Steve Nieve Previews New York Summer Shows

Summary

Podcast Summary: All Of It – Steve Nieve Previews New York Summer Shows

Episode Title: Steve Nieve Previews New York Summer Shows
Host: Alison Stewart
Release Date: July 17, 2025
Duration: Approximately 25 minutes

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Introduction to the Episode

In this vibrant episode of ALL OF IT, host Alison Stewart engages with Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Steve Nieve and his collaborator Quesada. The conversation delves into their musical journey, especially focusing on their recent projects and upcoming summer performances in New York City. The episode seamlessly blends discussions about music, community, and the creative process, providing listeners with an intimate glimpse into the lives of these accomplished musicians.

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The Immobile Tour: Adapting During the Pandemic

[02:38] Quesada: "Thank you for having us here. We're very excited to be talking live on air."

Alison Stewart kicks off the discussion by exploring the origins of Steve and Quesada's mini-tour. Quesada shares insights into how the Immobile Tour was born out of necessity during the pandemic:

[02:48] Quesada: "It all began actually during the pandemic when everybody couldn't go anywhere and we started a thing called the Immobile Tour. And basically, over the course of time, we gave 100 performances from our living room."

This innovative approach allowed them to maintain a connection with their audience despite the constraints imposed by COVID-19. Quesada emphasizes the unique nature of these performances:

[03:07] Quesada: "It was 100 completely different shows, but now what we're doing is bringing that to the real stage. It's kind of weird for some people who are used to seeing us on their computer screens to see us in real life."

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Building Community Through Music

[03:28] Alison Stewart: "Cassatta, what did you learn about the man as a musician playing with?"

Steve Nieve praises Steve's versatility and mentorship, highlighting the profound connection they share during performances:

[03:33] Steve Nieve: "Steve is a genius when it comes to any instrument that you put in front of him. He has this profound mentorship and kindness when it comes to communicating his love for music."

This mutual respect and collaboration have been pivotal in their creative process, fostering growth and innovation in their musical endeavors.

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Expanding the Tour: From Living Rooms to Historic Venues

Quesada elaborates on how their online performances led to opportunities in unique venues:

[04:43] Quesada: "We are playing at the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem, the oldest continuously operating museum in the USA. It's all because of the support from our Immobile Tour audience who inspires us to bring our shows to such eclectic locations."

Their upcoming "About Love Tour" includes performances at PAC NYC, Shelter Island at Chez Marie, Hamilton Park House, and Staten Island, promising a series of eclectic concerts that celebrate love through music.

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Insights from the Immobile Tour Audience

[05:52] Alison Stewart: "What did you learn about your fans through the pandemic? Through playing to them through a computer?"

Quesada reflects on the deep connection and mutual appreciation developed with their audience:

[06:01] Quesada: "Our audience was very knowledgeable, not only about the music of Elvis Costello but all kinds of music. It was like a sharing experience. It was really wonderful."

This interaction enriched their performances, allowing them to explore diverse musical themes and cater to a wide range of musical tastes.

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The "About Love" Vinyl Release

A significant highlight of the episode is the discussion about their vinyl release, "About Love". Quesada explains the inspiration and process behind the album:

[08:44] Quesada: "The tour is about love, and we have a vinyl record that we've produced. It's the favorite songs of the Immobile Tour crowd, mastered and mixed by a young collaborator responsible for the artwork."

Steve Nieve adds his perspective on the tactile and auditory experience of vinyl:

[09:17] Steve Nieve: "The grain is the most important thing. It feels like a bygone era, much warmer and closer to live music."

The album captures the essence of their online performances, preserving the authenticity and imperfections that made the Immobile Tour special.

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Featured Songs: A Blend of Originals and Covers

The episode features performances of selected tracks from their vinyl release, each accompanied by insightful stories:

April 5th

[10:06] Quesada: "Mark Hollis from Talk Talk wrote 'April 5th' for his wife’s birthday, and coincidentally, Elvis composed a song titled the same on the day they recorded it."

