here! Tunes’ premiere singer/songwriter is ready to unloadsome Information

by Jeff Katz

The last year has truly been one of fresh starts for Stewart Lewis. The singer/songwriter and author escaped the noise and distractions of New York City for the Massachusetts countryside, found new inspiration, all of which has led to In formation — Lewis’ brand new album.

Having worked the indie scene for years prior, Lewis also has some new, big-name backing this time around as he is the first artist signed to here! Tunes, the new musical division of here! TV and films. “I am really proud and really excited to be with here! They are a great company,” Lewis says. “In some ways it’s a little bit scary because I’m kind of like a guinea pig, but I think that’s great because they have such a great background and infrastructure for exposure.”

The deal may be new but Lewis is hardly an amateur at the game. Music and performance are in his blood, as his parents were part of a bluegrass band when Lewis was growing up and he often frequented clubs and concerts to see shows. Time in college brought with it musical theater and acting opportunities (including a role on Guiding Light), but music and writing have remained his passions.

“For me, if I work on a record for three months and then take a break and work on my writing, it’s just a great way of getting out of one artistic medium and into another. They inspire each other,” Lewis says. “I just can’t do one thing. I want to make movies now [laughs]. I think it’s an evolving thing. Just go were your artistic mojo takes you.”

That mojo has led Lewis to In formation, his fourth record. The disc has a distinct calm to it, made even more evident upon learning of its creation in the countryside. Lewis feels of all the music he has written, In formation’s tracks best show his maturity as a singer and songwriter, which also plays to the CDs title, exhibiting how he is “in formation” as an artist, while also presenting “information” about himself to listeners.

One of the album’s true standouts (and one of Lewis’ personal favorites), “Come Closer,” surprisingly came about rather easily after Lewis had the opportunity for an intimate meeting with one of his idols, who he prefers to not name.

“I spent an afternoon in his little room, and I was so very inspired by that. I knew that it wasn’t meant to be, we both were in major relationships, but I spent the afternoon with him and it was such an amazing time and we really connected on a deep level,” he says. “And I came home and the song came out in five minutes. It just poured out.”

Intimate afternoons aside, Lewis has also had the fortune of touring with some of music’s more honored singers and songwriters, including Sheryl Crow, Ani Difranco and Paula Cole. But when asked who musically inspires him at the moment, it’s the quirky British girls that have won over his ear, the likes of Lily Allen and Kate Nash.

Lewis will soon make his return to L.A. for a West Coast CD release party at the House of Blues on June 5. He previously called the Southland home for four years while working on his master’s at USC. It was his experiences living in L.A. that inspired his 2006 novel, Rokstarlet, which looked at the pressures of a gay musician having to play it straight in order to gain success. And even while writing material for In formation, Lewis was able to whip out another book, Relative Stranger, to be released in July.

But for right now, Lewis is focused on the music. As he tours a number of clubs on the East Coast, Lewis says that even with 100 songs under his belt, the nervousness of a new record never goes away.

“When I’m making music, I get so inside of it that I can’t have any sort of feeling if it’s good or not. I mean, I think it’s really good, but I can’t really have an objective opinion,” he says. “I’ve been writing songs for a long time, and I’ve made a few records, but I think this should be the one record to elevate my career to the next level.”

Stewart Lewis’ record release party will be on June 5, at the House of Blues Foundation Room. For more information, visit www.stewartlewis.com.