Corey Stewart

Singer/Songwriter, Musician, Producer & Blogger From Australia

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Catching COVID: It’s A Matter Of If Rather Than When

Yes, that’s right… Today I have tested positive to contracting COVID-19 and therefore I will be isolating for the next 7 days.

Actually, Mum and I tested positive this morning while Dad tested positive last Sunday.

My symptoms are almost exactly like a bad head cold except for the fact that I can’t taste or smell anything which is really weird. I do have a strange metallic aftertaste when drinking fluids but that’s about it.

Since Dad tested positive last Sunday, I had been classed as a close contact which meant I could go out in public but I needed to wear a facemask which was of no real concern for me.

Now, I’m housebound for 7 days and I can’t go anywhere which is a bit of a shame as I had some house inspections to go to this weekend. Other than that it’s pretty much business as usual.

I was trying to work out how Dad managed to contract COVID-19 and I reckon it was when both Mum and Dad went to the local footy the day before his test results.

Anyways, to anyone who I had to cancel appointments or meetings with, my apologies. I’ll get back in contact with you once I’m on the other side of this.

For everyone else, I suppose this 7 day isolation will give some time to do more songwriting, more practice and catch up on some things that I have procrastinated on for a while.

In the meantime, have a great weekend and catch you all on the flipside.

Peace,

Corey

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Today Is The First Day Of The Rest Of My Life

Well, it’s all done and dusted. The house is sold and I’m slowly but surely getting myself acclimated to life down on the Southern Fleurieu. 

I moved down to Goolwa last Wednesday (March 23rd) to my parents place initially with the view of finding my own place down this way and I’ve got to say, life in Goolwa is much different to living in Adelaide.

Firstly, the pace of life is so much slower. 

I’ve already been trying to slow down my life a bit since Mara passed away so the change in pace is not that much of a shock but I can imagine that for someone who has come straight from inner city Adelaide life, the pace of Goolwa would be a bit of a culture shock.

Secondly, I’ve been sleeping like a log.

This is amazing considering that I have had so much trouble with my sleeping patterns since… I can’t remember when but ever since I’ve moved down to Goolwa I have been going to bed earlier and getting up earlier and pretty much sleeping straight through the night.

I think no longer having the sale of the house on my mind has a lot to do with my newly found sleep but I think another reason might be that the air is much cleaner down in Goolwa. I’m not sure why that would make such a difference but to me it does.

Thirdly, the overall ambience is much quieter. 

This is because there’s not as many cars on the road, not as many people around and the location of where I’m staying is a little further away from the centre of Goolwa so not as many houses around either. 

This certainly contributes greatly to the reduction in my stress levels and my ability to just be present

Lastly… I can see the stars.

With the lack of the type of infrastructure that gives off light pollution at night, I can see a lot more stars in the sky than I ever could living in Adelaide. Granted, the numbers are less than if I was in the Flinders Ranges but what I currently see above my head still fills me with wonder.

Night time is… Dark. The way it’s meant to be and again, this is another reason why I’m sleeping so well I suppose.

Today I was able to set up my working environment hence why you’re reading this blog post. I’ve almost finished setting up the temporary recording studio and when that’s all done I can start recording music again, something I haven’t been able to do for about three months or so.

Man, I’ve really missed making music.

Once that is all done, the last piece of the puzzle is for me to find my own place so I can finally start moving forward again, living my own life while at the same time, carrying on Mara’s memory and legacy close to my heart.

I remind myself that today is the first day of the rest of my life and I intend to grab onto it and hold on for dear life with a steely determination to not waste one iota of the experience.

Peace,

Corey

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Introducing… Songs In The Key Of STING

For many years now I have had the pleasure of performing in Australia’s Premier Police Tribute band The Synchronicity Police. 

With Dave Branton on drums, Greg Adamopoulos on guitar and yours truly on vocals and bass we have played many shows spanning from pubs, clubs, casinos, large auditoriums, festivals and a few Adelaide Fringes in our time, and this year is no different…

But, there is a twist.

Instead of playing the songs of The Police in all of their rock and punk/reggae glory, we’re going to be adding some songs from Sing’s solo catalogue and performing them in a 5 piece band UNPLUGGED!

Yes, The Synchronicity Police present Songs In The Key Of Sting recreating the classic Police hits and songs from Sting’s solo career in an intimate, unplugged 70 minute live show. 

This show has been put together exclusively for the 2022 Adelaide Fringe and if it works (of course it will) I for one would want to be taking this unplugged concept as far as it will go.

The lineup for the show is as follows…

Corey Stewart – Bass, Vocals

Greg Adamopoulos – Acoustic Guitar

Dave Branton – Drums, Percussion

Victor Oria – Keyboards

Robert Williams – Trumpet 

We are rehearsing for the event at the moment and it’s sounding AWESOME! I cannot wait to bring this show to you all.

