Kaleb Stewart

Kaleb Stewart was born Caleb Benjamin Stewart on June 9, 1975 in Talkeetna, Alaska.[5] He grew up in a religious environment, with his parents and grandparents working as missionaries.[13] As such, his family moved to various locations when he was a child, including Cochabamba, Bolivia and Los Angeles, California, before settling in Tampa, Florida in the early 1990s.[3][4][5] Stewart was introduced to music by his grandparents, who brought him to gospel country music concerts at a religious venue named The Barn.[13] Stewart noted the Bill Gaither Trio as the first band he remembered seeing live; he also singled out attending a Nirvana concert in late 1993 as his most memorable one.[13]

While living in Tampa, Florida, Stewart played in the punk rock bands The Sarx and Southpaw; the latter of which included drummer Greg Drudy.[14] In the mid-1990s, Stewart moved to Gainesville, Florida and joined established punk rock band Sissy as their bass guitarist.[14]

Stewart joined As Friends Rust in March 1998 when lead vocalist Damien Moyal reformed the band with a new line-up in Gainesville, Florida.[15] It was during his time in As Friends Rust that he began artistically spelling his first name with a K; the band later titled a song after this: "Like Strings (Spell It With a K)".

Stewart contributed to the band's first three releases for Good Life Recordings and Doghouse Records: The Fists of Time and the split with Discount, both released in 1998,[16][17] and As Friends Rust, released in 1999.[18][19][20] Stewart's recorded material also appeared on the compilation album Eleven Songs.[21][22][23] He also toured the United States, United Kingdom and Europe several times with As Friends Rust, until his departure in September 2000.[15][24][25]

Stewart rejoined As Friends Rust when the band reformed in 2008 for a European tour,[26][27] and then again for their Japanese tour in 2014.[28][29] He continued to perform with the band for a series of festival dates in 2015 and 2019 while promoting the compilation albums Greatest Hits? and The Porch Days: 1998 to 2000.[30][31][32]

In the summer of 1999, Stewart teamed up with As Friends Rust vocalist Damien Moyal, Radon drummer Bill Clower, and ex-Speak 714 guitarist Eryc Simmerer to form the hardcore punk band Bridgeburne R.[33] The band recorded eight songs at Goldentone Studios with Rob McGregor in September 1999; the material would only be released an entire year later by Genet Records, on the band's sole album, a CD titled What Do You Know About Bridgeburne R? 1986-1992 The Singles Collection.[33][34][35][36]

To market the release, the band took on a fictional persona as a defunct hardcore punk act from Texas, once active from 1986 to 1993 (according to the album liner notes), or 1984 to 1994 (according to the press release).[33][34][37] The liner notes proclaimed the release as a collection of songs lifted from their out-of-print records from the late 1980s and early 1990s, including split 7" vinyls with Born Against and Nausea.[33][34] The press release also proclaimed that Bridgeburne R had headlined tours with such supporting acts as Black Flag, Bad Religion, Negative Approach, Biohazard and Nuclear Assault between 1985 and 1994.[37]

To support the album, Bridgeburne R embarked on a real three-week European tour, which spanned from September to October 2000, accompanied by American hardcore band Fall Silent.[33][38] Stewart, however, quit the band a week before the tour (at the same time as he quit As Friends Rust); Mykel Tre Beaton replaced him as bass guitarist for the tour.[33][38]

After leaving As Friends Rust and Bridgeburne R, Stewart joined close friend and Hot Water Music guitarist Chris Wollard in the punk rock band The Sheryl Cro(w) Mags (later renamed Cro(w)s).[3][8] The band released the 7" single #1 Hit / Watch for Repetition (on which Stewart appeared as a guest) in 2000 through American record labels No Idea Records and Cro(w)s and Pawns Records.[39]

Once Stewart became a full member of the band, The Sheryl Cro(w) Mags recorded the full-length album Durty Bunny, but modified their name to Cro(w)s shortly before its release. Durty Bunny was released on compact disc in 2002 through Cro(w)s and Pawns Records and on vinyl in 2003 through German record label Sounds of Subterrania.[40][41][42] The band only played live sporadically as Wollard's schedule was taken up by Hot Water Music.

Stewart began performing solo shows under his own name in the early 2000s,[43] though he ultimately named the project Grey Goose and recruited members (including his brother Levi Stewart),[5] to turn it into a full melodic punk rock/post-hardcore band in 2001.[3][44][42][45] Grey Goose recorded a four-song demo in 2003,[42] and followed up with a five-song extended play titled Love later that same year, co-produced by Damien Moyal and James Paul Wisner.[46] Love was scheduled for release through Belgian record label Good Life Recordings, but the company opted not to release it.[46] It was eventually posted on the band's Bandcamp page for download in 2014.[47]

Grey Goose was next signed to German record label Sounds of Subterrania,[45] and recorded the full-length album 'Til the Medicine Takes in 2004 with producer Chris Wollard.[42][48][49] The album was released on compact disc and vinyl in late 2004 by Sounds of Subterrania.[48][49] A European tour was planned in promotion of the release for early 2005, but it was cancelled when drummer Bill Clower was held in custody and ultimately forbidden from travelling outside Florida.[50][51][42]

In January 2005, Stewart and Moyal formed an acoustic folk duo named Goodnight at the End of the Tunnel, which recorded the single "Lately It's the Cross", produced by Moyal.[9][52] Stewart then resumed performing solo material under the name Bread Riot, and recorded a two-song demo produced by Moyal in May 2005.[9][51]

Stewart resumed performing solo shows in 2015, altering between bookings under his own name and as Grey Goose.[10] By mid-2017, he had abandoned the Grey Goose moniker and steadily performed under his own name.[3][11][12]

In November 2017, Stewart released a split album with Tim Holehouse through British record labels Aaahh!!! Real Records and Raised From the Dead Records.[53] The release was supported by a three-week European tour in November 2017.[54] This was followed by the EP All Lo Fi on the Southern Front on Aaahh!!! Real Records, which was also promoted with another European tour in March–April 2018.[55][56]

In October 2018, Stewart released the album Tropical Depression through Aaahh!!! Real Records and Sounds of Subterrania.[57][58][59] The release was promoted by several European tours: the first, Tropical Depression European Tour 2018, spanned September–October 2018; the second, Tropical Depressions Over Germany Tour 2019, spanned March–April 2019; and the third in June 2019.[60][61][25] A fourth tour in promotion of the album was scheduled for 2020 but it was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[62]