Album Notes

Blending an indie attitude with genuine mainstream talent, Stephen Sebastian is intent on following his own muse while hoping to satisfy other listeners along the way. A singer/multi-instrumentalist based in Atlanta, Georgia, his songwriting and performing have been influenced by such artists as The Beatles, R.E.M., and Tom Petty. Stephen Sebastian's debut album, Play, is available now from Landstrider Records. A stripped-down, organic-sounding project, Play invites you into Sebastian's Parts Unknown Studios, where the album was recorded, for an up-close-and-personal experience. As Stephen adds, "It has its share of upbeat, electric rock songs of course, but I certainly didn't give this record any fancy production to hide behind. There are no tricks here. The strength is in the songs themselves."

Stephen Sebastian's early musical experiences consisted of playing the cello until he finished high school and listening to his mother sing in her church choir. It was at a very particular point in his life when he was exposed to popular music, first early 1990's hip-hop and R&B, then alternative rock several years later. He immediately began writing original tunes in his head and was quick to teach himself how to play the guitar and piano in order to develop these new ideas. At 18, Stephen enrolled at Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Virginia to study electrical engineering but voluntarily dropped out after completing two years. "I was doing it to please others, not myself," he says. "I reached a point where I felt I could either devote my time to engineering or to the songs I was writing but not to both. In the end, the songs won."

He proceeded to play solo acoustic shows in Blacksburg and eventually formed the band Mustard with drummer Kay Boa-Amponsem and bassist Fernando Johnson. They enjoyed reasonable local success at their live shows and with college radio. Eventually, the members of Mustard decided to go their separate ways, and tired of the local music scene, Stephen moved to Atlanta to resume his solo career. "Staying true to my musical vision is the way I want to go, whether it be performing solo with an acoustic guitar or singing in a four-piece rock band. There's a certain satisfaction I get from interpreting my songs in different formats and, hopefully, exposing them to more people as a result." So far, so good.