Songs In The Key Of Sting will be performed at the Goodwood Theatre @ The GC which is located at 166 Goodwood Road, Goodwood for ONE SHOW ONLY on Tuesday March 8th at 9pm.

Tickets are $35 and can be purchased at the 2022 Adelaide Fringe website. This show is a must for all Police and Sting fans and I would love to see you all there.

Peace,

Corey

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Introducing… Soul Trader

Musically, 2022 is going to be a busy year for me and it all starts off with a swag of gigs at the Adelaide Fringe Festival so with that in mind, allow me to introduce you all to… Soul Trader.

Soul Trader is a duo consisting of myself and good friend and songwriting partner Simon James Betts and we have four gigs at the Adelaide Fringe starting from Sunday, February 27th at 7:00pm.

Even though it may seem that this is a new venture for me… It actually isn’t.

Soul Trader was initially created way back in around 2003 when Simon and I met each other at an Open Mic  held at the Hyde Park Tavern which was run by my musical partner in crime Darren Zaza.

Simon had already released a CD and had his own material but we joined forces and started writing songs together which in turn translated into performing many shows which then culminated in the release of our 2006 CD titled Pre-Cursor.

After the release of the CD, I left Soul Trader (the reasons in which I’ll go into more detail at a later time) and Simon continued on performing under that name as a solo artist. We did however, continue to write songs together during my time away.

Now, fast forward to 2021 and Simon and I started the Soul Trader Podcast and from there the concept of getting Soul Trader back together as a duo again seemed like the natural thing to do and let me tell you, it sounds like we’ve never been apart.

The songs, the harmonies, the camaraderie, it’s all there and I’m enjoying every bit of it even though it’s the second time around and as for the Fringe shows…

What a way to (re)launch a project such as Soul Trader.

Just to give you an idea of what to expect, here is the blurb taken from the 2022 Adelaide Fringe program

It’s official, Adelaide’s best kept secret is out.

Soul Trader is back as a duo, and ready to serve you an acoustic pop rock feast of fresh original music.

This is the most dynamic duo in the history of dynamic duos, this is not Batman & Robin, this is Batman & Batman. Two powerful singer songwriters coming together to deliver something special.

In an industry flooded with looping pedals and Autotune, Soul Trader is like a delicious home cooked meal in a world of fast food.

With pristine harmonies and guitars pounding out the rhythm, Simon James Betts and Corey Stewart deliver wonderfully crafted songs with energy, cheek, polish and passion.

This will be a night your ears will thank you for a long time to come, so sit down, hang on and experience the aural ride of your life.

Sounds pretty good to me if I say so myself.

As a reminder, the Soul Trader shows at the 2022 Adelaide Fringe are as follows:

Where: 

The Garage International @ Adelaide Town Hall

When: 

Sunday February 27th

Sunday March 6th

Tuesday March 15th

Wednesday March 16th

Tickets are $25 ($20 concession) and are available at the 2022 Adelaide Fringe website.

So if you want to catch some great songwriting performed by two likeable guys who harmonise beautifully with each other then Soul Trader (The Duo) is the show for you.

Post Adelaide Fringe plans consist of experimenting with regular live streaming as well as hitting the festival circuit, playing support shows, touring UK and Europe plus… organising House Concerts.

“What’s a house concert?” I hear you ask. Well, watch this space and I’ll let you know soon enough. In the meantime, check out the links above and I hope to see you at one of our Fringe shows.

Peace,

Corey

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And So… A New Chapter Is About To Begin

Ok, I’ve been waiting for the right time to tell you all this but… I’m just going to get straight to the point.

I’ve decided that the time has come for me to pack up my things, sell the house and move down South around the Fleurieu Peninsula somewhere from a line due East from Moana to McLaren Flat all the way down to Goolwa.

This move will enable me to be first and foremost, closer to my family (who live in Goolwa and Mount Compass) plus, it will enable me to take a step closer to living in an environment where I can live the life that I want to live…

A slow, steady, simple and silent life. 

I’ve signed all of the necessary contracts which have instructed Harris Real Estate to sell the house and its hoped that things will be finalised around the end of January/beginning of February 2022.

So what does this all mean?

Well, besides having a different home and delivery address and maybe some more phone conversations or online chats via Skype or Zoom, nothing else will need to change as I’m only moving an extra 60-90 minutes away from Adelaide at the most. 

Of course, I’ll make my way to Adelaide at least once a week to meet up with clients and/or to catch up with friends and remember, there will always be a place to stay for anyone who trundles down my neck of the woods.

Most importantly though, I’ll be pulling up stumps on a life that was mostly defined by the partnership between Mara and I but now, with Mara gone, I now have to move forward with my life. This was inevitable whether it be now or later.

