Jamie Stewart, co-founder of the eerie indie rock group, Xiu Xiu, is no stranger to hardship. But thanks to the beauty of music, Stewart has long had a space where he can turn those difficulties into something new and, perhaps, especially beneficial. In that way, he can be constructive. Not the opposite.
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Recently, Stewart says, about a half-dozen people he was “very close” with personally and professionally betrayed him, lied to him severely or just “fucked” him over at various recent times. For the sometimes cynical, oft-agoraphobic Stewart, that could have been the last straw. He could have pulled the proverbial blankets over his head and shut out the rest of the world. But, to his surprise, something else happened. Friends and fellow musicians began to reach out to him and ask about his state and offer their help. It was healing. And to thank them for their care, Stewart wrote and recorded his band’s new record, OH NO (out March 26), with the idea of the duet at its figurative center.
“I’m not a particular social person,” Stewart says. “In fact, I teeter on the edge of coo-coo-bananas on a good day. So all that led me to a nervous breakdown. But right after that happened, a lot of people I didn’t expect to hear from reached out to see how I was doing. It reminded me when I was at the bottom of my pit of hating people more than usual that there are many more people in the world who are generous and thoughtful and kind and not rotten. That’s something I really needed.”
Xiu Xiu’s new 15-track record features a guest appearance on every song, from the opening one, “Sad Mezcalita,” with Sharon Van Etten, to the final, “ANTS,” with Valerie Diaz. The duets symbolize Stewart’s appreciation for connection as he worked to get back on his feet again after feeling rather alone. To complete the songs, Stewart sent the music and a few lyrical guidelines, which the corresponding artist could use or ignore. Each time he got one back, he was thrilled.
“Trusting them to do something that would be meaningful was easy to do,” Stewart says. “With each song, I was surprised by what everybody did, but I was not surprised that everyone did it—they’re all so good.”
Stewart, whose father (Mike) and uncle (John) were prominent musicians and songwriters in the 1960s, grew up in the business. In fact, he remembers his mother trying to dissuade him from pursuing a life in music because it was both supremely difficult and unpredictable. He remembers his dad coming home from sessions and slapping his guitar case on the table. Later, his father would come in and say goodnight to young Stewart and pat is back in a regular rhythm.
“I’ve always equated that physical sensation with music for some reason,” Stewart says. “Because of its steady time.”
His father bought him a 1950s novelty rock album with songs like “Monster Mash” that Stewart enjoyed. Later, Stewart bought his first album, Prince’s Purple Rain. But the arch to Stewart becoming a professional musician was still a long one. After high school, he went to college and studied social work. It was only then that a professor there gave him the encouragement to dive more fully into his passion for music. Stewart worked a part-time job as a social worker and he spent the rest of his time playing in bands. At around 25 years old, Stewart’s father, just before he died, gave him some advice.
“He said,” Stewart says, “don’t worry about promotion. Just make the best possible record you can make. If it’s good, people will come to it.”
Eventually, Stewart formed Xiu Xiu with friend and musician, Cory McCulloch. The two threw themselves into the band’s first album and, Stewart says, with some added luck, the record found itself in the hands of executives at the label, Kill Rock Stars. Suddenly, Stewart had his breakthrough. Over the years since, Xiu Xiu has persisted despite the many members and collaborators who have come and gone. Today, the group is made up primarily of Stewart and longtime co-collaborator (and best friend), Angela Seo, who spends her days as a healthcare worker.
“I guess I’m kind of the micro-vision of the band,” Stewart says. “And she is the macro-vision. I’ll work on something all day for a long time and make way too many choices and look at way too many details and when that’s done, she will come in and take those parts and turn them into something that makes sense.”
Together, the duo writes music that sounds like part-nature documentary, part-heart attack, part-symphonic masterpiece and part-John Cage inspiration. It’s an amalgam that has distinguished the group amongst music lovers and their fans. Stewart, who says his fans are some of the best on the planet, appreciates their keen ear for his work. In a way, he makes everything for them. Music is the product of constructive behavior as a way to stave off the destructive times. In a way, no one knows this better than Stewart. Yet, he says, he remains grateful for the chance to continue to make more for those who simply care to listen.
“It keeps me from losing my mind,” Stewart says. “It’s a way to re-contextualize the negative experiences of my life or human history or the news or a chemical imbalance and put them into something that will hopefully be constructive. And just as a fan, myself, music is so eternal and so enveloping that it will never be uninteresting to me.”
Photo by Julia Brokaw
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