Performance Highlights:

• The song embodies a heartfelt conversation, showcasing their harmonious collaboration.

Hackensack

[15:12] Quesada: "We kept thinking we need to set our GPS for Hackensack."

[16:20] Muriel: "I used to know you when we were young... if you ever get back to Hackensack, I'll be here for you."

Performance Highlights:

• A nostalgic cover that resonates deeply with their audience, highlighting their ability to reinterpret classic songs with a personal touch.

Passionate Fight

[18:46] Alison Stewart: "Why did you say ooh?"

[19:34] Muriel: "Obscure the late afternoon with a drape..."

Performance Highlights:

• A theatrical piece co-written with Elvis, blending romantic melodies with poignant lyrics, reminiscent of Broadway's emotive style.

Country Roads

[22:09] Alison Stewart: "The song that made me do a double take was Country Roads."

[23:25] Steve Nieve: "There is more melancholy of the road that you are yearning to go back on."

Performance Highlights:

• A solemn rendition of John Denver’s classic, juxtaposed with Elvis’s "Country Darkness," offering a profound exploration of longing and nostalgia.

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Overcoming Creative Challenges

The conversation also touches upon overcoming creative obstacles:

[13:23] Steve Nieve: "When there is, like, everything is aligned... it's pretty miraculous when it happens."

[14:17] Alison Stewart: "What do you do to get through a brick wall when you hit a musical block?"

[14:31] Quesada: "I sometimes listen to other people's music, especially discovering new music gives me ideas."

[14:44] Steve Nieve: "Going for a walk in Paris helps me get out of that brick wall. Seeing the vibrant cityscape inspires new ideas."

Their strategies underscore the importance of external inspiration and changing environments to rejuvenate creativity.

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Upcoming Performances and Closing Remarks

Towards the end of the episode, Alison Stewart highlights their upcoming shows:

[22:26] Alison Stewart: "They are performing around our area tonight at PAC NYC, Shelter Island tomorrow and Saturday, Staten Island on Sunday, and back on Shelter Island on August 1st and 2nd."

Quesada and Steve Nieve extend invitations to listeners:

[24:27] Steve Nieve: "There's no storm, you know."

[24:31] Alison Stewart: "Let's go out on country roads."

Their genuine enthusiasm and invitation encapsulate the community-driven ethos of ALL OF IT, encouraging listeners to partake in the vibrant cultural tapestry of New York City.

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Notable Quotes

• Quesada on Immobile Tour:
  "[02:48] Quesada: It was 100 completely different shows, but now what we're doing is bringing that to the real stage."

• Steve Nieve on Musical Genius:
  "[03:33] Steve Nieve: Steve is a genius when it comes to any instrument that you put in front of him."

• Steve Nieve on Vinyl Experience:
  "[09:17] Steve Nieve: The grain is the most important thing. It feels like a bygone era."

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Conclusion

This episode of ALL OF IT offers a heartfelt exploration of Steve Nieve and Quesada's musical journey, emphasizing resilience, community, and the enduring power of live performance. Their stories and performances not only entertain but also inspire, reflecting the rich cultural landscape that ALL OF IT seeks to celebrate.

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Transcript

[Steve Naive]

For 140 years, MultiCare has been in Washington prioritizing long term solutions, partnering with local communities and expanding access to care. Together, we're building a healthier future. Learn [e-mail].

