The time is only 7:30 p.m., but Steve Burns is already taking off his Endothermal Anti-Particulate Space Frock.
Former host of the children's edutainment show Blue's Clues, in which he assisted an animated blue puppy in solving each week's mystery through a series of clues, Burns recently traded in his trademark green striped rugby shirt and khakis for indie rock and a space frock.
"The frock protects you from people who particulate, and it prepares you to rock," says Burns, who recently played an early show at the Mason Jar on Aug. 19 in support of his first full-length album, Songs For Dustmites, released Aug. 12 on Pias America records.
Embarking on his inaugural tour, Burns played for a low turnout of patrons at the concert, although the early start time of 6:30 p.m. was not conducive for all fans that could attend. The first three shows (all which occurred in Texas) were sold out, with some fans unable to enter the venue.
"This is exactly what I expected (the tour to be like). The other three shows were not what I expected," says Burns after the show in Phoenix. "The size of the crowd, the people who are here. A lot of forward-thinking soccer moms that want Blue's Clues items signed. This is more what I expected; a little under the radar."
However, seeing Burns' recently shaved head, showing off a fair amount of stubble, is not what many of Burns' Blue's Clues fans would expect. But this is the new persona that Burns is displaying, one of adulthood or at the very least, adolescence.
Although there were a few children in the audience in Phoenix, most of them left except for one little girl that stayed right up front.
"They don't belong here, but I'm happy to see them," Burns says.
Songs For Dustmites is an album about "love and science," 12 songs that are intended for an adult audience. Many of these songs were written while Burns was still hosting the show, which he left in 2000 after doing nearly 100 episodes for Nickelodeon television.
An avid fan of The Flaming Lips, Burns sent a demo copy of his songs to Lips' producer David Fridmann, after Burns heard the Lips' album, The Soft Bulletin. Fridmann liked the songs and shared them with The Flaming Lips. Lips' drummer Steven Drozd and bassist Michael Ivins met with Burns to help mix and engineer the album. Drozd also drums on many of the tracks.
"A lot of the album was recorded in my bedroom, and then we took the tracks down to the studio to finish them," Burns says. "I've gotten really good reviews about the album, from both critics and individuals."
Although Burns says that he enjoys all of the songs, he has a rotating favorite among the album that changes on a constant basis. Currently, his favorite is "Mighty Little Man," the opening track off of Songs For Dustmites. Burns sings, "Nobody else is stronger than I am/Yesterday I moved a mountain/I bet I could be your hero/I am a mighty little man," while Drozd blasts out a rhythmic beat that seems like it would have to come from a automated beat box.
Burns utilizes a variety of instruments on the album, creating dense, rich textures in his songs, like on "What I Do On Saturday" and "Maintain." Burns also uses peculiar tools for instrumentation, such as an empty ice cream container and a thinking chair on the song "<1," in which Burns whispers the lyrics, "You and me/Me and you/More than one/Somehow less than two."
Burns also regularly updates his own Web site, www.steveswebpage.com, which is filled with multimedia videos, and also includes streams of all the songs from Songs For Dustmites. Burns also has a role in the upcoming Christmas on Mars movie, directed by Flaming Lips' front man Wayne Coyne, although there is no specific date set for release of the film. For his role in the film, Burns stayed inside a space station that was built in Coyne's backyard.
Burns' main focus for now is on his music. The tour has only a few more dates left, but he says he has enjoyed the touring and being on stage in front of a live audience, rather than in a closed studio, like on the set of Blue's Clues.
"One thing I didn't like about Blue's Clues is that it was acting with no one," Burns says. "This is much more immediate environment, so it's better."
Reach the reporter at steven.ganczaruk@asu.edu.
