Kaleb Stewart
Kaleb Stewart was an American musician, vocalist, songwriter and former skateboarder. Originally from Talkeetna, Alaska, he moved around in his childhood before settling in Tampa, Florida as a teenager, and later made his home in Gainesville, Florida. While in Gainesville, he notably played bass guitar and provided backing vocals in the melodic hardcore band As Friends Rust from 1998 to 2000, and in the hardcore punk band Bridgeburne R from 1999 to 2000. Stewart took part of As Friends Rust's reunion in 2008, and remained with the band until 2019.
Prior to joining As Friends Rust, Stewart had a short-lived professional skateboarding career, sang in the post-punk band The Sarx and the punk rock band Southpaw, and played bass guitar in the Gainesville punk rock band Sissy. Following his time in As Friends Rust, he played guitar and provided backing vocals in the punk rock band The Sheryl Cro Mags, with his best friend Chris Wollard, which was sporadically active from 2000 to 2004, and sang in the acoustic folk duo Goodnight at the End of the Tunnel with Moyal in 2005.
He began performing solo material under his own name in 2000, but by November 2001, his project had taken up the moniker Grey Goose. After recruiting several band members, including his brother Levi Stewart, Grey Goose evolved into a proper post-hardcore band. Following Grey Goose's hiatus in 2005, Stewart returned to playing solo material under the short-lived project Bread Riot.
Stewart resumed his solo career in 2015, altering between bookings under his own name and as Grey Goose. By mid-2017, he had abandoned the Grey Goose moniker and steadily performed under his own name. He prolifically recorded a series of solo albums and EPs over the next three years and promoted the releases with five European tours before dying in 2021.
Background
Early life and school
Kaleb Stewart was born Caleb Benjamin Stewart in Talkeetna, Alaska on June 9, 1975, to Michael Leon Stewart and Mary E.. He had five siblings: older brothers Justin and Levi, younger brother Seth, and younger sisters Lydia and Essie. He grew up in a religious environment, with his parents and grandparents working as missionaries. As such, his family moved to various locations when he was a child, first to Hillsdale, Michigan in 1982, then to Cochabamba, Bolivia in 1990, and finally to Tampa, Florida in 1992.Stewart was introduced to music by his maternal grandparents, Milton McNeil Ferguson and Elizabeth Anne Elliott, who lived in Hillsdale, Michigan and brought him to country gospel music concerts at their local religious venue, The Gospel Barn. Stewart later noted the Bill Gaither Trio as the first band he remembered seeing live. His father also listened to blues music and introduced him to Lead Belly; Stewart would later name his solo project Grey Goose, after the folk song made famous by Lead Belly. While living in Hillsdale, Stewart and his siblings attended Lenawee Christian School in Adrian, Michigan.
In 1990, his family relocated to Cochabamba, Bolivia, as part of their missionary work, before returning to the United States and settling in Tampa, Florida in the fall of 1992. Already in his senior year, Stewart attended Gaither High School in Tampa, graduating with the class of 1993. While in high school, Stewart began spelling his first name with a "K" instead of a "C", as "Kaleb".
Skateboarding and first bands (1993–1997)
Stewart and his younger brother Seth began skateboarding during high school and quickly became part of the local Tampa, Florida skateboarding scene after moving there in 1992. In early 1994, Stewart was noticed by a representative of New Deal Skateboards and received a sponsorship. He moved to Los Angeles, California and joined the company's professional skateboarding team, competing in local and international competitions. Stewart traveled to the United Kingdom and Europe in July and August 1994, to compete in international skateboarding competitions, including the 13th edition of the Münster Monster Mastership World Cup 94 in Münster, Germany. By the end of 1994, after suffering a knee injury and being disenchanted with the professional skateboarding society, Stewart returned to Tampa.Back in Florida, Stewart formed his first band, taking up lead vocals in the Morrissey-influenced post-punk band The Sarx. In a retrospective interview, Stewart singled out a Nirvana concert from November 28, 1993, at the Lakeland Civic Center, in Lakeland, Florida, as the best show he attended as a teenager and an influence on his starting to write music. In 1996, Stewart formed a new punk rock band, Southpaw, which included drummer Greg Drudy, bass guitarist Paul Dryer, and guitarist Chris von Spiegelfeld.
