Brad Stewart is current bassist for Fuel, a band who has defied the odds of the demise of 90’s alternative rock to launch several successful nationwide tours and hit #1 on the Billboard hard rock charts with “Puppet Strings”. I’ve been fortunate enough to catch Fuel’s live shows twice this year, and the band does not disappoint. Scallions’ vocal performance hasn’t suffered the fate of his 90’s alternative contemporaries, and he effortlessly rocks hits, both old and new. Andy Anderson’s stoic yet face fucking guitar playing is a great balance to Brad’s energetic bass slapping, which frequently involve leaps across stage. Shannon Boone, drummer for the band has a history with Stewart, having played with him in Puddle of Mudd. Boone brings a southern rock edge to the performances, flipping his sticks, smoking butts, and drinking beer as effortlessly as he plays.
These boys take rock seriously and it’s evident in their continued success both in studio and on stage, but they can enjoy themselves post show too which is a perk, if not a requirement, for a touring rock band. I’ve worked with a lot of bands, but the ability of this one to balance a professional and successful tour, record, enjoy the rock lifestyle and be family men is something I haven’t encountered before. As I found myself watching Scallions and Stewart entertain my own preschooler and rocker baby with stories of their own sons of the same age in the ways only daddies can and I was curious to know the secrets to their ability to balance lives that seem I stark contrast to eachother and the ins and outs of each. Stewart enlightened me in an exclusive interview.
Jill – Who amongst you has the best tour hygiene?
Brad – Hmm…I’d have to say that would be me out of our camp although Brett is pretty hygiene conscious too…I try to take a shower and clean up everyday while I’m on the road. It is just better for everyone if people stay clean and healthy out here otherwise you get sick, and once one person gets sick, it gets passed around the bus for the whole tour. This can make for a miserable experience trying to perform night after night. And once you get sick on the road, it usually takes longer to get over it.
What to do if there’s no shower?…Some venues don’t have showers in them or backstage bathrooms at all, when this is the case we’ll get a shower room at a nearby hotel (if rooms aren’t included in the show) but sometimes that doesn’t happen either. Most days I’ll try and find a gym to work out in and shower. It’s good for my headspace to get off the bus and away from everyone for a couple of hours and return with a fresh perspective.
Jill – Worst part of tour?
Brad – For me the worst part of touring these days is that I miss my wife and kids at home. It gets harder and harder to leave them every tour and I hate the fact that I’m missing key moments in their lives. It is true that they grow up too fast and time seems to fly by you in a blink of an eye. Luckily there’s FaceTime and Skype these days which make it a little bit easier. I can at least see them and talk to them about their day and what they’ve been doing. It still isn’t like being there with them but it’s the best alternative we have out here. They also send me texts and tell me that they miss me, it makes me feel good to know that they’re thinking of me and want me to come home.
Jill – Worst tour food?
Brad – Eating healthy food while on the road can prove to be a challenge. Sometimes all you have to choose from is McDonald’s, Wendy’s, Burger King, Taco Bell, all the usual suspects…or you get your performance rider and it’s the same deli meat tray with the same cold cuts and cheeses, a veggie tray and chips and salsa then pizza for after show food. Last tour we amended our rider and changed things
up a bit so we wouldn’t get burned out on the same things show after show. I like to get on Yelp and try to find something local and unique.
There was one show that was added late on the last run, a smaller venue in Butte, MT. The owner’s went all out and had a super high end steak house cater our dinner that night and we were blown away. The meat was so tender you could cut it with a fork, it was dry aged and completely amazing. They had this incredible chef prepared chicken dish too and top notch sides and homemade rolls. It is highly appreciated when you don’t have to leave the venue and you have a meal like that, Five star dining onsite, hell yes.
Jill – Worst airport experience?
Brad – I’ve had so many but let me try to choose one… The airport situation on the last run was interesting…We have band and crew all flying home and a lot of us live in different cities. So the bus dropped us all off at the Spokane, WA airport at 4:30am so a couple of the guys could catch their 6am flights, the catch was, my flight wasn’t until 10am…so I began my day of travel spending 4 and a half hours at the airport before setting foot on my first plane only to arrive in Las Vegas for another 3 and a half hour layover to fly back home to Jacksonville, FL, another 4 hour flight. I’m not complaining but it ended up being a crazy long day but was totally worth it to get home.
