they can give you just what you need to hear.” Asked about his large repertoire, he says he seems to have “an ability to discern chord progressions naturally,” and I think anyone who’s heard him play would agree. Steve can play you a lot of songs, and even if he doesn’t really know it he’ll have a blast figuring it out with you.
When I asked Steve what he liked or disliked about Athens, he replied, “Well, you’ve heard my new song, `Jewel Of The Hocking,’ haven’t you?” This award-winning tune, set to appear on a forthcoming Local Girls album due this fall, depicts Athens as a place where the singer finds “a family of friendships…with a wealth of rolling hillsides and a sky so blue,” with this tag line: “However far I roam, I’ll always feel at home on the College Green at old Ohio U.”
Steve feels that in Athens “you can very easily find like-minded people who will keep the spark of happiness, hope and kindness alive. When I first came to Athens it was like the world opening up in Technicolor compared to the black and white of Columbus, where I was raised.”
After eventually earning Ohio University degrees in Journalism, Political Science and Telecommunications, Steve says he searched his soul and found his purpose in this life to be musical, finally understanding how this explained his avid lifelong interest in songs and songwriting. Steve believes musicians provide a highly valuable service to people, just like a baker or a mailman might, though perhaps on different levels.
Homecoming, Steve’s first CD, which features various Alaskan musicians augmenting 13 original tunes, was recorded in 1996 in Juneau, capitol of the beautiful 49th state and Steve’s home for four years. The album includes the heavily Beatle-influenced “Magic Lightbulbs” and the powerful “Ballad Of Harvey Milk.” Steve also lived for 11 months in Homer and seven in Petersburg, and his time in Alaska continues to heavily influence his music. Yet he’s again called Athens OH home since returning from AK in 1997, producing Invisible Campfires in Athens in 2002.
A solo acoustic venture recorded with the help of WOUB-FM’s Jeff Liggett, Invisible Campfires contains special tracks like “Living In Alaska,” “Spirit Of Adventure” and “Photosynthesis,” along with others that fully reflect Steve’s experiences, passions and beliefs. And although these are evident in his songs, I still wanted to ask about Steve’s vision for this record. He responded that the album conveys “a theme of the importance of music in our lives and how, by singing, we can liberate ourselves and strengthen our connections to what is important: harmony, balance, integrity, compassion. I don’t think anything bad can come from singing. There is a certain self-assurance that often happens.
“A lot of the songs on this record seem to urge listeners—especially me—to travel through music to get in touch with the place that is inside our hearts where salvation comes from,” he added. “I believe it’s important to make contact with timeless truths.”
Wrapping up our conversation, Steve relayed some wisdom he and many others have absorbed from the late Joseph Campbell, a 20th century scholar well known for devoting his life to the study of myths and legends worldwide. As paraphrased by Steve, Campbell essentially said that “there is a reason you love something, and that is because you’re someone who’s supposed to be working in that area, because the creator put that in your heart in the first place. Follow your bliss and doors you can’t even see yet will open for you, doors that won’t open for anyone else but you. Because that is how you honor love.”
Thinking back to my first Fall Quarter as an Ohio University student, I recall how Steve Zarate helped show me the potential that I suspected Athens Ohio might have, even as a naïve freshman. I remember thinking back then, while listening to Steve play on the corner of Court and Union Streets, that Athens could be the town for me. And now here I am, married and working in the community. Like Steve, I’ve left from time to time, only to return to “a family of friendships.” I can think of many reasons why I love this town, and Steve Zarate’s gift of music is one of them.
“Zarate Displays Enthusiasm—Local Performer’s Songs Celebrate People And Places” –The Athens Insider, Athens OH; By Troy Gregorino, April 30, 2003
Friday, 1:15 a.m., Steve Zarate sits at his familiar sidewalk post just beside the Burrito Buggy on Union Street. His open guitar case displays three dollars and change. A giant volume of song lyrics rests at his feet. He leaves it unopened as he obliges visitors’ requests for Neil Young, Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs.
Zarate’s own songs, more commonly heard at his indoor performances, are the kind that conjure images. His lyrics don’t just decorate the music or fill up space; they crystallize Zarate’s unique sense of purpose and good will, which he seems to attach to his every line.
Zarate’s “Jewel Of The Hocking” was chosen by Athens singing group The Local Girls for inclusion in an upcoming recording project that features songs about Athens and Ohio University. In it, Zarate sings: “She’s the jewel of the Hocking by the bend in the river / Any moment of the year she’s shining still / And there’s something about Athens and Southeast Ohio / That keeps the laughter ringing through these hills.”
Whether at an open mic, his own gig or sitting on the street corner, one of the things that defines a Steve Zarate song is his genuine enthusiasm for his craft.
