New Singles Worth Hearing
Stephen Foster
EPK
With the release of the Sharing Perils album, Stephen Foster takes some of the best parts of several genres and builds a sound all his own. Laced with addictive melodies, a cinematic undertone, and an acoustic guitar riddled aesthetic, the record boasts the spirit of indie-folk anthems.
The first single "George Bailey's Honeymoon" is a delightfully tasteful and infectious song built with pop tones that let the song shine.
"Credit goes to my brother for this title. The significance is one of irony. In the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life, George Bailey’s honeymoon plans kept falling through. For example, late in the movie, George acted as the town benefactor when he took the cash he had set aside for his honeymoon and distributed it to the townspeople, allowing each of them to save their homes.
Whenever George begins to find some kind of happiness or sense of possibility in his life, something tragic or difficult happens that pushes him in a different direction – sometimes it is for the greater good (like in the example above), but other times it is just crappy facts and circumstances." explains Foster of his single.
Although the track speaks volumes for the album, to get a full understanding of where Stephen Foster is really coming from, the full album is a must hear.
"I’ve written a lot of songs over the years, but this is the first time I truly committed any to tape in an actual recording studio. That being said, I would say my sound has evolved in a couple ways. I put a lot more effort into
taking time to arrange 3- and 4-part vocal harmonies instead of settling for no harmonies or only for one. I also take more time layering additional instrumentation, where songs may start off sounding bare, but then “blow up” a bit after a minute with the addition of several instruments, some playing 2- or 3-parts at once.
I will often go back to a song I originally thought was completed, and then I realize something else is missing – this process of revisiting has been helpful in opening my ears to potential additional instrumentation I sometimes end up adding." says the songwriter of creating the album.
Stephen Foster began his musical journey in the 4th grade when a jazz musician came into his classroom to promote the school's music program.
As a kid, Foster saw the man's dangling silver earring and thought he was cool straight away. When the man handed Foster a permission slip with a choice to decide which instrument he wanted to start with, he asked what instrument the man played to which he replied "Trumpet".
Of course, Foster had no hesitation in choosing the same instrument. After all, he wanted to be cool too.
The choice stuck and Foster continued to play trumpet through high school, college, and then just for his own personal fun. It wasn't long before he picked up piano and even took Sitar lessons from a local musician in Santa Cruz.
Writing this album is something that took some time but means a lot to the artist and it represents where he is at with his sound and songwriting right now.
Sharing Perils is available on all digital streaming outlets now and Foster is planning a run of Vinyl for the release as well.
To learn more of Stephen Foster please visit: Sharing Perils | Stephen Foster (bandcamp.com)