Moving to Gainesville and touring with Hot Water Music (1997–1999)
Stewart moved to Gainesville, Florida in 1997 to be closer to his girlfriend, whom he had been dating since high school. During this period, Stewart dedicated much time to his guitar and recording original material on a TASCAM four-track cassette recorder, often collaborating with friends. In June 1997, he joined established punk rock band Sissy as its new bass guitarist, replacing Jason Szrom. The band then also included vocalist Jeff Kissinger, drummer Garry Gillooly, and guitarists Dave Rohm and Brian Wysolmierski.In November 1997, Stewart became Gainesville-based melodic hardcore band Hot Water Music's roadie and road manager, starting with a month-long tour of the East Coast and Midwest United States shared with Elliott and Beta Minus Mechanic. He continued to tour with Hot Water Music and related side-projects for the next several years, whenever As Friends Rust's schedule allowed it. This included a two-week tour shared by The Blacktop Cadence and Jejune up the East Coast and Midwest United States in March 1998, and a nation-wide, two-month tour during which Hot Water Music was billed with Sick of It All, AFI, and Indecision from October 6 to November 21, 1999.
As Friends Rust (1998–2000)
Stewart joined As Friends Rust as its bass guitarist and backing vocalist in March 1998, when lead vocalist Damien Moyal reformed the band with a new line-up in Gainesville, Florida. Coincidentally, Hot Water Music's bass guitarist Jason Black had first been approached for the position in June 1997, and though he showed interest, he never got around to practicing with the band. Stewart had first met Moyal while attending a Shai Hulud concert on February 24, 1996, at Joe Mocha's Coffee House at The Refuge in Saint Petersburg, Florida, immediately becoming a fan of the vocalist's work and purchasing Shai Hulud's demo tape. The two later bumped into each other in 1997 at Leonardo's Pizza By the Slice in Gainesville, at which time Stewart asked Moyal to keep him in mind if he ever needed a guitarist or bass guitarist for his bands. Moyal came to see Stewart perform at a Sissy concert at The University Club in Gainesville in March 1998, and afterwards formally asked him to join the reforming As Friends Rust. Stewart was at that time the only member of As Friends Rust not simultaneously playing in the metallic hardcore band Culture; the other members included drummer Timothy Kirkpatrick, and guitarists Gordon Tarpley and Joseph Simmons.With its new line-up, As Friends Rust recorded the song "Home Is Where the Heart Aches" at Goldentone Studios in Gainesville, Florida in late March 1998 with producer Rob McGregor. Stewart provided backing vocals on the recording and invited his friends from Hot Water Music, Chris Wollard, Chuck Ragan and George Rebelo, to do the same. "Home Is Where the Heart Aches" was combined with material from the band's 1996 demo recording session to make up As Friends Rust's debut extended play, The Fists of Time, released by Belgian record label Good Life Recordings on compact disc and 10-inch vinyl on July 13, 1998. After replacing Tarpley with Peter Bartsocas, the band embarked on a five-week tour of the United States to promote The Fists of Time, spanning from June–July 1998, accompanied by Discount and Dillinger Four. The tour included stops to perform at such festivals as More Than Music in Columbus, Ohio, Tin Can Full of Dreams in Lawrence, Massachusetts and Wilkes-Barre Festival in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
File:As Friends Rust at The Star & Garter 2000 4.jpg|thumb|right|Stewart performing with As Friends Rust at The Star and Garter in Manchester, England on August 24, 2000.
After replacing Bartsocas with James Glayat in October 1998, As Friends Rust returned to Goldentone Studios to record "The First Song on the Tape You Make Her" with McGregor. Stewart, McGregor and Keith Welsh provided backing vocals on the recording. The song, which had been partly written with Bartsocas, appeared on a split CD and 7-inch vinyl with Discount, released by Good Life Recordings in December 1998. As Friends Rust and Discount then embarked on a second tour together, accompanied by Swedish band Purusam, this time travelling around Europe and the United Kingdom from December 1998 to January 1999.