The fact is that the home that Mara and I had built together in Dudley Park since 2012 (yes, almost 10 years now) is now just a house that will now always have something missing in it, something that will constantly remind me of all the negative aspects of the last few years so, the time was right to make the move.

I also know that Charlie is going to have more room to run around and be a dog in rather than being either cooped up inside or navigating a tiny backyard plus, I’ll also have more studio/office space to expand SongMachine and ZenWeb into as that will be one of my requirements for the next house.

The more I get used to the concept of moving my life away from the city, the more I realise that this is what I must do and as I’ve mentioned in a previous blog post, one of the main lessons I’ve learned is that life is all about letting go.

I would say that this decision to move down South is the best example of me letting go of something which doesn’t serve a purpose for me anymore that I can think of.

And I’m totally fine with that.

This decision was actually something Mara and I had spoken about on a number of occasions to the point where we had decided it was going to become an eventuality.

I’m so glad that I’m able to take Mara’s memory with me as I know she will love the change in scenery.

Right now, I’m working in a somewhat limited capacity on my laptop as the studio and office computers have been packed away. I’m still able to work but it might take a little longer to get things done but this will be just a temporary inconvenience.

As I’ve only just made the decision and started the process, I really have nothing else to report as yet but I can say that I don’t know where I’ll end up but I do know that there’s a place out there with my name on it. 

All I have to do is have the trust in myself that I’ll find it.

Personally, it’s all very exciting and terrifying at the same time but I know that Mara is there with me in spirit cheering me on from wherever she is and like me, looking forward to what the next chapter will bring.

All I can say is “Watch this space…” 

Peace,

Corey

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In Life: Slow, Steady, Simple And Silent Wins The Race

In my last post I mentioned that 2021 was for me… “a year to consolidate my emotions and redefine my sense of meaning and purpose in life.” 

In reflection, one of the things that I realised was the way I was living my life currently was not doing me, my creativity and my health any good at all. 

So, in order to make the necessary changes needed to remedy this, I’ve decided that the way I want to live my life from now on is slow, steady, simple and silent.

Well, what does that really mean? 

A core fundamental belief of mine is that there is no “THE meaning of life” but “A meaning of life” therefore any meaning I have for my life is one that I create and insert into my existence rather than something external that I use my existence to find.

With that being said, here are my reasons for wanting to change my life and live in this way.

Slow 

First of all, there is a reason why the term “rat race” exists. Life seems to be one big rush from one event to another without taking into consideration why the rush is happening in the first place.

We as a society have been duped into believing that the world is a fast paced, busy place and only the fastest, busiest and most ruthless with their time and energy will survive it. 

This has permeated into the toxic world of “hustle culture” exemplified by people such as Gary Vaynerchuk for instance.

I’ve known for a long time that I’ve needed to slow my life down and find a way to get myself off of this perpetual hamster wheel that I (and everyone else in the world for that matter) find myself on at the moment.

By slowing down my life I am able to live my life the way I want to live it, work the way I want to work it and relax in the way that I want to relax. 

Steady

Since Mara passed away, I have gone through a rollercoaster of emotions which have had profound effects on my life in both good and bad ways.

The bad way was that for a period of time I just gave up and let myself go through my grief and got very sick which tipped my body over the edge into Type 2 Diabetes territory. 

The good way was that thankfully the Type 2 diagnosis was the kick up the arse I needed to make the significant changes in my life to where I’m now on my way back to greater mental, physical and spiritual health.

The steady path I wish to take is the middle way of moderation, routine and discipline which I believe are the key factors in me getting on with it and moving forward with my life because with the world the way it is at the moment, it’s so very easy to be put off your centre these days. 

The world around us offers many temptations and distractions all designed to make you become more susceptible to advertising and the prevailing narrative of the times through the various media that we all consume.

Simple

One of my main aims of 2022 is to simplify my life and distill who and what I am into the smallest possible footprint that I can operate in. 

As I mentioned in another blog post, what I want to be essentially doing is getting rid of the things that I don’t need and for me to keep the things that I really do need, the things that will serve my purposes the best.

For example, as a musician I, like most other musicians, suffer from a bit of GAS (gear acquisition syndrome) and because of this I have accumulated a bit of gear that for some of them, I need to find good homes for. 

I know that what I don’t need anymore can be more useful to somebody else so I’m very comfortable doing that.

Simplifying, decluttering, minimalising, whatever you want to call it, is a really essential part of moving forward.

The more simple I make my life, the more time I can devote to what matters to me most, the less margins of error I need to navigate and the less (unnecessary) choices that I need to make.