[Alison Stewart]

This is all of it. I'm Alison Stewart live from the WNYC studios in soho. Thank you for sharing part of your day with me. Me. I'm really grateful that you're here. On today's show, we'll take you to Staten island as part of our Summer in the City series. Get ready to call in and shout out your favorite things to do there. We'll also hear live music, a live performance from the Brazilian musician Lineker, and we'll have a preview of a new documentary about Billy Joel that drops on HBO tomorrow. That's the plan. So let's get this started with more music from Steve Naive and Quesada. My next guest is the guy you have to thank for the buoyant keys on this track. Nope, the other track, Oliver's army track. There you go. And on this one you'll understand, Steve. We got a new audio system going on in the studio. As you can imagine, a Rock and Roll hall of Fame inductee and a longtime member of Elvis Costello's bands the Attraction and the Imposter. He's also an accomplished session musician, recording with songs with Madness, Squeeze, David Bowie and other rock stars. Now he's embarking on a series of shows along the east coast with a more recent collaborator, percussionist and singer Quesada. The two will be forming tonight at PAC NYC Great Stage and on Shelter island at Chez Marie and Staten Island, Hamilton Park House over the weekend. And they're both with me. Welcome to wnyc.

[Quesada]

Thank you for having us here. We're very excited to be talking live on air. That's amazing.

[Steve Naive]

It's awesome.

[Alison Stewart]

It is amazing. How did this mini tour start, Steve?

[Quesada]

Well, it all began actually during the pandemic when everybody couldn't go anywhere and we started a thing called the Immobile Tour. And basically we gave over the course of time, we gave 100 performances from our living room.

[Alison Stewart]

Oh my.

[Quesada]

Me, Cassada and my partner Muriel, who's our emcee. So it was 100 completely different shows, but now what we're doing is bringing that to the real stage. It's kind of weird for some people who are used to seeing us on their computer screens to see us in real life.

[Alison Stewart]

Cassatta, what did you learn about the this man as a musician playing with.

[Steve Naive]

Him during COVID Well, the Crazy thing is that Steve is a genius when it comes to any instrument that you put in front of him. So there is a level that you've got to, you know, be at when you're playing with Steve. But he has this sort of. He has this profound mentorship and kindness in him when it comes to communicating his love for music and everything. So you always feel, especially when you're a vocalist, you feel. That's. Every time I say this, it feels like lying on top of Silk when he plays for you on the keyboard, because you feel supported and accompanied by what he brings to the sonic. Things that we do when we're doing the mobile tour backstage. The interesting thing is I had no mic. Like, we were doing it literally straight from Facebook and Instagram. And so Steve was. We were always looking at each other, and there was a lot of communion when, you know, when we were playing together, there was this back and forth, and even if there were mistakes, it was part of the show. So it just helps you grow as a. As a musician.

[Alison Stewart]

When I hear the word silk, I think luxurious.

[Quesada]

Exactly. Also, what was great about it was the community that we built doing that and these wonderful people have kept with us. And in fact, the tour that we're about to do, we're playing some on very unusual places. One is, for example, the Peabody Essex Museum in Salem. So that's the oldest continuously operating museum in the US of A. And we are playing there primarily because someone on the Immobile tour audience lives in Salem and went and spoke to the people of the museum, and the whole thing developed from that. And so it's the same with the show tonight. It's a. It's someone that watched our shows and has, you know, moved us to be there. So we have constructed now rather eclectic series of concerts that I call the Wild East Tour, but it's called the About Love Tour.

[Alison Stewart]

Yeah, that's interesting. What did you learn about your fans through the pandemic? Through playing to them through a computer?

[Quesada]

Yes. Well, what we did learn about them was, was that they were very knowledgeable, not only about the music of Elvis Costello, who I play with a lot, but about all. All kinds of music quite often. This young man, Casada, has got a completely different sort of history of music than I have, and we would do songs that he suggested, and I was surprised that how many of our audience knew those songs and. And were completely into the idea. So it was great. It was like a sharing experience. It was really wonderful.

[Alison Stewart]

What was some of the music that you shared?

[Steve Naive]

Oh, okay, so this is always a funny one. Steve comes with a catalog of legendary musicians and I like to torture him with making him sing I want it that way from the Backstreet Boys or Believe from Cher. And it was like, okay, at this point, when we were playing like 100 shows, I even more like 110 or something like this, we were trying to find some themes for the night. So for example, the reason why we started playing Hack and Sack, which is like a song that we love, is because we were doing a. A set on that night about towns in America. And. And so there were different themes. And so at one point we had to go through some very strange pop catalog, which Steve is now very familiar with this.

