January 2012
41 posts
“globalFEST, like SummerStage and Winter JazzFest, has by now become a branded...”
– Post APAP 2012 Reflections: Global Synergy, Local Parts and Sums Adding Up | World Music Central.org
“GlobalFest is a three-ring circus of world music that takes place concurrent...”
– Michal Shapiro: Zaz at GlobalFest: “Je Saute Partout” (Video)
Stew & the Negro Problem, Making It. Just when it... →
Stew & the Negro Problem, Making It.Just when it looked safe to head back into the alternative waters, a furiously creative album like this shows up to remind us how wild rock can be. All bets are off as Stew and his band mate/former lover Heidi Rodewald turn their laser beams on that fractured relationship and the rest of life, making for what will easily be one of the best releases of 2012.
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Wild Bird by @MorleyMusic, a gorgeous new video filmed in the desert by Still Bill’s Damani Baker.
“This is a confessional song about finding a safe place to land in the world and in the heart…a look at how universal that search is and how many hearts and lives are lost. At times it has felt like I have had to be a soldier and fight to find it, a very lonely struggle but...
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"Making It" Review: Stew just can’t shed his Negro... →
THREE SHOWS AT JOE’S PUB MARK TUESDAY’S RELEASE OF STEW & THE NEGRO PROBLEM’S NEW ALBUM, MAKING IT
The cover of Making It features a photo by Stew’s daughter, Bibi.
First of all, let’s say “welcome black” to Stew & The Negro Problem.
It’s been 10 long years since Stew (born Mark Stewart in 1961) and his band The Negro Problem made a proper, official album: 2002′s Welcome Black....
“Whatever their national origins or ethnic affiliation, they are grounded in...”
– All Over the Map: GlobalFEST 2012 - New York < PopMatters
Tickets now on sale for new musical THE TOTAL... →
“The pundits have asked, is this all some joke?” @StephenatHome said....”
– FOCUS: How Serious Is Stephen Colbert?
Analyzing Stew by @TadHendrickson in @WSJ (oh, and...
By TAD HENDRICKSON
Those who have seen the autobiographical play "Passing Strange" (or Spike Lee's film version) know that the mononymous singer-songwriter-playwright-performer Stew isn't afraid of a little tension or confrontation. Having won a 2008 Tony Award for "Passing Strange," Stew and his band, the Negro Problem, are set to return Jan. 24 with "Making It," the recorded version of their 2010 multimedia rock show at St. Ann's Warehouse.
Stew, who is 50 years old, often uses his own life for the narrative to his songs, and "Making It" delves into his romantic split with his creative partner, Heidi Rodewald, 52, who has played bass in the Negro Problem since 1997 and collaborates with Stew on his theater pieces. The two will celebrate the release of "Making It" when the Negro Problem performs at Joe's Pub on Monday and Tuesday.
During a break from rehearsals for their next theater piece, "The Total Bent," which has its premiere at the Public Theater on Feb. 14, the two sat down to talk about old times and new horizons.
WSJ: How did "Making It" come about?
Ms. Rodewald: Stew started it without me. Then I joined in late 2009 because I was so p— off about the fact he was just saying his side of things. I had to join in. I wanted to join in, so there would be a little bit of me in there. Stew is a singer-songwriter and he stands up there singing and everyone believes him. I was thinking, "Great, this is a person I was in a relationship with and now he's writing these songs. Everyone takes what he says as true."
WSJ: Was it weird that Stew wrote from Heidi's perspective as well?
Ms. Rodewald: Well, yeah. This is why I joined in. I heard a song that Stew wrote, and said, "That is something that should come out of my mouth."
Stew: It's really a great trick because I wanted her to be on this project from the beginning. I didn't do this consciously, I'm not that smart, but it has become the record where she's had more creative input than any of the others.
Ms. Rodewald: Our relationships are full of lies. But Stew is the wordsmith, so he gets to say stuff. The music I wrote for this, I had him write the words for it. He was open enough for me to tell him what I wanted the song to say.
WSJ: Stew, was that comfortable for you?
Stew: Yeah. It shows that we can still work together even though it was really difficult. And it was really difficult breaking up and still being in a play. It's like going through the s— of divorce and then living in the same house afterward.
Ms. Rodewald: It's amazing that we're still working together—that we are doing it all this openly is probably healthy.
WSJ: You guys are saving a ton on therapy.
Stew: That's why there's a song called "Therapy." And I totally believe that.
Ms. Rodewald: One of the things that made me want to do it is that Stew said it would be therapy. And I responded, "Therapy only works if you tell the truth," which became the song's title. If you write a bunch of songs that aren't the truth, it isn't therapy.
WSJ: Does the passage of time make it easier to play these songs live?
Stew: I hope so. We'll see when we play them.
Ms. Rodewald: It's been 5½ years. It was when we were at Berkeley in 2006.
Stew: I think it was 2008 when we got to go our separate ways.
Ms. Rodewald: We broke up in 2006, Stew.
Stew: Yes, but I feel it was in 2008 when ["Passing Strange"] ended. That's when everything became clear to me and I could see where we were.
Ms. Rodewald: Stew has such a big personality that when he says we broke up in 2008, people believe him. He's such a powerful person that we didn't break up until he says we broke up.
Stew: I'm saying that we parted in 2008. In 2006 there wasn't a doubt that we would continue to work on the play. In 2008 I didn't know if we would ever work together again because it was some really poisonous times between us.
Ms. Rodewald: So Stew decides…
Stew: Women are emotionally two years ahead of men when it comes to breaking up. They give the guys some warnings to shape up or ship out. Men are caught flat-footed, going, "What's wrong?" This is after two years of warnings. I've asked other women this and they all agree.
Ms. Rodewald: Now you're lumping everyone in together? I don't generalize like that.
Stew: This is crazy that we are talking about this because it was so long ago. Last year we performed the songs for the first time [at St. Ann's Warehouse] and now we are releasing a record and it's really surreal. But that's how art works.
Stew & The Negro Problem @JoesPubNYC - Jan 23-24
THE NEGRO PROBLEM
The singer and guitarist Stew and his composing partner Heidi Rodewald, following up the Broadway success of their collaboration “Passing Strange,” have re-formed their old band the Negro Problem, which is marking the release of its new album, “Making It.” Expect serious self-reflection embedded in meaty rock and roll.
January 23 – January 24 JOE'S PUB
425 Lafayette St., New York, N.Y.
212-539-8778
joespub.com
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