I’ve been known to overthink things from time to time and because of this I suffer from analysis paralysis on an almost daily basis. Making a choice, moving forward and taking action on it can be a real challenge. 

I know that I need to be clear in my focus and intention, to be decisive with my choices and to take action on those choices with methodical determination. I believe that living a more simple life will help me greatly.

Silent

NO! It doesn’t mean that I’m not going to play music anymore as that’s not the kind of silence I’m talking about.

What I really mean is creating a life in which I can eliminate the unnecessary noise and chatter that happens inside my head and THAT is what I want to eliminate from my life, because as the old saying goes…

“Silence is golden.”

Even though I have gone through some massive life changes of late, internally the monkey inside my head is well and truly active. 

I am getting better at silencing the chatter but I know full well that this is a full time job that will take the rest of my life (and perhaps a future lifetime or two) to master.

As I’ve mentioned before, I can have some issues with overthinking and placing myself in a quieter environment with less distractions will go a long way in helping me to give my inner monkey an extended holiday.

So in conclusion there you have it, my reasons for wanting to live a slow, steady, simple and silent life. 

It’s my hope that by doing this I can create a healthier, more creative and spiritually fulfilled existence for myself and that my creative output from now on, can be the major benefactor of these changes.

Wish me luck and watch this space…

Peace,

Corey

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Waving Goodbye To 2021 And Saying Hello To 2022

I hope everyone is having a wonderful Christmas and New Years break that is full of family, friends and maybe some overindulgence as well, a perfect way to celebrate the year that was.

For me, 2021 was a year to consolidate my emotions and redefine my sense of meaning and purpose in life. This is of course due to Mara’s passing just over 12 months earlier.

Plus, with a couple of pretty major health issues (diabetes and hypertension) at the forefront of my mind and knowing full well that there would inevitably be a time that I would need to move on in my life, I also used 2021 as a means to work further on my health and to get myself back to some sort of spiritual centre.

So, with today being the first day of 2022, I want to share with you the things that I’ll be doing for this year.

2022 will be a year of transformation, a reinvention of the self from who I was in the past to what I will become in the future.

Until now I have been processing and grieving the loss of Mara as well as maintaining a holding pattern for my life until such time that I was ready to move forward but I now know that 2022 is the year that this will all be possible.

It will be possible because this year I will…

Continue on my path to reversing my Type 2 diabetes diagnosis, lowering my blood pressure and just getting healthier in general.

Continue to keep losing all of the unwanted weight that I have accumulated over the years and re-establishing a better relationship with food and what I put into my body.

Continue to look for opportunities to expand on my creativity whether it be writing music, performing live, building web presences, creating content through writing blogs, recording podcasts and shooting video for myself and/or my clients. 

Continue striving to be the best I can be through self reflection, meditation and living an examined life. I will learn from all the lessons that come my way just through embracing everyday life and all that it offers me. 

Continue to keep Mara’s memory alive in everything that I do because she was the greatest influence on me and a champion of the journey that I’m taking on at the moment so no matter what happens next, Mara will always be with me every step of the way..

I can feel the emotional fog lifting a little, I’m slowly but surely getting out of the house and lifting my head above the fog to see what’s happening. 

Right now, I’m in a good place and what I can say is that this year, I’ll be creating more content to see, hear, read, watch and share. After all, how do I know if this transformation and reinvention caper is truly working unless I document it somehow?

Anyways, thank you so much for being part of my personal and musical journey so far and I sincerely hope that 2022 is everything that you want it to be (and much, much more).

Peace,

Corey

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50 Life Lessons At 50 Years Of Age

On the 7th of January 2021, I started my 50th year living on this planet and for me, turning 50 was a pretty big deal. This was because in my head, I finally became my definition of “old” that I held close to my heart when I was growing up.

Now I realise that someone who was 50 years old back when I was a teenager was a much older person in values and attitude but nevertheless, I have become a person who has… 

Shifted into a different marketing demographic

Eligible for APIA (Australian Pensioners Insurance Agency) products

Can enter some retirement villages

My Dad (who is a very fit 72) always says that “you only feel your age when you’re sick” and to a point that is very true.

Now that I’m approaching my 51st birthday I’m now able to look back on my 50 years of existence and acknowledge the lessons I have learnt in my life so far no matter how big or small they are.

Life lessons such as…

Stop focusing too much on the small stuff

You need to pick the right battles to fight

There are people more worse off than you… Always

None of this is of any importance

The older you get, the less shit you have to give

Be yourself because everyone else is taken

Age is just a number

We all want the same things in life

Never be afraid to say the word NO

Change is the only constant thing in life

Nothing lasts forever, everything has a use-by date

Honey in coffee is delicious

Life is the greatest teacher

Quality is far more important than quantity

Just because you CAN do it, doesn’t mean you SHOULD do it

Action speaks far more loudly than words

Silence is more deafening than a thousand voices

Life is just too short…

Do what you fear the most. What’s the worst that’s going to happen?