[Quesada]

Yeah, I think everyone was, was, was at a loss during the pandemic. And so, yeah, we. We gave something to our audience watching, but they gave something to us, which was that we had this job to do each day. We had to put together a show, we had to get all the scores, we had to learn the songs, we had to rehearse. And then. So it was great. It was a two way thing, but it was really a good time.

[Steve Naive]

It was very symbiotic. Yeah, like they gave us a mission and a purpose during a time where there were no purpose for musicians. We had to stay in and be locked in. So having to work during the day, prepare the set, prepare the show, it gave us also something to do, and we're very thankful for that.

[Alison Stewart]

I'm speaking to Rock and Roll hall of Fame musician Steve Naive and his collaborator Quesada, who are performing around New over the next couple of weeks. They'll be at Pack NYC tonight, Shelter island tomorrow and Saturday, Staten island on Sunday, and then back to shelter island on August 1st and August 2nd. So you put these songs on a vinyl?

[Quesada]

Yes. So that's the other thing. The tour is about love, and we have a vinyl record that we've produced. The record is, I think, the favorite songs of the Immobile tour crowd. And it was mastered, mixed completely by this young man who is also responsible of the artwork. So he's completely. I think it was a good learning thing for him to understand what a vinyl is, because people don't know about vinyls these days.

[Alison Stewart]

So what did you learn about a vinyl?

[Steve Naive]

That the grain is the most important thing. The grain, the texture of this music, it feels like a bygone era. That when you hear it for the first time with the scratches and everything, and it feels. It's probably the closest that you can feel from Live music. Like a live music. You can see. Turn. You can see the grooves inside the vinyl, and the feel of it is much warmer, much more like. I understand why the vinyl, in an era of digital music is coming back because people want to feel closer to the music and closer to what they listen to.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's listen to a song that's on the Vinyl about love, April 5. What can you tell me about April 5 before we hear it?

[Quesada]

Well, I can tell you that we were looking at, actually a writer called Mark Hollis from Talk Talk, and strangely, he has a song called April 5th. And the reason he wrote this song, April 5th, was for the love of his wife, whose birthday was April 5th. And then I noticed that Elvis had composed a song with Roseanne Cash and Kris Kristofferson, and It was called April 5th. And so it was like, how did that coincidence occur? And in fact, Elvis's song, they didn't know what to call the song, but the day that they recorded it was April 5th. So that was why. And so that was, I thought, a beautiful story. And we. We learned the Mark Hollis song, and we also learned this song, and it's one of our favorite songs to do because it is like a conversation, and we sing it together.

[Alison Stewart]

So, yeah, let's listen to April 5th.

[Quesada]

You want love, but it's never deep enough. You want life but it's never long enough. You want peace like it's something you could buy. You want time but you're content to watch it fly.

[Muriel]

I'm not afraid and I refuse to be. I can't find.

[Alison Stewart]

You know, Roseanne Cass said that writing that song was like alchemy for her. Have you had that happen in your career? When you've written a song, you just know it's special.

[Quesada]

I've written very few songs, actually, considering how long I've been doing music, and most of them I've written just by myself, but a few I've written with Elvis. And that's a sort of process where I've always been completely surprised as to what he invented over a piece of music that I gave to him. So that's my experience of songwriting in collaboration. Really? Yeah.

[Alison Stewart]

Have you ever had that experience in your young career? A song, you really felt like it just came together?

[Steve Naive]

Yes. I was. At one time, I was working with a Dutch producer, and there was this feeling where everything sort of clicked when. When there is, like, everything is aligned.

[Alison Stewart]

Yes, exactly.

[Steve Naive]

The words, they come super fast, and you're like, Whoa, it's been 15 minutes and we've Got the whole thing done. And, yeah, it's. It's pretty miraculous when it happens, and it's extremely frustrating when it doesn't.

