Local musician Jeff Stewart has played in places you’ve never been, and those you know well—in dive bars, on barely-held-together stages, outside, sitting on a bartop—you name it. At times, you’ll see him playing to a packed house of fans that clap and sing along, and at others, his audience is aß smattering of barflies at the end of the night. His classic rock-and-roll style, even when it’s more folk than Springsteen, is nothing if not honest. He performs with the same enthusiasm and feeling regardless of who’s watching.
Stewart’s new album, Can’t Sit Still, is an emblematic project that depicts his constant motion, whether it’s stage momentum, creating art or thinking up a new project. And as his first new release in eight years, it brings a lot of things full-circle for the musician. “[The album] is beginning to end,” Stewart said. “We didn’t do it thinking about singles or anything like that . . . we wanted it to be a picture book of work we were proud of. We put a lot of time into each note; each sound that you hear.”
Early this year, Stewart ran a Kickstarter campaign in support of Can’t Sit Still, and it turned out to be a success, “I was thinking I wouldn’t get anything, that ‘there’s no way this is gonna happen,’ but it was funded plus some,” he said. “I was able to deliver on my promise to take care of the folks who helped me out, and finish the album that way.”
The songwriter worked closely with producer Gregg Leonard and studio owner/drummer Chuck Nauk for this release. “I seem to always be doing something, my brain is always working,” Stewart said of the album’s title. It could be about anything for anyone, but for me, it’s about being in a state of movement.”
At an album release party for Can’t Sit Still on Sunday, October 12 at The Village Idiot, Stewart and friends will play the new record front to back. Stewart designed 419-themed Toledo-centric t-shirts that will be for sale at the event, along with the album and other merchandise.
“I hope the listeners have a good time with it; it’s a cohesive experience of a record. I haven’t put one out in a long time, so I think it takes care of a lot of business in 13 songs,” Stewart said.
Hear the new release from 3-5pm Sunday, October 12 at The Village Idiot, 309 Conant St., Maumee. Visit jeffstewartmusic.com for updates, lyrics and merchandise.
