Music
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Ch.L.: Country Music has many new fans in Europe, who may be hearing about you for the first time. How would you describe yourself and the music you play to someone who’se never seen or heard you before.
F.S.: I’m a singer/songwriter from Scotland, and I play country-folk.
Ch.L.: What’s your latest CD and how’s it doing?
F.S.: For the past couple of years, I’ve been selling my cds after my gigs, as anyone starting out does. In August this year, I am finally releasing my album through online music stores.
Ch.L.: What’s your favorite song among all the songs you’ve recorded and what’s the story behind it?
F.S.: The Big Fish. It’s a song I wrote five years ago, after which a lot more have followed. There’s not much to it, its a song, about a Fish, who is a bit of a fighter. It started out as a bit of fun, and I entertained a lot of people at parties singing it. As I started gigging a couple of years ago, I had it in my set, and it got a few laughs, and that made me feel quite accomplished. I’ve recorded it now a few times, and it is definitely a song that keeps me going. I have a lot of great memories singing it, seeing the faces of people hearing it for the first time. It’s a fun song, and it’s been good to me, so that’s surely my favourite.
Ch.L.: Who do you look up musiccally and how deep do your musical roots run?
F.S.: As a performer, my ultimate hero is Pete Seeger. The way he can raise the roof with just his voice and his banjo is amazing. I never started listening to him until a few years ago, but his work has inspired me. Pete Seeger talks about the art of simplicity, and that’s something I’ve tried to follow. After going to a Willie Nelson concert a few years ago in Glasgow, I knew I had to do something with music. I’ve always had a guitar, and always written a few songs, but when I came out of that concert, my life changed! It was the catalyst for me to start writing songs more regularly, and it gave me a bit of direction as to how my songs should sound. I grew up listening to Scottish folk music, I guess everyone here had a Sydney Devine record in their collection, I went through a stage of listening to hip hop and the latest rock bands as every teenager does, before coming back to my first love - country music.
Ch.L.: Are you doing anything to take country music beyond it’s courrent borders or are you happy where it is?
F.S.: A few years ago, I started out playing weekly at the Doghouse music bar in Dundee, famous for giving rise to the indie band “The View” who have had great success in the past few years. A lot of people who were in the crowd were probably indie music fans, more akin to the likes of Oasis and Paul Weller than The Highwaymen and Merle Haggard, but I performed my songs, influenced by country music, and a number of covers, and people liked it. Some nights, it seemed like I was turning into a Johnny Cash tribute act, but I realised that music lovers are just that, music lovers. In a bid to get as many gigs as possible, I’ve always had one rule - play anywhere! I’ve supported everything from hard rock bands to folk groups, and the other way around. That’s where country needs to be - in amongst the rest, thats what Waylon and Willie did in the 70’s, and thats what I intend to keep doing.
Ch.L.: What inspired you to become a songwriter?
F.S.: When I was in Iraq with the Air Force a few years ago, I started writing songs, about back home, about my surroundings, when I got home, and saw Willie Nelson in concert, after meeting him, I was further inspired. I realised that I related to a lot of country songs, and if I related to them, then I could write my own. From time to time, I think that you can get new inspiration, everyday is full of new experiences and pleasures, some inspire songs, some don’t! They say everyone has a song in them, I’m lucky enough to have had a few extra!
Ch.L.: What can your fans expect to see when they see you in concert?
F.S.: A man, his songs and a guitar. I try and get through as many songs as possible in my time on stage. If its 25 minutes, its 10 songs, if its 45 minutes, its 20 songs! I figure that telling stories before your songs defeats the purpose of telling stories through your songs. Though I don’t expect the crowd to sing along to every word, there are a couple of songs I do that I usually get the audience singing along to, Worried Man Blues is my favourite for doing that with.
Ch.L.: When you’re on tour, do you have time to play tourist?
F.S.e: Most of my touring has been in Scotland, but this May I am playing a number of gigs in Europe. I’m planning on seeing some sights, in between gigs, which I’m looking forward to, theres a lot I hope to see!
Ch.L.: Many music fans today get their information about artists via the internet. Do you have your own website and what will fans find there?
F.S.: I’m on the internet at Myspace.com/thebigfash As per the norm, there are tour dates, a bit about me, my songs, and so on.
Ch.L.: What’s the best compliment a fan has ever given you?
F.S.: “My dad loves your songs”, or “My dad would love your songs”! These are two pretty common compliments I’ve had, not that I like to show off! I get a few compliments, which I am grateful for, but these are the best! A lot of music is generational, young people are stereotyped as being embarrassed about their parents’ taste in music, and to have broken the generation gap in at least a few families musical tastes, then you can’t get much bigger a compliment than that! - Country Home
Country music upstart Fash Stewart has sent a message to troubled star Amy Winehouse. In a song available for download from his Myspace site called "Amy, Please don't hurt yourself", he urges Winehouse to kick the habits that have been widely publicised.
"I feel she needs to know that we care about her, and are worried about her, she is an amazing talent and I just hope she gets through these rough times."
"The heroin and the pills, the cocaine and what else oh Amy, Please don't hurt yourself anymore".(Excerpt from song)
Download for free at myspace.com/thebigfash - The Guardian
Discography
FASH STEWART:
Debut album, release date February 2010.
Eponymous EPs 2008, 2009 - available at gigs, and independent music stores.
Now streaming on:
10 tracks on myspace.com/thebigfash
Nessmp3.com
Photos
Bio
Fash has been touring for the past two and a half years, making gigs happen off his own back, without the support of a band around him, having never settled in one area for long enough to start one, or join one. He makes do with himself and a guitar, and you suspect that he has read Pete Seegers’ textbook on simplicity. Like Seeger, he has learnt the trick of making lots of noise with just an instrument and voice, with a little help from the audience.
Fash started playing regularly around Dundee, and Tayside, playing weekly in the famous Doghouse bar, where he honed his skills in open mic sessions. With a clientele of predominantly indie fans, perhaps this is a strange place for a singer/songwriter who cites country music as his first love.
If you ever have the opportunity to have a flick through his Ipod, you’ll see a whole lot of Waylon Jennings and Johnny Cash, but thats not all - he has all sorts of music on it, and it is not unsurprising to hear Fash play covers from Atomic Kitten to Vera Lynn. In the past, a singer like Fash would be called a jukebox, nowadays, it’d be more apt to call Fash an Ipod.
However, it wasn’t until 2006, whilst serving in the Air Force in Iraq, that Fash fell in love with music, and started writing songs more frequently. After meeting Willie Nelson, and seeing him play live, Fash was inspired.
A couple of years later, after penning over a hundred songs, Fash went on the look out for gigs, open mics, sessions, festivals, anywhere he could play, and a couple more years further on, Fash can look back with some delight at his relative success.
He has played about 2 or 3 gigs a month, wherever he gets them, in addition to the numerous tours, open mics, folk clubs and sessions he is involved with.
In 2009, at T in the park, Fash had his largest audience to date, playing an extemporaneous set in the Healthy T showcase tent.
His songs, generally sound like country songs, but definitely have a number of twists, some sound like old folk songs, some sound like indie anthems. What is certain is that Fash has been influenced by a wide range of musical styles, and experiences in life, and this shows his songs and his live performances.
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