Jill – Best venue?
Brad – I’d say the best non-corporate venue that I’ve played since joining FUEL would have to be the Paramount on Long Island in New York. They just have their shit together. It’s comforting to arrive at a venue and know that you’ll be taken care of no questions asked. They have a proper load in dock, proper dressing rooms and showers, a large stage, killer lights and sound, security and a professional staff that is stoked to have you there. It is also in a cool neighborhood with Yelp worthy restaurants and good bars within walking distance. They have a bar downstairs that is like an old Speakeasy that we hang in after the show, they even give us a huge bar tab and hang with us until bus call. Playing there almost feels like a casino gig because you get the feeling that they’re not living show to show to make their rent and trying to skimp you out of your accommodations.
Jill – Favorite song on new album?
Brad – That’s a tough one because each song on the new record is dear to me for one reason or another…But if I had to choose one, I’d have to say the most moving and deepest song to me is “Wander.” From start to finish it just builds and builds both musically and emotionally until it finally ends and leaves you short of breath. The subject matter of the lyrics gets me too. It’s about a parent giving advice to his kids on life and how to handle yourself in this world. It chokes me up writing this because I have kids and can totally relate. We wrote the music to the song at my house while we were on tour, we parked the bus out in front of my house and had a day off there. Brett, Andy and I wrote it in my living room and upstairs in my project studio…I guess it hits “home” for that reason too, pun intended.
Jill – If FUEL was going to do a cover song, which song would you cover?
Brad – We’ve covered songs in the past but mainly at acoustic performances. We’re playing a show at the Whisky a Go Go on this next run and Robby Krieger, the Doors guitarist, will be joining us onstage for LA Woman and for the FUEL song “Puppet Strings” from the new record. He actually played the solo on the record for that song and jumped onstage to play it with us at SXSW this year.
I was just at home learning how to play “LA Woman” and thinking back to my high school days when I read the Doors book “No One Here Gets Out Alive.” The book chronicled the band’s experiences and them getting their start at the Whisky a Go Go on the Sunset Strip. It is surreal to me now to be sharing the stage with such a legendary musician on the same stage where he started out.
Jill – Tour essentials?
Brad – We’ve been carrying a Weber grill around with us for the last Summer tours along with some tents that Monster Energy gave to us. It is good to be able to set up camp outside the bus and grill some food and hang out. It gives you a taste of home. Also, our friend that is a machinist up in Michigan gave us each a really cool gift last year. It is a custom ice ball maker for your whiskey. The ice doesn’t melt as fast and ruin your drink. He only made 15 of them and they’re all numbered. Tour essential, oh yeah!
Jill – What’s playing in the band bus?
Brad – In our band we tend to get on a new kick each tour as far as music goes. The last couple of runs though, we’ve been playing a lot of Country and Outlaw Country. Hank Williams, Jr., David Allan Coe, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, and Johnny Cash. Also some southern rock like Blackberry Smoke, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and the Black Crowes. Our drummer Shannon Boone had “Amos Moses” by Jerry Reed on repeat night after night in the front lounge, we just couldn’t get enough of that one.
Jill – What new elements can we expect from the new album? Any surprises?
Brad – There’s definitely a lot more blues and southern sounds on this record compared to other FUEL records. There’s dobro and mandolin on “Hey Mama” and “Soul to Preach to” for instance. We just didn’t want to try to write “Shimmer” over and over again and it felt good to branch out and try new things stylistically while still staying true to the band’s legacy and sound.
The album is however, a pretty good mix of influences and vibes from song to song with a balance of heavy and light. There’s definitely songs on there that are classic FUEL sounds like “Cold Summer” and “I can see the sun.”
Brad Stewart is the bassist for Fuel, but has also played in Puddle of Mudd and Shinedown. He resides in Jacksonville Florida with his wife and young boys, where he also co-owns Ballistic Audio. Ballistic can be contacted at http://ballisticaudioproductions.com/. Fuel’s tour dates can be found at fuelrocks.com