Always be prepared to take a punt on yourself

The truth will always set you free

The answers you seek are always inside of you

Sometimes the smallest of things make the biggest of differences

Always embrace the “Happy Accident.”

Routine and discipline is the path to freedom

Always be the driver of your own bus

Too much information is better than not enough

Simple doesn’t necessarily mean easy

Life… We’re all making it up as we go along

Emotions are unskilled workers, use them wisely

Get to know people for who they are, not for what you can get from them

Many roads can lead to the same destination

Multitasking is a myth, do one thing at a time

The greatest joy can rise out of the greatest sorrow

Creativity is something that needs to be shared

Slow, steady, simple and silent wins the race

Owning a dog is the best thing ever

YOU are the only you that ever was, ever has and ever will be

Never be afraid to say “I love you.”

Crying at the drop of a hat is good for you

Getting it done is far better than being perfect

Being all things to all people will not make you happy

We are all enough

No matter what happens, it always evens out in the end

Sometimes doing nothing is better than doing something

When it comes to ideas… Never throw anything away

We are where we are through the choices we make

If anyone tells you they have the answer… They’re lying.

There’s no “THE meaning of life” but there is “A meaning of life.”

There’s no better feeling than to be loved by someone who you love

Yes, I know, some of these lessons sound like cliches mixed in with a bit of common sense, but it’s amazing what lessons you remember learning if you put your mind to it. You should really try it for yourself. 

Try to remember a time when something happened that was either a positive or a negative experience and try to see what the lesson you learned from that experience was. Make a note of it and just reflect on it. 

That’s what I’ll be doing with the list above because at least then I’ll have no shortage of topics to write about.

I hope you enjoy what is left of 2021.

Peace,

Corey

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Introducing… The Online Musician

I was first introduced to the internet in 1997 and took my first tentative steps into the online world after buying my first computer in 2001. 

My first blog Corey Stewart Songwriting was started in 2004 and ever since then I have been writing about songwriting, the creative process and the business of writing songs ever since.

Corey Stewart Songwriting became Songwriting Zen which then became All About Songwriting and throughout all these changes the focus has always been on songwriting tips and trying to answer the question of how to write a song.

Along the way I had also expanded to other content relating to the music business and home recording under the All About Music Business and All About Home Recording banners.

Lately I’ve been trying to use Corey Stewart Online as the place to house my created and curated songwriting, music business and home recording content but this site is not really the right place to house this type of content.

With that said, let me introduce to you all… The Online Musician.

The Online Musician is a site that essentially combines my songwriting, music business and home recording content into one site with the goal of creating one of the ​​most trusted sources of songwriting, music business and home recording information on the web.

All About Songwriting, All About Music Business and All About Home Recording will still be online but will be home to curated content only.

I have also teamed up with Amanda West from Sheeaun Music who will also be writing for The Online Musician mostly on the business and administration sides of songwriting. I’m excited as to the content that she will be able to produce for the site.

Corey Stewart Online will still deal with songwriting, music business and home recording but as it pertains to me and my own experiences, not of a general “how to” nature.

This is all an end result of some deep soul searching and redefining of my online output and now that this post is published I can move forward with creating more content for this site.

The Online Musician can be found at theonlinemusician.net. Get yourself down there and check it out. Let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions of what topics would interest you.

Peace,

Corey

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Life Is All About Letting Go

Today, Monday November 22, 2021 marks the one year anniversary of Mara’s passing. 

At the end of last week I went back to her Mum and Dad’s place in Millicent to drop off some boxes of Mara’s clothes, shoes, photos and her wedding dress. The trip also gave me an opportunity to celebrate with her family what would’ve been Mara’s 50th birthday last Friday November 19th.

The trip was a sad one but a necessary one because over the past 12 months since Mara’s passing my life has been all about letting go of things both physically and mentally. I suppose for me, this is all part of my grieving process.

I was noticing more and more as time went on that things that had once served a purpose are no longer relevant in my life. No longer relevant as in its purpose, not in what it means to me.

One of the hardest things to let go was Mara’s wedding dress but the reconciliation I had was that at the end of the day it would be better for the dress to go “home” to the house where she grew up.

Besides… It’s not my size.

Right now though, I am slowly going through all of the collected stuff that Mara and I had accumulated in our time together and I’m asking myself the same question… “Does this thing now serve a purpose in my life or not?” 

If it does, then I keep it. If it doesn’t anymore then I simply just let it go and at the moment I’m finding a lot of things that don’t serve a purpose to me anymore now that Mara is no longer here with me. 

It’s these things that I’m letting go of.

