BENYA STEWART

The musical artist known as Benya Stewart (ALSO known as Ben Stewart, Ben Keith Stewart, and Ben Kain) was born and raised in Athens, Ohio, in the foothills of the Appalachians. His music echoes the emotionality, poetry and finger styles of Nick Drake, James Taylor, Fionn Regan and Erlend Øye (Kings of Convenience). His study of music is deeply shaped by a passion for old-time and bluegrass music of the Appalachian mountains; funk, jazz, and West African rhythm have also contributed significantly to his tone palette. His imagery and metaphor is often drawn from the natural world and the bucolic. He sings and plays guitar, mandolin and various percussion instruments in a variety of folk groups based in the Eastern US and also has ties throughout Europe from various tours.

Benya’s freshest work is a four-track live EP entitled HEADWAY. Recorded to cassette tape on a Tascam 488 by Ethan Bartman in Athens, Ohio, it is Benya’s first fully distributed solo release, set for release on all digital platforms September 3rd, 2021. In HEADWAY, his lyrical style is on full display; soaked in nostalgia and the pursuit of self-love and acceptance, it is simultaneously a testament to actualization and a memorial for love lost on account of the pursuit of dreams. Benya quickly pivots between searing full-volume vocals and a rich and gentle whispered tone. His wide vocal range exudes emotion beyond reckoning. While his instrumental rhythms provide an uncompromising groove, his vocals are a careful blend of musical precision and raw expression.

Benya, after a summer of mostly-outdoor gigs around Ohio, is preparing for a unique and exciting summer tour: first, to venture to Maine to perform with his band The Chivalrous Crickets as onboard entertainment on a three-mast schooner for a week. Second, he will make his way to Lviv, in western Ukraine, where he is slated to participate in an artist residency with musicians from Appalachia, Ukraine and Belarus. The group will record an EP in Ternopyl, Ukraine during his stay. This will be his second tour to Eastern Europe to participate in a blending of folk music from various regions of the world with the project called SLAVALACHIA. He will release HEADWAY while in Ukraine, and is beyond excited for a string of solo gigs he has booked in Lviv, Ternopyl and Kiev.