Since this interview was conducted, Steve Bardwil Band have released their latest single and video, ‘Scarecrow Dreams’. The conversation below, however, took place around the release of ‘Something With You’, a song produced by Joe Chiccarelli at EastWest Studios in Los Angeles.

Following their 2025 debut album ‘Nothing But Time’, ‘Something With You’ continued the band’s mix of Americana, rock, soul and blues, while focusing on a simple idea: how a connection can begin from nothing. Bardwil says the song grew from thinking about the phrase “nothing comes from nothing”, and how relationships often begin from that empty space.

The video, directed by Andrew van den Houten, also shifted from Bardwil’s first idea. He originally imagined “boy meets girl in a bar”, but the director suggested a bookstore instead, which Bardwil now says was “a much better and more interesting setting for the song’s story”.

The track was shaped with the full band, including Johnny Stachela, Max Butler, Vince Fossett, Aaron Leibowitz, Catherine Jayne and Frank Coglitore. Bardwil describes the group as “a team sport”, with each musician encouraged to bring ideas into the arrangement.

For Bardwil, the song also reflects a wider outlook. He calls himself a “glass half full” writer, looking for the positive side inside ordinary situations. ‘Something With You’ is built around that feeling: a small human moment, played with warmth, confidence and the hope that something might begin.

“We turn nothing into something.”

‘Something With You’ starts from that idea of turning nothing into something. It sounds simple on paper, but the way it comes across feels pretty grounded.

Steve Bardwil: After pondering the thought that “nothing comes from nothing”, I started thinking about how everything comes from nothing and everything created, including relationships, comes from nothing. When we start a relationship, whether it could be a friendship, a love relationship, whatever, we turn nothing into something. That is when I started seeing this concept as the basis for a song.

The video leans into the space between wanting to connect and overthinking everything.

In my original conversation with the director, Andrew van den Houten, I told him I thought the setting for the video would be a bar, boy meets girl in a bar. Andrew said he wanted to shoot the video in a bookstore: no pick-up culture, less cliché, more innocent and unexpected. Andrew was right. The bookstore was a much better and more interesting setting for the song’s story.

Working with Joe Chiccarelli at EastWest Studios is a big deal. He has worked with artists like Elton John and The White Stripes. What did he add to this track that surprised you once you were in the room?

I love working with Joe! There is a reason he has won 11 Grammys. After playing the song for him on my acoustic guitar, he suggested I work this song up with the band, creating some energy and tension, and he gave me a few song references as examples. After working the song up with the band, believing that we had accomplished what Joe had suggested, Joe came to our pre-tracking rehearsals and took the energy to a higher level, focusing on the cool drum sounds.

There’s a lot in the arrangement… Guitar, keys, sax, and backing vocals all have space. When you worked with Johnny Stachela and Aaron Leibowitz, did you guide them closely or let them play more freely?

I like to tell the band that Steve Bardwil Band is a team sport. I encourage everyone in the band to make suggestions and come up with ideas and parts that we can try and see what works. Everyone in the band is an amazing musician and brings a lot to the table. That is really how we have been able to create our own vibe and sound.

You’ve mentioned that live shows are where the songs really open up. When you take ‘Something With You’ on stage, what’s the first thing that tends to change?

Playing live always seems to amp up our energy. Our song, ‘Something With You’, already has a pretty good groove, so we don’t change that one up much when we play it live. When we play some of our other songs live, we jam them out, extending the length and letting the guys improvise and display their musicianship.

You’ve talked about writing as something personal but also kind of cleansing. Did this one feel like it closed a loop for you, or did it send you down another path?

The short answer is neither. I just wrote a song from a guy’s perspective who sees a girl who has caught his eye, and he tries to muster up the courage to initiate a conversation and ask her out. In doing so, he weighs the pros and cons, ultimately deciding to go for it. He basically has to talk himself into approaching the girl.

Before all of this, you were deep inside the film world at Walt Disney Studios. That’s a big shift, from that environment into writing songs and building a band. Was there a specific moment where you knew you couldn’t ignore music anymore?

I have had this band for over 10 years. During the pandemic, everyone was working from home, and people were not socializing or traveling. During that time, I was spending a lot of time with my guitar, and it was during that period that I started thinking it was time to leave Disney and do songwriting and work with the band full-time.

Could you tell us a bit more about your work at EastWest Studios and what you specifically enjoy about the environment there?

