Today we’d like to introduce you to Keaton Stewart.
Hi Keaton, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My obsession with music – performing, specifically – began at a very early age. As a self-taught guitarist, I have been playing in bands since as young as 8 years old! In my adult life, I have been fortunate enough to play with many talented musicians who I consider dear friends, but my current project Graveljaw Keaton is my first truly solo endeavor.
After recording my first track in January of 2023, I decided I wanted to follow this thread and see where it would lead! Calling on my decade-plus of experience as a gigging musician, I began booking and performing this new project’s music anywhere I could, writing and recording new songs any chance I could.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
If you ask any musician who performs/has performed in bands, or pursued music in any way, they will tell you it is not easy. You typically spend a long time working for something that may never materialize, getting taken advantage of by the industry along the way and oftentimes lose sight of what you originally sought to do before you reach your destination.
This new project, though I wouldn’t consider it a “band,” has and will have many of the same obstacles and challenges. I don’t consider myself to have “arrived” where I want to ultimately be, and all I can do is learn as much as I can from the path thus far and try not to sweat the path ahead. Take things as they come, and try to let myself be inspired by the good and the bad along the way.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
As Graveljaw Keaton, I perform lofi-inspired, western-influenced instrumental guitar. Using only my electric guitar and a loop pedal, I build each song live, layer by layer, to create a swirl of sound you can get lost in, with a rhythm you could follow anywhere. For being a relatively simple setup, my music doesn’t lack presence or listenability – whether it’s in your headphones or being performed live.
Folks oftentimes go out of their way to express to me how they were entranced by a song, or that it stopped them in their tracks if they were just passing by or heard it on a playlist. I feel as though I stand out in the sea of acoustic singer-songwriters and can offer audiences a quality that full bands might struggle to achieve.
Do you have any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I had a happy childhood, but one pivotal memory that comes to mind is the first time I watched Back To The Future. This may sound silly, but as a young child, the scene where Marty covers Chuck Berry’s ‘Johnny Be Good’ at the school dance struck a proverbial chord with me, acting as a major spark to the passion for music and performance I still feel to this day.
I would re-wind and watch this scene on repeat, even recording it on cassette to listen to when I couldn’t be watching the movie. Even today, I perform on a guitar very similar to the guitar he played in that scene!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://graveljawkeaton.wixsite.com/graveljaw-keaton
- Instagram: @graveljawkeaton
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@GraveljawKeaton/videos
