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The
Many Facets Of Americana
Singer-songwriter
Stewart Eastham is set to release his debut solo album, The Man I Once
Was, on September 24, 2013 via Long Bar Music. Eastham’s first record since fronting
country-rock band Day of the Outlaw captures some of his most honest
and personal lyricism to date, especially moments like “Idyllwild,
CA,” “Crawl Up In Your Bottle,” “It’s Understood,” and “The
Lights of Tennessee.” Since The Man I Once Was is so deeply rooted
in his own first-hand experience, the songs often take on the feel of
a diary spanning an incredibly transformative time in his life.
After a lifetime on the West Coast, Eastham recently found himself at both
a personal and artistic crossroads. He found respite from the darkness
of his final L.A. years in the change of pace and peace of mind he discovered
in Nashville. “It’s
my ‘L.A. to Nashville’ album,” explains Eastham. “As
the song ‘Born In California’ exemplifies, my life has always been
based around a series of dichotomies: city vs. country, intellectualism vs. street
smarts, freedom vs. security. With the move to Nashville, that dichotomy became
literal, snaking its way through many of my songs as well as determining the
album’s title and cover art.” |
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The Man I Once Was
For The Man I Once Was, Eastham teamed
up with producer (and former bandmate) Burke Ericson. Ironically, he traveled
back to Los Angeles to record this album using a group of incredibly talented
musicians he’d met during his tenure
there, including bassist Ted Russell Kamp and pedal steel player extraordinaire
John McClung.
“Through the course of production, Burke ended up building a studio in
his house which afforded us the opportunity to really hone the specific sound
we wanted for this album,” says Eastham. “We talked a lot about
the early Neil Young records where he had big, funky drums over country-tinged
songs. Burke has such a great ear and I really trust him. He understands me
as a songwriter and always made my ideas better.”
Eastham’s songs span the breadth of the Americana realm: from the old
school country sounds of “The Lights of Tennessee” and “Livin’ With
Bad Decisions,” to the funky southern rock of “Broken Hearted Lovers” and “Crawl
Up In Your Bottle,” to the lush, layered arrangements of “It’s
Understood” and title track “The Man I Once Was.” Eastham
is both a prolific and poetic writer with a deep love of storytelling, honed
not only through music but also via a deep passion for literature and art films
(and their less “noble” counterparts: genre fiction and genre movies.)
Eastham was born and raised in the Butte County region of rural Northern
California. He grew up on the sounds of classic country, outlaw country,
and California country. (Merle Haggard is a constant inspiration.) This was
supplemented with a love of rock ‘n’ roll, as well as appreciation for hip-hop and
heavy metal. During his first year at UC Davis, Eastham answered a music store
ad place by a satirical thrash metal band looking for a drummer.
After graduating
with a degree in Computer Engineering, Eastham switched gears and moved to
Los Angeles to attend film school. There he developed his skills as a storyteller
through writing, directing, and acting in films, while continuing to play music
as a drummer. He also became an acolyte of country music—starting back
with guys like Hank Sr., Jimmie Rodgers, and Lefty Frizzell, and then working
his way up to the country-flavored singer/songwriters of the ’70s like
John Prine, Townes Van Zandt, Mickey Newbury, and Terry Allen. After playing
drums for a few years in the Los Angeles outfit Minibike, the band morphed
to the point where Eastham was the frontman. Minibike transformed into Day
of the Outlaw, which released two albums: 2009’s Black Mountain Majesty
and 2012’s The Retribution Waltz.
Eastham plans to tour soon in support of The Man I Once Was.
www.stewarteastham.com
www.facebook.com/StewartEastham
www.twitter.com/SEasthamMusic
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