“I try to sincerely get these songs across,” he said. “My songs are mostly about balance and harmony. My particular lifetime is a journey from being not so balanced and harmonious to a better place. Some of the songs are funny and some of them are more serious.”
Many of Zarate’s songs celebrate the people and places encountered along some rather storied travels, including nearly six years spent in Alaska. In Petersburg, Alaska, he worked as a carpenter and NPR news reporter. Whatever the story conveyed in a given song, Zarate seems to inject a very personal part of himself into his work.
“There’s a higher part of me and a lower part of me, which is the sort of mundane, day-to-day part,” he said. According to Zarate, “all of us can have access to a part of us that is above (the mundane).”
“Sometimes a song comes through,” he said. “Hopefully, it gets written in a way that’s universal.”
Referring to music as “medicine,” Zarate said he wants his songs to offer listeners a sense of connection and reassurance.
“When I’m feeling unsettled, a song will come along, and I’ll use it to settle me,” he said. “By the end of the song, something resolves itself. Hopefully, by sharing it with others, that can be part of their process too. I guess that’s a big part of the motivation.”
Of his live performances, Zarate said he likes to get the audience involved. He said he takes it as a significant compliment when people lose their inhibitions and sing along. For that reason, Zarate said, he likes to mix in a selection of covers with his original work.
“It’s a good thing to have a warmth and generosity of spirit,” he said. “I try to put out a little warmth into the world.”
In addition to his seemingly endless repertoire of pieces by popular rock and folk artists of the 1960s and ‘70s, Zarate has copyrighted 172 original songs with the Library of Congress. His most recent release is “Invisible Campfires,” a strong sampling of heartfelt, melodic songs played in vintage Zarate style. “Invisible Campfires” seeks (and elicits) the warmth and camaraderie of songs sung over a summer night’s blaze. Zarate’s are songs that almost insist upon having a better day.
To catch Zarate in person, look for him at High Street Fest in Athens, May 16 and 17. Until then, he can be found at various open stage venues or, on weekends, entertaining late-night crowds who pay homage to the man who makes campfires out of concrete.
“Nobody paid a dime to walk by you,” Zarate said of his appreciation even for those who choose to walk past his street performances. “I just want to express it, share the music and give it away.”
“New CDs Out From Local Talent” –The Athens News, Athens OH; By Jim Phillips, April 18, 1996
A few years back, after graduating from Ohio University, Athens street minstrel Steve Zarate packed up for the northern territories—Alaska, to be exact. And if you’ve been in Athens long enough to remember him playing on Union Street up by the food buggies, you can refresh your recollections with a brand-new CD, Homecoming.
Zarate had a previous cassette recording, 1991’s Athens Solstice. The new release, recorded in two one-room cabins outside of Juneau, is in the same gentle eco-folkie vein, but considerably more polished. Zarate has become a delicate and precise fingerpicker, embellishing his tunes with lots of little chiming notes and melodic runs.
A list of standouts on the CD, which is available now in local record stores, would have to include “The Ballad Of Harvey Milk”—an older tune of Steve’s, commemorating the gay activist politician who was gunned down, along with San Francisco Mayor George Moscone, by a disgruntled city official. Also memorable are the lilting title tune and “As Far As The Heart Goes,” a tribute to the late John Bartlett, better known as Johnny B, who died in December 1994. John and Steve were friends, and played a lot of music together.
On some of the tunes on Homecoming, Zarate sticks to the old reliable guitar/voice approach, but on several he’s helped out by backing musicians on, variously, bass, congas, mandolin, fiddle, bodhran and whatnot.
“Juneau Songwriter Showcases Talents On New CD” –The Capital City Weekly, Juneau AK; By Riley Woodford, March 13-19, 1996
Juneau songwriter Steve Zarate has taken the plunge. With the release of his new CD this month, he’s quit his day job and made the commitment to pursue music full time. He is off to a good start, and his debut recording is a strong offering. It showcases not only exceptional songwriting and guitar playing, but his ability to draw the best performance from his fellow musicians.
Zarate drew from his repertoire of over a hundred original songs to select the material for his CD, Homecoming.
Zarate (whose last name rhymes with karate) produced and recorded the CD in Juneau this winter. Recording engineer and fellow musician Albert McDonnell coproduced the project, and plays bass on ten of the thirteen tracks. Zarate explained what went into producing and recording a CD, and offered some interesting insights into songwriting.
“I took a week and a half off work in late October,” he began, “and rehearsed as much as I could. I recorded the rhythm guitar and lead vocals for all 13 tracks—that was the start.”
