You pretty much hear the Stewart Lupton story the second you start hanging out with anyone who does anything with music in DC. The story of (at this point) fabled but never realized success that Jonathan Fire*Eater (which New York Post called “The sonic and spiritual forerunners of acts like Arcade Fire and Interpol, they were the ultimate elegant Lower East Side wastrels, purveyors of noirish, organ-laden rock and sunken-eyed, dishabille glamour”), the crashing and burning, the self imposed exile and now, a decade later…a return to (new) form.

Stewart has a new band “The Child Ballads”, and a wonderfully intimate record (Cheekbone Hollows) that, after being released in the UK last year, is making its way into the US market this week via DC’s most unstoppable little label that could Gypsy Eyes.
(CD release party is this Saturday at Comet)

The new sound is as removed from the gritty swagger that Jonathan Fire*Eater (or its stepchild “Walkmen”, for that matter) are.
Soft and warm around the edges, it relies on story and poem telling (Stewart studied poetry at Sarah Lawrence and GW, and it shows in all the right ways) and goes for the heart before it reaches for the guttural. These are the kind of songs you can easily imagine someone singing to you as a lullaby, as well seeing a full rock’n'roll band adding generous layers of fleshed out prettyness too. People will mention Dylan and they will be right, but there is also an underlying and unapologetically modern approach to music here, and Stewart does want you to know that. So, know it.

To celebrate the return we met up with Stewart, his guitar, his numerous sheets of poems and an assortment of harmonicas, this sunny Wednesday on a porch step in Columbia Heights and recorded what will now be known as “THE FIRST EVER BYT ACOUSTIC SESSION”.
A little bit of music, a little bit of (motivational) talk, a whole lot of wonderful.
We hope you enjoy it.
Plus, I got to hold the harmonica.

(to download a high quality version of the video: go here)

all photos and porch by: Joel Didriksen (http://www.kingpinphoto.com/)
video: Dave Adams (http://www.wakeupthegiant.com/) and Ryan Wakeman
sound: Rodrigo

for more Stewart Details:
http://www.myspace.com/childballad

and catch him next this Saturday at Comet and on May 1st in NY with the Kills.

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