I absolutely love EastWest Studios. The EastWest building was a market and a casino/nightclub in the 1930s and 1940s. In the 1950s, Frank Sinatra turned it into a recording studio and recorded all his songs there. The Beach Boys did ‘Pet Sounds’ there. All the major artists, from Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, Whitney Houston and Michael Jackson to Post Malone and Lady Gaga, have recorded here. Every person on the planet has heard some music recorded at EastWest. They have a couple of rare original Neve mixing boards. So, for musicians, being on the hallowed grounds of EastWest is like being in church. To top it off, the people and vibe at EastWest are all awesome.

The debut record ‘Nothing But Time’ pulled from a lot of different places: Americana, rock, soul, blues… Was that a conscious choice early on, or just the result of everyone bringing their own influences?

There was no conscious choice at all. I write all the songs on my acoustic guitar, and they are what they are. When I work the songs up with the band, we try to come up with a vibe that suits each song. Since I am not a fan of albums where every song sounds the same, we do try to come up with some aspect of each song that can be unique vis-à-vis the other songs on the album.

You describe the band as a no-ego setup, which sounds great, but it’s not always easy to maintain. What actually keeps that balance working when you’re writing and recording together?

I have been playing with Johnny, Aaron, Vince, and Max for well over 10 years. I have known Catherine for over 15 years. Frank joined us about a year ago and is a perfect fit for the band. We have all become good friends who genuinely respect and care about each other. We have gotten to know each other’s families, and we enjoy just hanging out together. We also have a lot of laughs and fun together.

There’s also that mix of generations in the band. Different backgrounds, different reference points. Do you notice that in the way songs come together, like different instincts pulling in different directions?

I think everyone in the band has his or her own musical influences, some in common and some not. Those similarities and differences influence and play a part in each of our contributions, creatively and musically.

You’ve shared stages with people like Kenny Loggins, Robby Krieger, and Dickey Betts. When you step into those shows, do you adapt at all, or just show up as yourselves and let it land how it lands?

We show up as ourselves and play our music and songs the way we play them. We don’t feel the need to adapt to other artists, and we have never felt expected or asked to do so.

There’s this idea you’ve mentioned about not wanting to make “sad songs.” At the same time, you’re writing about real things. Love, time, relationships. How do you keep that balance without it tipping too far one way?

I guess I am a “glass half full” guy. When I write a song, I am always looking for the silver lining or positive aspect of a situation that could otherwise be thought of as sad, depressing, stressful or undesirable. We can’t control the world or other people. We can control our reaction to the things that happen to us and around us. I want my songs to make people feel good and maybe think differently about what might be troubling them, or maybe distract them for a bit in a positive way, put a smile on a face or two.

You’re going back into a full album again with Joe Chiccarelli. The second time around with the same producer is always different. What’s changed in how you work together now?

That’s a great question that I have asked myself. First, fear of the unknown is gone. We know Joe and how he works, and Joe knows us. We are more relaxed and confident, and our communication with Joe feels more like talking with a friend, and not just the 11-time Grammy Award-winning producer. Joe has become a good friend, and I feel blessed to have him in my life.

Playing these songs live before the album is out must give you a pretty honest read on what connects. Has anything surprised you in how audiences react to the newer material?

We have not played all the new songs on the album live. The ones we have played live have really worked, which is really encouraging.

Looking at where things are now compared to when you first put the band together in 2015, does it feel like things are finally clicking into place, or still evolving in unexpected ways?

I hope things are still evolving for the band, and it is fun when unexpected positive developments happen.

At the same time, I am really grateful for everything that has happened for us so far and look forward to what lies ahead.

And when someone hears ‘Something With You’ for the first time, what do you hope sticks with them after the song’s over?

The desire to download and share the song, to play it repeatedly, to want to learn the lyrics and sing the song, to want to check out more of our songs, and hopefully encourage them, when the opportunity presents itself, to take a risk on love and turn nothing into something.

What’s next?

We are finishing up this new album with Joe, which will be released on July 17th, and we are working on some additional music videos for a few songs on the album. We will be playing at The Troubadour in Los Angeles on July 16th. Since I have some new songs, one of which is a holiday/Christmas song, we will be heading back to EastWest Studios to record them with Joe Chiccarelli in late July.

Klemen Breznikar

Headline photo: Steve Bardwil Band, from left: Max Butler, Aaron Leibowitz, Steve Bardwil, Frank Coglitore, Catherine Jayne, Vince Fossett and Johnny Stachela. Photograph: Benjo Arwas.

Steve Bardwil Band Website / Facebook / Instagram / YouTube