Steve Jinski is a singer songwriter, performer, musician, and music educator.
Born in Liverpool, but now based in the north east of England, he has toured the UK, Ireland, Europe, and Scandinavia both as a solo artist and with guitar player Dave Kennedy in a duo simply known as JINSKI. He has made numerous festival appearances and opened shows for David Gray, Richard Thompson, Joe Jackson, Eddie Reader, and The Proclaimers to name just a few. Radio and TV appearances include BBC 1 The One Show.
Fresh from supporting prog rock legend Rick Wakeman at Newcastle City Hall and a tour across the south of England in late May this year, he will be touring Scotland in the summer. Steve will be promoting his ‘Hope Street’ EP and a recent charity single ‘Good In The World’ the proceeds of which go to supporting Dry Water Arts Dementia Positive programmes in the north east of England.
Steve’s music is born of the singer songwriter tradition drawing on influences that include indie, acoustic, folk and blues but still he retains his own unique voice. Playing ‘live’ Steve accompanies himself on acoustic/electric guitar, and piano. Added to the mix you’ll hear the occasional acapella tune, wailing harmonica, some interesting cover versions, some tall tales, and a positive vibe that will leave you feeling so glad you came to see the show.
Steve’s approach to song writing is perhaps best described by himself…
“I’d like to say a word or two about song writing and the pursuit of a great song that “echoes through the years”. I know that I do not want to be “the vengeful little troubadour with the grit between his teeth” with a level of self-indulgence that is almost claustrophobic. How do I try to avoid that? One of the things I do is ask myself, will this mean anything to anybody else, will it touch them, will the song be able to live beyond my own little world? The contradiction of course is that any songwriter worth their salt will also be looking to develop their own distinctive voice and style. This is why I love the art of song writing so much and it feels to me that just to gain entry onto the ground floor in the Tower of Song means spending time, having patience, and feeding on your influences. For me, this list is endless but some of the many people whose work I admire would be Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, James Taylor, Elvis Costello, Kate Bush, Stevie Wonder, Nick Cave, Richard Thompson, Josh Ritter, Madison Cunningham and Lianne la Havas.”
Steve’s EP ‘Hope Street’ (Lucky Smile Records/Proper Music Distribution) was released in 2021. The record was co-produced by Steve and Dave Maughan whose previous production credits include Kathryn Williams Mercury Prize nominated album ‘Little Black Numbers’ and work with alt rockers Maximo Park.