[Alison Stewart]

That's hard when you run up against that. That brick wall.

[Steve Naive]

Yeah.

[Quesada]

Yes.

[Alison Stewart]

What do you do to get through a brick wall when you. When you. Musically.

[Quesada]

What do I do? I sometimes listen to other people's music, especially. I love it when I discover a music I didn't know about before because immediately that's giving me ideas about things I might do. I don't know.

[Alison Stewart]

What do you do when you hit the brick wall, Cassetta?

[Steve Naive]

The beautiful thing about living in Paris is that the city, because of how old it is and how vibrant also it is. Going for a walk has always helped me get out of that brick wall. I just go for a walk and I go to Saint Germain or I go into all those really great places in Paris and suddenly seeing the faces, seeing the people in the terraces and everything, it just. It clicks and it gives you new things to get inspired by.

[Alison Stewart]

I like walking in Paris just because I like walking in Paris. My guests are Steve Naive and Quesada. They are performing around our area tonight at PAC nyc. We're listening to songs from their vinyl About Love. This is a Fountains of Wayne cover. We talked about it earlier. Hackensack. What brought you to Hackensack?

[Quesada]

Well, it's a good question. We keep thinking that we need to actually set our GPS for Hackensack.

[Steve Naive]

We need to go there once, actually.

[Quesada]

We do need to drive through it.

[Steve Naive]

Yeah. The funny thing is, when we were talking earlier about discovering pop songs, we were doing that show about American towns. And so we saw that cover, but I actually initially knew it from the Katy Perry cover. And then we. Because she did a really great rendition of it. And then so after we decided, oh, that's. That's such a beautiful classic. It feels like a classic song. And we started playing it. And people at the Mobile tour backstage were so happy about this song. A lot of them knew it, actually.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's listen. This is Hackensack.

[Muriel]

I used to know you when we were young. You were in all my dreams. We sat together at period one Fridays at 8:15. Now I see your face in the strangest places Movies and magazines I saw you talking to Christopher Walken on my TV screen But I will wait for you as long as I need to and if you ever get back to Hackensack, I'll be here for you.

[Alison Stewart]

So many of these songs are stripped down. They're just piano. When you're performing A song. What do you get out of these sort of gentler approaches, these stripped down renditions?

[Quesada]

I think, you know, one thing is this is a collaboration between, you know, this young man and this old man and.

[Steve Naive]

Stop it.

[Quesada]

One of the things about it is that his music is much more rambunctious. Yes. And so I've seen.

[Alison Stewart]

I've seen videos. Yeah, I've seen them.

[Quesada]

So there is a kind of compromise being made on one side and a bit one sided. So I was thinking that maybe for the follow up to this 2025 tour, when we do the 2026 tour, we will have to go towards the slightly more aggressive approach, which, you know, is not a problem for me.

[Steve Naive]

Actually, he's a Rock and Roll hall of Fame inductee. I mean he's. I'm not teaching him rock and roll, he's teaching me. But the thing about what you said, which is interesting, is that when you listen to the vinyl, the one that the thing that we wanted to keep is all the. The sound of the cracking wood and the sound of the piano and everything. It's literally like when we were playing online, this feeling of being able to hear all of the imperfections of the room where we recorded, the chair that's creaking, the floorboards. We wanted to keep that, to have this authenticity of it.

[Quesada]

Yeah. It seems my piano still had a loose leg.

[Alison Stewart]

Well, there is a song called Passionate Fight.

[Muriel]

Ooh.

[Alison Stewart]

Why did you say ooh?

[Steve Naive]

It's a beautiful piece that Steve and Elvis wrote together speaking about a song, you know, that you guys co wrote. And I love it because it reminds me of those Broadway shows where you are super emphatic and quite theatrical music that I really love to perform.

[Alison Stewart]

Well, let's hear it. This is Passionate Fight.

