Jamie Stewart (musician)

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Jamie Stewart
Jamie Stewart in 2009, wearing black felt overcoat and button-up, clean-shaven, "side-shaved" hair

Stewart in 2009 Former Ghosts interview
Background information
Born 1978 (age 35–36)
Origin Los Angeles, California, United States
Genres Experimental rock, post-punk, art rock
Years active 1996–present
Associated acts Xiu Xiu, Ten in the Swear Jar, IBOPA

Jamie Stewart (born 1978) is a musician best known as the frontman of Xiu Xiu. He was previously known as the frontman for IBOPA (The Indestructible Beat of Palo Alto) and Ten in the Swear Jar.

Early life

Jamie Stewart was born in 1978 and was raised in Los Angeles.[1]

IBOPA

Stewart on songwriting
Stewart started IBOPA, an acronym of the Indestructible Beat of Palo Alto,[2] when an old friend suggested the idea.[3] The name was based on The Indestructible Beat of Soweto and the Bay Area suburb Palo Alto, where Stewart lived.[3] His father was a member of the band.[4] IBOPA was signed to Elektra Records-subsidiary Spongebath Records in April 1999 with plans to release three seven-inch records and a retrospective CD worldwide.[5] The band was noted in Metro Silicon Valley for bringing attention to South Bay music.[6]

Metro's Todd Inoue described IBOPA as a collision of "dance, lounge, disco, and ska" with the horror of Red Asphalt.[7] His favorite tracks on Brutiful (1996) were noted for their lack of irony or shame.[7] Inoue could not "think of enough adjectives to describe" their Squids: Obsession & Devotion.[8] He recommended "Leopard Coat" and "Holy Dance" for Oingo Boingo and Cake fans,[8] and put IBOPA's Ballads for Benpadrone (1997) on his top ten local releases of 1997.[9] In this time, Stewart also played with Korea Girl.[10]

The band decided to fold in July 1999 when Spongebath dropped the majority of its clients.[11] Its last show was on July 4, 1999 at the Grand Fanali Presents Fourth of July Celebration.[11] The band announced that five of its members—Stewart, Cory McCulloch, Kurt Stumbaugh, Tim Kirby, and Don Dias[12]—would continue into a new acoustic and experimental band called Ten in the Swear Jar.[11]

XITSJ

Stewart and four IBOPA members formed Ten in the Swear Jar (XITSJ), which continued IBOPA's "unusual approach" with eccentric and erratic music.[12] Their debut album My Very Private Map was produced on CD and vinyl, and their next album, Inside the Computer Are All of My Feelings, was released on vinyl from Random Order Records.[12] The 2005 CD "Accordion Solo!"[13] collects tracks from their previous releases and live recordings. Metro's David Espinoza described the band as "futuristic in instrumentation and erratic in mentality" with the traditional instrumentation backgrounded by baritone saxophones, banjos, accordions, and synthesizers.[14] He added that the band's sound was minimalistic and that the unusual instruments were not used to excess.[14] XITSJ disbanded in September 2000 and Stewart formed Xiu Xiu.[15]

Xiu Xiu

Stewart with Xiu Xiu in Nancy, France, May 9, 2008
Main article: Xiu Xiu

Stewart started his third band, Xiu Xiu, with Cory McCullough (from XITSJ), Yvonne Chen, and Lauren Andrews.[16] The band's name is pronounced "shoe shoe".[15][16] The band used indigenous instruments and programmed drums in place of traditional rock instruments: harmonium, mandolin, brass bells, gongs, keyboards, and a cross between a guitarrón mexicano and a cello for bass.[16] Metro Silicon Valley's David Espinoza likened Stewart to an explorer charting new territories of sound in 2001 as he started Xiu Xiu.[16] He compared Stewart's voice a combination of Robert Smith's fragility and The Downward Spiral-era Trent Reznor's anger, and noted Stewart's deliberate and considered choices towards developing the band's tone in light of the disparate wackiness of the individual instruments.[16]

Other work

Stewart released an album with Eugene Robinson of Oxbow as Xiu Xiu & Eugene Robinson Present: Sal Mineo on Important Records in April 2013.[17]

References

  1. ↑ "Jamie Stewart". The Huffington Post. AOL. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 
  2. ↑ Quelland, Sarah (April 1, 1999). "South First Times Five". Metro Silicon Valley. Metro Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Stewart, Jamie (March 29, 2012). "Where Xiu Xiu's New Album Always Really Came From". The Huffington Post. AOL. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 
  4. ↑ Espe, Erik (May 31, 1996). "They got the beat". Palo Alto Online. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 
  5. ↑ Quelland, Sarah (April 8, 1999). "I.B.O.P.A. Takes a Bath: Locals get signed to Spongebath Records". Metro Silicon Valley. Metro Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 
  6. ↑ Quelland, Sarah (April 29, 1999). "Cutting Edge: Local music booker Michael Sullivan sets his sights east". Metro Silicon Valley. Metro Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Inoue, Todd S. (August 1, 1996). "Beat Street". Metro Silicon Valley. Metro Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 Inoue, Todd S. (January 23, 1997). "Beat Street". Metro Silicon Valley. Metro Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 
  9. ↑ Inoue, Todd S. (December 18, 1997). "Beat Street". Metro Silicon Valley. Metro Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 
  10. ↑ Inoue, Todd S. (April 2, 1998). "Beat Street". Metro Silicon Valley. Metro Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 11.2 Quelland, Sarah (July 1, 1999). "Taking a Bath: I.B.O.P.A. gets soaked by Spongebath". Metro Silicon Valley. Metro Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 Quelland, Sarah (January 6, 2000). "Teen Dreamers: Moodfrye goes upbeat on new EP". Metro Silicon Valley. Metro Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 
  13. ↑ Howe, Brian. "10 in the Swear Jar Accordion Solo! Asian Man; 2005". Pitchfork Magazine (September 6, 2005). Retrieved 21 January 2014. 
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Espinoza, David (December 2, 1999). "Swearing by Jar: San Jose's Ten in the Swear Jar delivers a compelling 'Private Map' for debut CD". Metro Silicon Valley. Metro Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 Espinoza, David (September 6, 2000). "No Show Joe Show: RedHeaded Stepchild makes a Front Street Pub crowd wait". Metro Silicon Valley. Metro Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 Espinoza, David (November 7, 2001). "Rubber Soul: Los Dryheavers get into the protection racket". Metro Silicon Valley. Metro Newspapers. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 
  17. ↑ "Sal Mineo = Eugene Robinson (Oxbow) + Jamie Stewart (Xiu Xiu); released an LP, playing shows (dates & stream)". BrooklynVegan. July 16, 2013. Archived from the original on October 26, 2013. Retrieved October 26, 2013. 

External links

Media related to Jamie Stewart at Wikimedia Commons


Xiu Xiu
Studio albums
Compilation albums
Live albums
Tribute albums
EPs
Split albums
Singles
  • "Fleshettes"
Collaborations
Former members
  • Lauren Andrews
  • Jherek Bischoff
  • Yvonne Chen
  • Devin Hoff
  • Cory McCulloch
  • Caralee McElroy
  • Sam Mickens
Related acts
Ten in the Swear Jar
Albums
Related
Authority control
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