Brett Ryan Stewart profile picture

Brett Ryan Stewart

WIDE EYED SLEEPER

About Me


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I was born and raised about 30 miles south of Philadelphia, in a little State called Delaware. My father went to the other side when I was 7 yrs old, leaving my mother to raise me alone. She managed to play both parental roles, and instilled in me a tender balance of strength, and sensitivity. She taught me how to put my thoughts in to written word, which came in handy for dealing with the pain of losing my father.
When I was a teenager, my older brother left me his vinyl collection and a turntable. This led to many reclusive nights in the basement spinning Harvest, Who’s Next, Bridge Over Troubled Water… It was at this point that I discovered exactly what I wanted to do with my life. I wanted to make records.
So, come Christmas ’94, my mother and brother pooled together and got me my first guitar, a black Washburn acoustic. I spent day and night teaching myself chords, and it wasn’t long before I was writing songs in the basement. I started a band and spent most of my adolescence obsessing over band practice and gigs, meanwhile neglecting my homework.
As I got older, I developed a strong relationship with my uncle Will who resided in Nashville. He was a songwriter as well, and turned my ear to Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash, and a slew of old SUN recordings. As a result, my writing began to improve and my musical horizons broadened.
In 2001 I went broke by investing in a bunch of recording gear, and taught myself the craft. I slowly built up a reputation in the area, and consequently spent the next 6 years recording/producing over 30 different artists of ALL genres. Talk about expanding, I was exposed to, and even producing music I knew nothing about, including hip-hop, hardcore, children’s…
In 2004, I traveled back and forth from Delaware to Nashville to make a record with my uncle Will, which ended up receiving critical acclaim and steady rotation on European National Public Radio.
In late 2006 I decided to follow his footsteps and move to Nashville myself, which is where I currently reside.
About “Necessary Lies”
In between long recording sessions making records with other artists, I was chipping away at this one. I think it’s evident that it comes from many places. For me, this album culminates my experiences of heartache and loneliness, my disgust with the current political landscape, and all the human deception that makes life so damn fragile.
I played a good amount of the instruments, and brought in friends to fill in the gaps and provide a fresh perspective. The entire recording process spanned about 2 years, with a hiatus or two, and a number of rewrites, re-recordings, relapse, etc…
PLEASE TANGO WITH MY NEW BAND, wide eyed sleeper, IN MY TOP FRIENDS.
***Request BRS on XM, very easily! Click here
[email protected]
Some Fun Facts:
• 2 BRS Songs ("Yet Again, and "Face to Face") topped the charts on Neil Young’s LIVING WITH WAR TODAY website, holding the 1 & 2 position for nearly a month.
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT "NECESSARY LIES":
• "Stewart composes classic pop songs that are timeless and surprisingly mature. And the man’s voice has to be heard to be believed...what a voice!"
–LMNOP/Babysue.com
• "While the guitar playing is subtle and the vocals are hypnotic, there’s something about the songs that demand your attention."
-Mite Mutant (thechickenfishspeaks.com)
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PURCHASE OPTIONS FOR BRETT RYAN STEWART’S MUSIC:
- BUY IN DIGITAL FORMAT FROM...
iTunes
- OR BUY AS A CD FROM...
CD Baby:
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PROMOTIONAL TOOLS:

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 2/12/2005
Band Website: BrettRyanStewart.com
Influences:
11 o’clock news.
Sounds Like:
nick drake, neil young, elliott smith, richard thompson, tom petty, loudon wainwright III, awesomeness, bob dylan, gary jules, iron & wine, jeff buckley, ray lamontagne... or so I've been told.

BOOKINGS/INFO: contact [email protected]

View Brett Ryan Stewart's EPK

If you're in a band, you may want to click below...

Type of Label: None

My Blog

FUNNY FACE CONTEST!!!

Election Time is killing me. I've been watching the news too much today and need a stress reliever. Let's have a Funny Face Contest! Winner gets bragging rights for most elasticity in face :-)Give you...
Posted by Brett Ryan Stewart on Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:35:00 PST

The only VP Debate Highlight that matters.

So I watched, I absorbed, I was impressed. All I can say, is that twice, TWICE, Joe Biden mentioned his old stomping grounds, Claymont DE, which just happens to be the old stomping grounds of yours tr...
Posted by Brett Ryan Stewart on Fri, 03 Oct 2008 09:57:00 PST

WIDE EYED SLEEPER... a new leaf. PLEASE READ!

Ok, I've been talking about it long enough. As most of you know, I've been working with a band for several months on a new EP. This project began as I asked some friends to help me make a new BRS rec...
Posted by Brett Ryan Stewart on Mon, 29 Sep 2008 07:56:00 PST

To Live We Must Let Go.

It hasn't been an easy run lately. I finally had to say goodbye to my best beagle buddy, Snoopy, after 8 loyal years of friendship. As anyone who knows me is aware, Snoopy was a close companion throu...
Posted by Brett Ryan Stewart on Thu, 25 Sep 2008 10:47:00 PST

Were on a losing streak.

I've been away for a bit and hadn't even gotten a chance to write my thoughts about Tim Russert, when I get hit with more bad news, the death of George Carlin. In a time when we need, more than anyth...
Posted by Brett Ryan Stewart on Tue, 24 Jun 2008 05:37:00 PST

MUSIC VIDEO "Face To Face"

I thought it timely to finally post this video now, as the '08 Presidential Election is FINALLY en route.It was shot by my longtime friend Win Heckert, in my hometown in Delaware, circa April '07. I'v...
Posted by Brett Ryan Stewart on Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:15:00 PST

Last night at The Basement.

Well the new band (still without a name) kicked it off last night with our first show in Nashville. After playing acoustic shows for so long, it felt amazing to be able to rock out again. There was a ...
Posted by Brett Ryan Stewart on Thu, 22 May 2008 07:07:00 PST

Let’s play a game.

It's called "The Moral Code". Tonight, I disgusted myself by breaking my own Moral Code. Ya see, my home is a "geographical oddity, two weeks from everywhere" to quote Ulysses Everett McGill. This wa...
Posted by Brett Ryan Stewart on Fri, 02 May 2008 05:56:00 PST

You know you’ve arrived...

...when you're resold on ebay!http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2302 45755477&ssPageName=ADME:B:EF:US:1123In a strange way, it's an honor to be listed alongside my heroes: Petty, Radio...
Posted by Brett Ryan Stewart on Thu, 24 Apr 2008 02:45:00 PST

Performing Songwriter Magazine REVIEW!

I guess going indie has it's perks! This is from the new issue of Performing Songwriter Magazine (find it on most magazine racks). Each month they have a "TOP 12 DIY ALBUMS" Section. Pretty cool, eh?...
Posted by Brett Ryan Stewart on Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:06:00 PST