Entertainer of the Month
Mechanics, ranching, being a mountain guide and now.... musician. Steve Newsome has involved himself in the cowboy lifestyle since day one but it was only 5 years ago when he decided that his musician side and his cowboy side needed to meet and pursue a career together. Thus, the band and branding of Steve Newsome was born.
You've got Tony Quick, from Lewisham, England and he was born to be a musician. He got his first set of drums at 5 and has been "kicking butt and taking names" ever since. Then you have Stephane Drisdelle on bass. This guy has been playing on stage since he was 11 years old and has toured with his music all across Canada.
Last but certainly not least, you have Carson Schafer on drums. A 24 year old Grant McEwan student graduating with a BMus this Spring.
An incredibly talented line up backing Steve, that are "fully dedicated and a diverse bunch of lads."
Let's go back in time to Steve's childhood. He took guitar lessons and a little bit of theory but couldn't find his groove.
"I think it was because of my guitar being in such poor shape. It was hard to stay focussed and inspired when my guitar would fall out of tune all the time.It was a case of not knowing what the instrument should have been that really lost my initiative."
So, he set music aside and pursued other careers until 1996. Steve was on a mountain in Banff taking some people on a guided tour. Of these people was a man named Dennis Williams. A man armed with a guitar and unknowingiy, as fate would have it, inspiration. Steve noticed some sheet music in the case and took a glance. He quickly followed that with picking up the guitar, and well... never putting it down again. He finally found his place in music.
"I love Country Music. I love the good story telling and how the music can bring back so many memories."
With his lovely wife and family being the driving force behind him, Steve was ready to make his mark!
But like we mentioned earlier, the name Steve Newsome was only branded 5 years ago, which is not very long in the music industry! It was the partnering up with Jazz Matthews and his music promotion company, Dog Rump Creek Music that really got the ball rolling. and the momentum has been an unstoppable force! In that short 5 years, Steve has had 2 North America wide chart toppers and has opened for Jason McCoy, Adam Gregory, Jake Mathews, Clayton Bellamy, Jaydee Bixby and Codie Prevost. Let's not forget about Brett Kissell too!
He is constantly roaming the open stages and putting on as many shows as he possibly can. And when he is not performing he is mentoring and coaching the youth or contributing his talents to The Little Warriors and other galas.
When asked what words of wisdom he would like to give new musicians, he said, "Be kind, be patient. Accept constructive criticism. Know that you will come across a lot of no's but you just have to keep going. Pick yourself up and keep going. Oh, and never get too big for your britches!"
Humble, helpful, engaging and patient are only a few words that I could use to describe Steve Newsome. His passion and love for music really shines through his music and performances. I highly recommend checking out one of his shows!
He has a new single coming out called "Lost on 22" being released May 1. You can get a sneak peak of it at the next Muse Views show on April 24 at Shakers or get the full meal deal on the 29th! Video coming soon!