“Then we spent a few weeks listening to what we had, and made a lot of cassettes. Friends gave feedback, and we figured out what other instruments we wanted and which songs needed harmonies.”
Over the winter, the songs were embellished and polished. The artwork and other details were attended to and, by mid-January, Zarate was ready to send his master tape to the manufacturer.
Three songs celebrate the folk song/singer-songwriter tradition: Steve Zarate, vocals and guitar. Others are enhanced with tasteful contributions from various local musicians. Although as many as four or five people play on a few of the songs, most are sparsely decorated. In all cases the songs build on Zarate’s strong, melodic guitar work.
Jim Ferguson plays Bodhran (a small Irish drum) on two tunes, and his brother Andy plays mandolin on three. Tracy Bird plays pennywhistle on one song, and Wendy Parker plays the flute on another. Judy Lungren added fiddle and harmony on two songs, Kathy Fanning sings harmony on a few, Joyce Levine added percussion on one, and Michael Dattola plays congas on three.
Like many artists, Zarate views inspiration as a gift from the Muse. Songwriting can be cultivated, but not forced. “It feels like you just move out of the way when a song comes in. You have to just receive it.
“There’s two parts to us, I think. The active part that’s chatting and always thinking, and the other that is quiet and observant. That part is always there, but rarely in the foreground. That’s the part that’s connected to the Muse.
“I think all songwriters are good observers, or try to be, and try to learn from what they’ve experienced. I used to start writing a song about something and it would turn into some epic statement on human consciousness. I’ve found it’s easier to take a snapshot of something, like a dream or a friend’s passing, and focus on that.”
Zarate notes that most popular songs tend to be about relationships and love. His material is a little different. He focuses on issues of healing, transformation, equilibrium and balance. “Coming to it, not necessarily being there,” he said. “I hope that my songs stand out, because the subject matter is a little different from the boy/girl songs.”
One of Zarate’s songs, “The Ballad Of Harvey Milk,” is a moving account of the San Francisco activist and city assemblyman who was gunned down in his office (along with the city’s mayor) by a disgruntled co-worker. The song was written in just a few hours, seven years after the initial inspiration.
Zarate says that his favorite song on the CD changes from week to week.
“They’re like children to me,” he said. “Right now, it’s the song `Fullness.’ The line, `Don’t deny the fullness of your heart’s desire’ seems to sum up my life and my friends’ lives right now. Don’t let something stand in the way of what you really want to do. Don’t let something—your job, or your relationship—tell you that you can’t do something, whether it is to quit or begin.”
Homecoming is available at Budget Tapes and CDs in the Mendenhall Valley, at Rainbow Foods downtown, and from Steve Zarate in person.
Zarate has decided to pursue music as a career. He recently quit his state job, and is focusing his efforts toward that end.
“I want to be a recording artist, and make my living off that. A year ago, I attended the national Folk Alliance Conference, a gathering of artists and music industry professionals, and I realized I needed to do some things if I was going to pursue music. I need to get my health together, because the people who do this for a living are really in good health. It takes it, to travel, to perform long sets, and to keep up.”
“I also realized I needed a CD,” he added, “to get airplay, and for credibility and professionalism. Now that I’ve quit my job, I’m going to play guitar every day. I want to really get my chops up. I found it hard not to be distracted by musical ideas at work. Now I can devote my attention to them. I feel really blessed that I had my job and was able to save and make this record.”
“Now it comes down to four things: practice, faith, hope and optimism.”
Review by James Tartas Victory Review, June 1996
Steve Zarate Homecoming [(Water Medicine Music (1996)] Steve sums it up pretty well for himself in his bio sheet: “I love a good romantic love song…but my tunes tend to focus more on healing connections with our higher selves and the magic and holy spirit of love itself.” New Age lyrics set to some really fine melodic pickin’ by Juneau, Alaska musicians. Zarate plays some tasty guitar and is accompanied by mandolin, bass, drums, harmonies and fiddle. Sort of a bluegrass/country feel throughout. Really nice melody writing and very enjoyable arrangements, but the lyrical content will most likely appeal to a New Age-oriented audience.
Review by PMW Dirty Linen, April/May ‘97
Steve Zarate Homecoming [(Water Medicine Music (1996)] Steve Zarate grew up in Ohio but went back to nature: Homecoming was recorded in “two one-room cabins on mountainsides just outside Juneau, Alaska.” Of the singer-songwriter-guitarist scale, his most obvious gift is as a guitarist, but he’s most interesting as a songwriter; he gets a lot of words to flow smoothly. Added to the expected nature songs are some surprises: a Beatles tribute (“Magic Lightbulbs”) and a seven-minute traditional ballad about the life and death of Harvey Milk.