Six months ago in my post A Tribute To My Beautiful One – Six Months On, I wrote that the lessons I had learnt in that time were…

Life is far too short for me to be waiting for permission to do something with it

Fear is all in my head

I suffer fools even less gladly than I normally would

People spend too much time complaining about first world problems

Well, I can add “life is all about letting go” to the list and I’m sure that there will be many, many more lessons to add as time goes on.

In the meantime, I light a candle and reflect on how lucky I have been to have shared my life with such a beautiful, magical and special person.

Peace.

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The Soul Trader Podcast: S01E24 – “Umm… Do You Know Any Beyonce? And Other Stupid Requests”

I have been a performing musician since my very first gig at the age of 16 and in that time I have crossed paths with many people from all walks of life, all religions, colours, creeds and preferences.

You name it… I’ve crossed paths with it.

Now, even with all of the different people that I’ve come across in my career, one similarity still remains…

Pub + Alcohol + Music + People = Chaos. Notice I mentioned the word “People” and not “Audience?”

This is because for me, an audience is defined as a group of people that WANT to experience music not just tolerate it

In my experience (mostly playing covers in a soloist or a band situation), I’ve played in venues where the audience look at the musician as an unwanted distraction from them watching sport on the big screen or, them talking about the sport that they’re watching on the big screen.

(Incidentally, I love this time of year when the AFL take a break)

In this weeks episode of The Soul Trader Podcast, Simon and I take on the roles of grumpy old musicians and discuss the pros and cons of performing live plus the unspoken rules of engagement between pub audiences and musicians.

The title of the podcast episode “Umm, Do You Know Any Beyonce?” was taken from an actual conversation I had with a drunk female punter at the Daniel O’Connell Hotel (for any of you Adelaide folk, remember that place) way back when.

The unspoken rules part of the episode description stems from a book idea I had which will attempt to document all of the best comeback lines a musician can make whilst engaging with drunk punters.

Anyways, check out the podcast episode below. You’ll be glad you did.

The post The Soul Trader Podcast: S01E24 – “Umm… Do You Know Any Beyonce? And Other Stupid Requests” first appeared on Corey Stewart.

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It’s Time For My Obligatory Health Update

I put in the word “obligatory” in the title not as a sarcastic inference but as something I am obliged to do for myself and for all of you too.

This obligation was set up by my May 27th post It’s Time To Take My Health Seriously and it is an obligation that I do take seriously.

So, with that all being said… Here is the update.

Since I started my “changes in lifestyle” journey on May 20th, I have lost a total of 22 kilograms and in that time (just under 5 months) I have not once succumbed to the temptation of ordering takeaway food.

This means that all of my meals at home to date have been cooked by me, from scratch and that in itself is a HUGE achievement.

When I started out I was pretty strict on myself and this was partly due to me “punishing” myself for getting my health into such a poor state.

Now, while this worked getting the initial weight off of me, I realised (with the help of a wonderful nutritionist) that my restrictive program was not going to be sustainable in the long run.

I have since then started to add foods into my life which strike a balance between good to eat and good for my pancreas as well.

Compared to when I started (check out my original post here)…

I drink more water (but I can always do more)

I’ve only just started introducing alcohol again (red wine mostly)

Coffee consumption is the same but it’s now black, no sugar

No takeaway food (not even once)

Occasional walking on treadmill (I’ve got to do more exercise)

Food portion sizes are still smaller

Still intermittent fasting (eating window of 2-6 hours depending on whether I have a late lunch or not)

At the moment my weight has plateaued but that was expected and all I really need to do is to address some of the issues listed above (especially increase my exercise) and I can start losing some more weight but more importantly, start feeling even lighter, more energetic and sharper in focus.

I’m due for another blood test to see how my blood sugar levels are going and whether I am on my way to reversing my Type 2 Diabetes diagnosis.

I’ll make sure I get it done in the next week but nevertheless, I’m pretty proud of myself and what I’ve achieved so far and I can’t wait to see what I can do for the future.

Mara would be very proud.

Peace,

Corey

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The Soul Trader Podcast – S01E23: Cancel Culture And Its Effect On Creativity.

Yes, yes, yes I know it’s been a little while since I put up an update for The Soul Trader Podcast but now that I’m able to devote some time to writing again I thought that an update is needed seeing that it’s been 14 weeks since the last one.

Fourteen weeks! That’s three and a half months… Time flies and all that stuff.

Anyways, in this weeks episode of The Soul Trader Podcast, Simon and I discuss the phenomenon known as “Cancel Culture” and how it can effect the arts and creativity in general.