[Muriel]

Obscure the late afternoon with a drape don't let him follow her latest escape all the fanfare of taxis that heedlessly played has a 40 wide bulb burns a hole in the shape Then they got into passionate fight now she's lost in the shadows Thrown over a twilight at the Empire Hotel they first came face to face Pieces would fall off all over the place and there in the debris they laugh and recline Tell me my dear, are you more or less mine? Then they got into a passion I hear.

[Alison Stewart]

I feel like I'm listening to a waltz a little bit. It's got a kind of a vibe about it.

[Quesada]

Yeah, it's kind of a. Probably inspired a little bit by Scott Walker, but probably actually the music I wrote, the music when I first Met my partner, Muriel, and it didn't go like that. It was much more romantic in feeling. But then after Mr. Costello put those fabulous words to it, I found different ways to arrange the piece, and it slowly developed, and now it's developing further. Accompanying Mr. Cassada, who sings it beautifully at the end.

[Alison Stewart]

There's a little bit of French at the end of the song.

[Quesada]

Well, I think that the music. The music is inspired by, you know, a French woman and being in France. But do you speak in French in the song?

[Alison Stewart]

I don't think you do, or somebody does in the background.

[Muriel]

Oh, okay.

[Steve Naive]

It's Muriel who actually says a few words of, like, she was there during the recording. And so there was this instant reaction of if she liked the take or if she didn't like the take. So we knew if there was the take that we needed to keep. So we decided to keep this, and.

[Quesada]

We decided to keep the reaction of Muriel.

[Alison Stewart]

And Muriel's your mom. Yeah.

[Steve Naive]

Yes.

[Alison Stewart]

Okay. So it's important what she says.

[Steve Naive]

Yes, of course. Mothers are always writing.

[Alison Stewart]

The song that made me that I did a double take and I. I hit twice, was Country Roads. Tell me about putting Country Roads, the John Denver song, on this release.

[Steve Naive]

Okay. That was my. That was actually my idea because I. I love that song. And. And it was. It was such a joy to play it with you, Steve. It's. Do you have, like, any.

[Quesada]

Well, I. I think as. As we started, as this album came together very easily, the title about love seemed like, very urgent at this present time and all sorts of things. But so it quickly developed that there was a sort of white side and a black side, there was a dark side and a light side. And so we had this really deep kind of rapport with Elvis's song Country Darkness. So then when he said, I want to do Country Roads, and it was a popular song on the Immobile tour, wasn't it? Everybody loves that song. And so it just seemed like a good idea to juxtapose those two things.

[Steve Naive]

And when you listen also to a lot of covers from this song from John Denver, they're always very rhythmic. There is always this sort of jumping aspect. And we wanted to have something where there is this melancholy of the road that you are yearning to go back on. And so the vibe that you're. That you're getting is really more. There is more. It's more solemn, and I really love that song.

[Alison Stewart]

I have been speaking with Rock and Roll hall of Fame musician Steve Naive and his collaborator Quesada, who are performing around New York over the next couple of weeks. They'll be at PAC NYC tonight, Shelter island tomorrow and Saturday, Staten island on Sunday, and then back on shelter island on August 1st and 2nd. I'm very glad that you come to us in our studios.

[Steve Naive]

It was awesome.

[Quesada]

It was so great to be able to talk to you. And by the way, anyone can wander into the pack tonight.

[Steve Naive]

It's a great space.

[Alison Stewart]

It's a great space.

[Quesada]

So if you're in New York and you want to come here, what we're up to, please come down.

[Steve Naive]

And there's no storm, you know.

[Quesada]

Yeah, exactly.

[Alison Stewart]

Let's go out on country roads.

[Muriel]

Almost heaven Where's Virginia? Blue Ridge Mountains? Shenandoah River? Life is older Older than the trees Younger than the mountain Growing like the prince? Country roads take me home to the place where I belong.

[Ira Flatow]

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