On Saturday, June 25, 2026, I headed out of work early to the Hopmonk Novato in Novato, California, to catch the phenomenal Steve Poltz with opener Miko Marks. This was another KC Tuner Presents show, and it was stunning. Also, it was Vinnie Cilurzo’s birthday, as well as KC’s dad and Javier, the hardest-working man at Hopmonk. Thank you, everyone, and KC, for always bringing top-notch music to the area.
Miko Marks was up first, and what a bundle of joy. Her vocals really hit an everlasting high. Her show was about positivity. There were no love songs, but it was all about the feeling. With songs like “Hell Or High Water” and the Bonnie Raitt song, originally from John Prine, called “Angel from Montgomery”. She told the story of opening for Little Feet in San Francisco. They had a few special guest that they wouldn’t tell her about. Well, one of the guests was Bonnie Raitt, and she is a huge fan of hers. Bonnie sat side stage and listened as she played it, and it meant the world to Miko. It was a wonderful version of the song, and everyone was glad she played it. For her last song, she said that she wanted some people like John Lewis. The song was called “Trouble,” and it was a fitting way to end. Powerful yet meaningful, that song was a dynamic one. The lyrics were just what we all wanted to hear as she belted it out. With that one coming to an end, they said goodbye until next time.
Follow Miko Marks band members on social media
Miko Marks – vocals
Jared Ryan – bass
Justin Phipps – guitar
Joey Lopez – drums
Janson Verplank – keyboards
When Steve Poltz hit the stage, it was on. Introduced by Kathy Poltz, Steve’s sister, her humor is just like Steve’s, slightly offbeat but wildly funny. Then Steve came on stage and started playing the song “Petrichor”, inspired by the beautiful smell that comes just after a rain. From there, he played “JoyRide,” a song loosely about touring. The fact is, all of his songs seem to be a loose translation of life’s many facets. His humor is endless as he plays his songs.
When he started “Conveyor Belt”, it was more of the same offbeat humor that the crowd was eating up. You could tell by the huge round of applause he got every time he finished a song. It was truly fantastic. The next song was “Wrong Town,” followed by “Box Of Rain”. Those two tracks resonated with us.
Up next, he introduced Jaffe, an aspiring bass player who was just accepted into USC’s music program. Well, he busted out with “Weird Al Yankovic Is My Real Dad,” and that song was fun. It was addicting for us and a really good song. From there, he introduced Vinnie Cilurzo, who made the beer for this event, called Dick’s Automotive. He played a song called “Vinnie Born In 1970,” which he learned the previous night just for him. It was a special song for Vinnie because it was his first date with Natalie and the day he started homebrewing. I would say special was an understatement!
From there, he gave away the lyric sheet to someone who would donate to their local fire department. After all that, he played “Little White Lie,” a song his mom used to sing to him, which explains why he is the way he is. Vinnie also made a beer for that song. From there, he started the much-anticipated “Dick’s Automotive”. That is the song that won’t die. There is a line in the song where a lady drove her car into the radio station because they play the song too much. She was then arrested, and when released, she drove her car into Hopmonk to cancel the show. It didn’t work.
Up next, he introduced the Dr’s family who saved him from having a stroke. It was an awesome story and gave him some advice. He said, ‘it was like a curtain coming down’; it was like some hospital code. Good tip. The following song was a Grateful Dead song called “Cassidy”, a fabulous song. From there, he introduced Jay Blakesburg, a photographer, only the second person he ever French-kissed on stage. “I Want All My Friends to Be Happy” was up next, and about halfway through, he said he hasn’t had a colonoscopy yet. He did say that it was the longest version of the song ever. He eventually got back to the song, but it was a wonderful version. He went back to Jay, where they announced they would be collaborating in Park City, Utah. The collaboration will be Jay’s photos and Steve’s music. They went on to play a collaboration of the Gilligan’s Island theme and a Led Zeppelin song. It was stunning to say the least.
After a story about a dog’s sperm extraction, it was very funny; he played the song he and Jewel wrote, “You Were Meant For Me.” It was a fabulous song, and he performed it with style. He invited Miko Marks on stage with her band to perform “Forever Young,” a Bob Dylan song. Their voices melded with unity as they played it, and it was an awesome end of the night. Until next time!
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