Matthew Stewart’s protest song earns heavy spins online

Matthew Stewart blends electronics, synths, piano, and rock guitar to create a lush, futuristic sound on albums such as his A World Bathed in Sunlight full-length, a science fiction epic about the destruction of the earth and the discovery of a new world by the few survivors.

His protest song “Alternative Facts” uses the catchphrase coined by presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway as both title and topic of a tune that quickly earned heavy spins online. It appears on his just-released full-length Broken Grace, with a lead single called “Accept the End” that was also the album’s most recently-composed track. It was created over the past month. “There’s a video for it, which I’ll be launching on YouTube in the upcoming week. It ties into current events and the connection to the 50s era Civil Rights movement. Jaret Young, who created the video with pretty minimal direction from me, just a concept and a few small details, has done a knockout job of capturing the essence and metaphor in the song.”

The La Mesa–based musician has long endorsed politically aware songwriting. “I definitely think we’ll be seeing a lot more protest music. I’ve always been a fan of artists whose lyrical content goes beyond the typical pop realm; Pink Floyd’s The Wall, for example, and pretty much any Rush song. But I feel the time for playing safe is over. We’ve got one planet, which we’re systematically destroying at a dizzying pace, and to pretend like it’s not happening is suicidal.”

Stewart says he plans on putting his money — or rather your money — where his mouth is. “Until July 19, I’m giving all my artist proceeds from album sales to the NAACP Legal Defense Fund,” says Stewart. “Donations have already exceeded $500, with a few people paying even more than the asked-for $10. Our country in turmoil over COVID-19, the Trump administration leaning increasingly and overtly fascist, and continuing racial injustice inspired me to use my work as a platform to contribute to a meaningful cause, in a way that feels tangible… I’m really hoping to grow my audience and send the NAACP a big donation.”

But why should people take their political cues from and donate money through musicians?

“I’ve thought about this issue a lot over the years. On the one hand, music can provide comfort to people in hard times, and pull them back from the darker places. This is where I come from, when I’m working in the ambient instrumental space. But it’s also obvious that a lot of the music of the 60s was a rallying cry for positive changes. It’s hard to know whether it just reflected what was going on at the time, or helped drive it forward. I think it did both.”

“As an artist choosing to do this, I’m definitely aware that there could be blowback. But it feels vital and necessary to not just look away. We’re all citizens, of this country and the world, and I don’t think an artist’s role is always to be a dispassionate observer. Sometimes, you have to get in the conversation.”

Many of the songs on the album were begun almost 20 years ago. “It’s been my intention for years to put them out, but the timing was never quite right, the collection was never quite complete. I jokingly called it Grow, after having amassed about 30 songs. These 14 are the ones that I’d consider my best and most relevant works. The album was entirely self-produced, I played all the instruments, mewled all the vocals, so I assume all blame for the mistakes made. Music has always been my therapy, and there are some songs here that represent closure on various chapters of my life. I suspect people will relate, in their own ways.”