The line between music and poetry is often a very thin one, yet it is a line Amy Steinberg walks during every performance.
A veteran of two national poetry slam teams and an accomplished musician with six albums under her belt, Steinberg has learned to mix her twin loves of music and poetry with a healthy dose of her own self-described “progressive, New Age-y” viewpoint. Doing so was a process which has taken much of her life.
“I started to play piano when I was four, training as a classical pianist,” Steinberg said. “I’ve been writing poetry for as long as I can remember. Through the combination of the two, my music has become very rhythmic. I don’t think you can separate music and poetry.”
A stint studying theater arts in college was what opened her up to the possibilities of performing her compositions, Steinberg said. The process really began when her stint in college ended.
“I dropped out of college and joined a tour of the musical ‘Hair,’” Steinberg said. “That really opened me up.”
After moving to her current home in Florida, Steinberg said she began to take her music seriously, performing in front of audiences who were very receptive to her work. This welcoming attitude has been prevalent throughout much of her career.
“She’s amazing,” Foolscap Books owner Marietta Bonaventure said. “She’s a very soulful singer, and as a songwriter she really uses her poetry skills as a vehicle for her message.”
Her message is mostly focused on finding power within yourself, Bonaventure said. Much of Steinberg’s work deals with finding acceptance despite being outside of the
accepted standard of beauty.
“I’m not typical, not a calendar girl,” Steinberg said. “I think this country has really pigeonholed beauty into this strict, size-two Madonna image. What I do makes people comfortable since I’m not the typical standard of beauty, yet I talk openly about sex and love and freedom.”
Steinberg notes that many of her idols reflect this not-so-normal image: Her favorite performers include Ani DiFranco, Janis Joplin and Bette Midler. Her eclectic tastes also come through in her music, according to a Ft. Lauderdale poetry slam coach who goes by the moniker Chunky and knew Steinberg from her time on the national slam team.
“She can mix everything that is soul, R&B and folk,” Chunky said. “She is a very commanding performer and very involved.”
As for slamming, Steinberg has decided not to participate in the competition this year so that she may focus on her music. Still, she said she holds the event in high regard.
“I think slams are a great way for artists to get connected with one another,” Steinberg said. “Part of me hates the competition. I don’t think a work of art can be judged in comparison to another work of art. All this ‘Star Search’ and ‘American Idol’ stuff just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Though that’s just the pacifist-from-hell in me speaking. I’ve always done the slams more for the fun of it, personally.”
Steinberg will perform in Eugene at Cafe Paradiso (located at 113 W. Broadway) on June 23. She said she is looking forward to the performance.
“I love Eugene,” Steinberg said. “I come from the flat east, no foliage at all, so I think Eugene is a really beautiful town. People seem really receptive to what I have to say.”
For ticket prices and show times, call 984-9933 or go to the Web site at
www.cafeparadiso.com.