While we don’t make a huge deal over certain sections of the community that feel that it’s their collective right and purposes in life to serve as moral arbiters of societal thought and action, we do attempt to work out why this is happening and what had caused this concept of cancel culture to exist in the first place

Plus, as an added bonus, Simon goes to town on Joe Rogan and conspiracy theorists in general. Normally it is I who gets up on my soapbox and shouts at the sky Grandpa Simpson style but not this episode.

Let me tell you all now, it’s not to be missed…

The post The Soul Trader Podcast – S01E23: Cancel Culture And Its Effect On Creativity. first appeared on Corey Stewart.

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Introducing… The New Normals

One can never accuse me of sitting still when it comes to performing live and even though I had taken an extended break from regular gigging, I have always kept my ear to the ground and left myself open to any music opportunity that comes my way.

So, when my good friend Geoffrey Stapleton approached me to put together a band that would play selected covers from the “Great Australian Songbook” interspersed with our own material which will eventually become the main part of the repertoire over time, I immediately said a big YES!

I introduce to you all… The New Normals.

The New Normals consist of the following members:

Corey Stewart – Bass, Vocals

Geoffrey Stapleton – Keyboards, Guitar, Percussion, Vocals

Darren Zaza – Lead Guitar, Backing Vocals

Dave Branton – Drums, Percussion

Besides the fact that we’re going to be playing our own material live starting off at 50% covers to original ratio and working our way to a 100% self penned repertoire, the band gives me an opportunity to play bass in a live context again, something that I haven’t done in a long while.

I’m really missing it.

I know I’ve said this before but I consider myself a “bass player by trade” and while I love playing guitar on stage (especially in the context of a soloist) there is something magical to me about singing and playing bass at the same time. Moving the gig forward through voice while locking into the groove at the same time.

I love it.

Our first ever gig as The New Normals will be at Wassail Wine Bar (95 Prospect Road, Prospect) on Sunday, October 24th starting at 3:30pm.

The goal with The New Normals is to have a regular and consistently promoted monthly gig at Wassail and build up the audience by having them come to us, rather than spread the band and the resources too thinly trying to play anywhere and everywhere.

I’m very interested in seeing if this experiment works and get people lining up outside the venue. That would be lovely.

Related show

Artist: The New Normals

Date: 24/10/21

Time: 3:30pm

Venue: Wassail Wine Bar

City: Prospect , South Australia

Address: 95 Prospect Road

Venue phone: [phone]

Country: Australia

Admission: FREE

Age restrictions: All Ages/Licensed

Notes: The first gig for newly formed band “The New Normals” ready to pack out Wassail Wine Bar

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Songwriting Exercise – Expanding On Your Possible Song Titles

As I have mentioned in my recent post Songwriting Exercise – Brainstorming Possible Song Titles, I generally brainstorm words and phrases for 30 minutes at a time most mornings, making sure that for every list I do I put the date on top so I know which list to look at first.

Now, if you were doing this exercise two to three times a week for a few weeks you’d have accumulated an extremely large list of possible song titles to glean some sort of inspiration from so now would be the time to start working on some songs.

Here’s what you should do with your rather large possible song titles list:

Take the earliest list and look it over again a few times.

As you’re looking them over pretend you’re looking at the list of song titles on the inside sleeve of a CD cover. Say the phrases out loud taking special note of the melody and the rhythm of the words.

Is there anything on your list that shouts “I belong in your song?” If so, grab the phrase and write it on the top of a fresh page because you’re now going to start constructing your song from the title.

Start brainstorming ideas from the word or phrase.

Lets take the example of “Scrambled Eggs” (which was apparently Paul McCartney’s working title for his Beatles hit “Yesterday”). What does the title remind you of or, what images does the title conjure up for you?

breakfast

morning

waking up

dreaming

family eating together

sun through the kitchen window

the weekend

being glad to be alive

By brainstorming words and phrases from the song title you are starting to make a list of word pictures and associations. This will be the beginnings of the skeleton structure of the song lyric itself.

Find the story/central theme of the song.

Is there a melodic or lyrical hook that you can use to underpin a chorus? Will the possible song title be enough of a hook for the song? Can you see a story or central idea of the song developing from your brainstorming?

From the list above I can see a first verse already.

I wake up in the morning From a dream that left me warm Sunlight shines through my window As I walk into the kitchen My family eating breakfast Tells me it’s good to be alive

(Ok… I didn’t say it was going to be a good lyric)

Can you see how some of the words (or the inference of those words) in the list above made this verse possible?

Marry up the brainstorming ideas plus the central theme and start creating.

Continue with the expansion of your brainstorming but don’t be too concerned with song format as all you’re doing at the moment is fleshing out the songs lyrical skeleton.

Aim for completing three verses and a chorus by using this method. Remember, this is still a first draft with no music or melody attached to it.

Begin fine tuning your draft.

