Karl Steven

aka Karl Sölve Steven


It’s a sign of the massive effect that Supergroove had on New Zealand audiences that most pieces about Karl Steven start by mentioning he was the band’s lead singer, despite the fact that his resume includes composing music for film, creating work for radio, studio production, and fronting a widely varying group of bands from blues to garage rock to retro synth-pop. He also has a PhD in philosophy from Cambridge.

Steven grew up in a creative household: his father, Geoff Steven, was a filmmaker from New Zealand and his mother, Carin Svensson, a writer from Sweden (he grew up speaking Swedish at home). He decided he wanted to be a musician at 10 years old, after taking piano lessons on his grandmother’s pianola (which he still has). He was further inspired by seeing The Blues Brothers movie and the Talking Heads live concert film Stop Making Sense, which inspired a new hobby: drawing stage plans for imaginary concerts. By 13, he decided the pianola was impractical, since it wasn’t transportable, so he began to teach himself to play his grandfather’s old harmonica.

Queen Neptune
Photo credit: Gareth Shute
Recording the score for Every Little Thing
Photo credit: Bridget Webber
The Drab Doo-Riffs - I'm Depressed
Karl Steven playing in Queen Neptune
Photo credit: Gareth Shute
Heart Attack Alley - 95bFM In Session: The full session
Karl Steven in the studio.
Photo credit: Paul Taylor
Supergroove - Rain (Live at the VZMA 2011) Dragon cover
Drab Doo-Riffs - LATE at the Museum
Heart Attack Alley - LATE at the Museum
Supergroove - Can't Get Enough
Karl Steven - Utterance and Inscription (2022)
The Drab Doo-Riffs - Lunatic Fringe
The Drab Doo-Riffs - Hot Tanya (live on the Cheese On Toast 5th Birthday Special on Alt TV)
Queen Neptune - Form Follows Function
Recording the score for Tatau with Drums of the Pacific
Photo credit: Bridget Webber
Karl-Steven at Silver Scroll Awards 2016.
Photo credit: Gareth Shute
Karl Steven plays the saw.
Photo credit: Bridget Webber
Karl Steven at Albert Park with The Drab Doo Riffs. 95bFM Summer Series 2014
Photo credit: Photo by Jackson Perry
Karl Steven, Kristal Gallager, Caoimhe Macfehin
Pokarekare Ana
Here Comes the Supergroove
The Drab Doo-Riffs - Tesla Girl (2013)
Supergroove - You Freak Me
Karl Steven
Photo credit: Paul Taylor
L to R: Ian Jones, Joe Lonie, Tim Stewart, Che-Fu, Nick Atkinson, Karl Steven, Ben Sciascia
Photo credit: Photo by Polly Walker
Supergroove - If I Had My Way
Heart Attack Alley - Cheese on Toast Interview
Karl Steven in the control room.
Photo credit: Bridget Webber
Karl Steven
Supergroove - You Gotta Know
Interview with Karl Steven, Joe Lonie & Tim Stewart from Supergroove. 1994. Directed by Ross Cunningham.
Supergroove - Next Time
The Lowdown Dirty Blues Band with Karl Steven on harmonica and Che Ness on guitar
Karl Steven's parents Geoff Steven and Carin Svensson.
Heart Attack Alley - I Put A Spell On You - Live at the Gunslingers Ball, The Wine Cellar, Auckland
Supergroove - Sitting Inside My Head
Karl Steven in Drab Doo Riffs at Camp A Low Hum 2011.
Photo credit: Gareth Shute
Supergroove - Scorpio Girls
Labels:

BMG


Voodoo Rhythm Records

Funded by

Partners with