In late 1998, As Friends Rust was signed to a three-record deal by American record label Doghouse Records, and in May 1999 returned to Goldentone Studios to record six songs with McGregor. The new material included the songs "Half Friend Town", "Like Strings ", "Fire on 8th and 3rd", "Coffee Black", "Scapegoat Wets the Whistle" and a cover of Circle Jerks' "Operation", all with backing vocals provided by Stewart. The songs were released on a self-titled compact disc and 8" vinyl by Doghouse Records on September 17, 1999, and on compact disc and double 7-inch vinyl by Good Life Recordings.
As Friends Rust toured the East Coast of the United States during three weeks in June 1999, accompanied by acoustic musician Keith Welsh. The tour included stops to play the Wilkes-Barre Summer Music Festival in Kingston, Pennsylvania and Syracuse Hell Fest in Syracuse, New York. The band quickly followed up with a five-week European and British tour spanning July–August 1999, playing at such festivals as Good Life Midsummer Hardcore Festival in Kuurne, Belgium, Festival Hardcore in Sant Feliu De Guíxols, Spain and Ieper Hardcore Festival in Ypres, Belgium. The European and British tour was originally intended to be shared with Hot Water Music, but due to disagreements over top-billing, the two bands ended up booking separate itineraries; As Friends Rust instead headlined its own tour, playing a handful of cross-over shows with Ensign and Ignite.
On October 5, 1999, Japanese record label Howling Bull Entertainment released the compact disc compilation Eleven Songs, which included a selection of the band's recorded material from 1996 to 1999. This compilation would later be re-issued by British record label Golf Records on October 22, 2001. In December 1999, the band played GainesvilleFest in Gainesville, Florida. During the first half of 2000, As Friends Rust went on mini tours with Fast Times and Good Clean Fun, and also played The Copper Sun Indie Records Winter Festival in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, Detroit Festival in Detroit, Michigan and Krazy Fest 3 in Louisville, Kentucky.
File:As Friends Rust at Plan 9 2000.jpg|thumb|left|As Friends Rust performing at Plan 9 in Limena, Italy on September 16, 2000. One of the few shows when Stewart took up lead vocals while Damien Moyal was sick. From left to right: Stewart, Joseph Simmons, Peter Bartsocas and Timothy Kirkpatrick.
On June 22, 2000, Doghouse Records re-issued The Fists of Time: An Anthology of Short Fiction and Non-Fiction. As Friends Rust immediately embarked on a four-week tour to promote the release, playing shows across the entire United States with Strike Anywhere. The tour included stops to play such festivals as Mixed Messages in Minneapolis, Minnesota, Pheer Festival in College Park, Maryland and Hellfest 2K in Auburn, New York.
In July 2000, Good Life Recordings invited As Friends Rust back to Europe for a week's worth of shows in Belgium and the Netherlands, including a performance at Dour Festival in Dour, Belgium and another at Metropolis Festival in Rotterdam, Netherlands. In mid-August 2000, the band returned to Europe and the United Kingdom for a full five-week tour, which included a handful of cross-over shows with Grade, Ensign and Garrison. This European and British tour also included stops to play the Ieper Hardcore Festival in Ypres, Belgium and TurboPunk Festival, in Poznań, Poland.
Prior to leaving for the European and British tour, Glayat and Kirkpatrick announced their desire to leave the band upon returning home. However, tensions during the tour ultimately caused a much bigger change in membership. Ex-guitarist Bartsocas was visiting Europe at the same time and decided to travel with the band. When Glayat injured his leg during the first week of the tour and flew home early, Bartsocas filled the vacant guitarist position. Several shows later, Moyal lost his voice, leading Stewart to switch from bass guitar to lead vocals, and Bartsocas temporarily filling in as bass guitarist. Moyal and Simmons called ex-Culture bass guitarist Christopher "Floyd" Beckham from Europe, asking him to join As Friends Rust as its new guitarist upon returning home, much to Stewart's dismay, leading the latter to quit the band.