If, in your lyrical brainstorming you’ve come across a rhythmic motif or melody for your song, you can use as the basis of the song arrangement. If not, then you need to start from scratch.

How the musical arrangement is put to the song lyrics depends on the songwriter. There is however, much to-ing and fro-ing between the musical arrangement and the lyrical content with each element of the song making room for the other.

If you need to do more than one draft of your song to complete it, so be it, because at the end of the day, there is no right or wrong way to complete a song.

Let me ask you this… Do you generally write a song from a possible song title? If not, would you give it a go? Let me know what you think.

Peace,

Corey

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Introducing… Funkus Maximus

Anyone that knows me knows that I love funk music. As a bass player I almost think it’s somehow my duty to devote some of my playing, practising and songwriting time to the dark arts of FUNK.

As I mentioned in a previous post “How Music Has Shaped My Life (So Far…)” I was part of some funk bands in the early 2000’s and from there wrote and collaborated on, many songs in the funk, groove and dance genres to which I am very proud of.

This fascination with writing funk tunes has continued to this very day and it’s been my involvements with songwriting challenges such as FAWM and 5090 for a number of years that have been the catalyst for these funk songs to be created into existance.

Now, you might be asking right now… “Corey, where does Funkus Maximus fit into all this?”

Well, one of my consistent collaborators in these songwriting challenges has been Irish songwriter and lyricist Amanda West.

She very early on in the piece realised that I could put together a pretty good funk tune so being a person who could sense a good opportunity, she started writing lyrics for me to encase funky arrangements to and before too long, we had a decent list of recorded funk tunes with nowhere to go.

Amanda makes her living from sync licensing through her business Sheeaun Music, by collaborating with other musicians to create songs from her lyrics so she can then pitch to sync licensing companies, music libraries and music supervisors.

This is also what she wants to do with these funk songs so with that in mind, we both thought it would be a good idea to create a project name for these songs so as to not muddy the waters for my own non-funk songwriting output and Funkus Maximus was born.

By creating Funkus Maximus as a new vehicle for my funk tunes it seemed like a natural progression to form a band around these songs so they can be performed live.

It also seemed a no brainer to mine the rich vein of funk in my past and reimagine, reboot and reinterpret the old FunkStar and Orangutang tunes as well while I’m at it.

Hell, if movies can be reimagined, rebooted and reinterpreted to a new generation why can’t music be approached in the same way?

Anyways, yesterday (Friday, August 6th) the first song for Funkus Maximus, Funk Into The Heat was released out into the world and with that my musical journey continues moving forward.

To say to you that I am “Big Kev” excited would be an understatement.

To find out more information on Funkus Maximus go and check out the website.

You can hear the new song Funk Into The Heat at at all good streaming platforms such as…

Spotify

Apple Music

Deezer

Amazon

There will be more music on the way so watch this space but in the meantime, check out Funk Into The Heat and let me know what you think.

Peace,

Corey

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Songwriting Exercise – Brainstorming Possible Song Titles

A good song title is a songwriter’s best friend because it can encapsulate the whole song in a few well chosen words.

One of the best ways I’ve found to get my own songwriting process going is to brainstorm lists of possible song titles and see what comes from that.

Now in this songwriting exercise the task is not to write a complete song but to get out your pen and paper and write down at least one A4 page of possible song titles.

I try to regularly do this songwriting exercise at least twice a week and because I do this on a regular basis I now have pages and pages of songwriting ideas for me to look back on if I find myself not knowing where to go next.

Start off this exercise, by writing down the first thing that comes into your head at the top of your page and from there start writing down your possible song titles, making sure that the next phrase is either tightly or loosely derived from the phrase preceding it.

Here’s a short example starting off with the phrase Cry Baby:

Cry Baby

Baby Don’t Cry

Don’t Cry For Me Baby

Don’t Cry

Why So Sad?

I’m So Sad

I’m Leaving Today

Just remember, because you are brainstorming, just making it up as you go along, there’s no right or wrong way of doing this exercise.

You can write anything down, go off onto any tangent you like and not worry about whether you are going to use it in the future or not.

It’s also really important to not think about what you are writing, just be automatic, spontaneous and most importantly, have some fun with it.

Set a target of doing this for 30 minutes, two to three times a week so you can build up a comprehensive body of possible song titles to choose from.

Once you’ve been doing this exercise for a couple of weeks, start having a look at what you’ve written and pay close attention to the phrasing and the rhythm of the possible song titles and wait for some inspiration to jump out at you.

Once this happens you have the beginnings of a brand new song (or group of songs).

For me, looking back on what I’ve written in the past is an interesting experience in itself. It always amazes me what I’ve written once I stop second guessing my own songwriting process.

In the meantime, give this songwriting exercise a try and see what happens. Let me know how you go with it.

Peace,

Corey

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