Steve Drizos Pays Tribute to His Wife with the Premiere of “katie”

As a songwriter, in terms of writing for himself, you may refer to Steve Drizos as a late bloomer. Today, we get a sampling of his forthcoming album, I love you now leave me alone, with the premiere of “katie.”

This is the second single from the record, the follow-up to “brooklyn 97202.” With the album due out in February via Cavity Search Records, Drizos is laying the seeds of what’s to come, a set of songs very personal to him, coming straight from the heart.

With regards to “katie,” Drizos tells us:

“The song is written for my wife, though the names have been changed to protect the innocent. I started the song almost 20 years ago, shortly after we first met, and it took me this long to come up with a version I was happy with. The track features Todd Wright on guitar and backing vocals, Tim Murphy on bass and backing vocals, Jenny Conlee on keyboards, and Joe Mengis on drums. Recorded and mixed by Steve Drizos at The Panther, Portland, Oregon.”

i love you now leave me alone is Drizos’ sophomore LP, the follow-up to 2021’s Axiom. Despite Drizos’ recent productivity as a solo artist, he’s anything but new to writing and recording. Based in Portland, Oregon, he has been a professional touring musician dating back to the mid-1990s. He also works as a producer and engineer out of his Southeast Portland studio known as The Panther. He has worked with several noteworthy artists, including Patterson Hood of Drive-By Truckers, Debbie Peterson of The Bangles, Spencer Tweedy, and his wife, The Decemberists’ Jenny Conlee. Drizos really got into songwriting when the pandemic arrived, using it as a forum to experiment in the studio and see where his ideas took him.

While Axiom was more of a solo effort, i love you now leave me alone is more collaborative. Drizos used a band to record the album, assembling a team of musicians who could bring his vision to life. Most of the songs are about the relationships he has with people closest to him. But not just with his wife but also with other people he knows. While Axiom was more introspective, this album is a wider appreciation of his life. It wouldn’t be out of line to say that even after almost a lifetime as a musician, Drizos is still finding himself as a songwriter, with still a lot more to discover and room to grow.

i love you now leave me alone Track Listing:

1. boomerang
2. troubled heart
3. brooklyn 97202
4. kick into touch
5. shadow life
6. katie
7. beautiful nothing
8. inside outside

Steve Drizos “Katie” single artwork