Downtown Henderson is set to be the backdrop for a music and arts festival, the brainchild of a local man who’s set to take the stage with others as part of the day’s performances on Sunday, June 14.
Bridger Stewardson has just completed the first year of a four-year program at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and this idea to do something for his hometown has been taking shape over the past few months.
The result: the Henderson Music & Arts Festival, and five different groups are scheduled to perform in the space between the police department, McGregor Hall and Perry Memorial Library, Stewardson said on Tuesday’s TownTalk.
He’d been thinking about doing something in Henderson – for his hometown – for the past few years, noting that there’s not much offered locally when it comes to live music.
“Putting this festival together is a perfect of giving back to the community.”
He describes the festival as “small town soul, big stage jam” on his social media page promoting the event and said vendors, artisans and food trucks are going to add to the festival atmosphere.
For those unfamiliar, Bridger Stewardson is the son of Jason and Missy Stewardson and the grandson of Faye Stewardson and the late Bob Stewardson and Dr. Roddy and Beverly Drake. And Berklee College of Music in Boston, well, it’s the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world, known for the study of jazz and modern American music.
Stewardson, who plays piano, is majoring in jazz composition.
“I first started playing when I was eight,” Stewardson said. He took lessons with Henderson’s own Mark Hopper for a couple of years, then took some time to do his “own thing” before working with Oxford’s Cindy Clark. “She really honed my skills,” Stewardson said. “She let me play what I wanted to play and have fun.”
For Stewardson, having “fun” at the piano often includes improvisation, something jazz musicians are known for. He said when he plays, it’s 70 percent off the page and 30 percent on the page.” His music, he said, comes from the soul.
His group, Stewardson and Friends, opens up the friendship circle to include four other groups that will perform at the festival, which is free to the public.
Local favorites Jimmy and the Sound Barriers will kick off the concert, followed by
Soul Livin’ jazz quartet from Durham, Noah Gibney trio from Boston, the Westbrooks, another local group. Stewardson and Friends will round out the concert with a 90-minute set, he said. He’ll be at piano, accompanied by drums, bass, keyboards and vocalist.
He credits jam sessions in David Westbrook’s garage with helping him – as a young musician – feel comfortable creating music with a group of like-minded folks who have fun and enjoy playing music together.
He said musical improvisation comes pretty natural to him, and he gives a nod to his dad for sharing with him the love of artists like the Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan when he was growing up.
Recognizing that everyone’s musical tastes are different, this music festival is going to have something for everyone, Stewardson said, from bluegrass and jazz to Southern rock, R & B to funk.
“Not everybody’s into the same thing,” he said, adding that things would probably be pretty boring if they were.
“I feel like it takes a lot to make me uncomfortable musically,” he said.
“If somebody’s happy playing it, I’m happy watching and listening.”
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