Birmingham’s Will Stewart in ‘complete control’ with new EP

“Birmingham just feels like home,” said up-and-coming singer, guitarist, songwriter and Magic City native Will Stewart. “There’s so much amazing music going on under the radar.”

And Stewart, who will appear at Secret Stages in support of his new multi-genre “Faultline” EP, is once again part of a growing Birmingham music scene.

He moved back from Nashville after the breakup of his group, Willie and the Giant, which was named a “New band of the week” in 2015 by theguardian.com. 

And Stewart said he has enjoyed going solo. “I feel confident in being in complete creative control,” he said. “It’s liberating.”

The music on Stewart’s “Faultline,” released in April, “is super catchy, exciting and energetic,” said music blog popmatters.com.

Stewart is “one of the most important local (artists) to watch,” said Secret Stages programmer Travis Morgan.

“Faultline” has three tracks, the powerful retro-rock tune “Keyhole,” the spooky mystery story “A Week Ago” (which Stewart says was influenced by Captain Beefheart and 13th Floor Elevators) and the disco-pop title song.

“What makes Will a great artist is that he is quite versatile,” Morgan said. “I like the slow stuff; I like the rowdy stuff and the material in between. His melodies have a haunting quality and a funkiness to them.”

In addition to his solo work, Stewart plays with friend Janet Simpson-Templin (Wooden Wand, Delicate Cutters) in the indie-rock duo Timber. They appeared at a Secret Stages showcase in April.

For more information, go to secretstages.net or willstewartmusic.com.