Dylan Stewart is a red dirt artist from Ringling, Oklahoma, a town that is close to the Oklahoma and Texas border. Stewart is currently performing shows all over Oklahoma, including his next up and coming show at The Oklahoma Film and Music Event in Oklahoma City on March 25. If you can’t make that show, he has several more coming up from the Norman Music Festival to The Bob Childers Gypsy Cafe Songwriter Festival.
Stewart would listen to his father’s own music growing up. “He had a lot of passion behind his voice and acoustic guitar.” Stewart recalls being captivated by his father playing. Knowing how to play and sing most of his life, he recalls the songwriting part didn’t come until he was 18. Other inspirations like Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Perry, and John Lennon helped shape Stewart into the amazing songwriter he is today.
Dylan Stewart Talks About His Creative Process
“There is no wrong way to approach crafting a song.”
Dylan Stewart
Creating a song can take years to craft. Stewart recalls the process as writing, editing, and then ‘you hit a wall’. Once you chisel that wall away, the sculpting process of the song begins. Song catching is another process, being the primary method Stewart has used throughout his career. “I compare it to catching lightning in a bottle.” He refers to when you are there standing with a bottle in hand, the lightning strikes hard and fast.
Photo by Melissa Payne
Similar to baseball, this process tends to create catchy songs. “I still can’t put proper words to explain it. I just know I’m a pretty good outfielder.” Stewart says that the subconscious hits the idea deep into the left center. As long as he’s there in the right place and time, he can reach out with his glove and catch the ball.
Each song Stewart has written has a personal and specific meaning. Each song is a glimpse into Stewart’s life story and what he has been through. “Like good poetry, I write in a way that is both literal and simultaneously cryptic and metaphorical.” Stewart likes how listeners have a different way to interpret his songs. By writing in this way, Stewart can be an open book and still keep his personal experiences private.
“It leaves that connection between the music and those receiving it wide open.”
Dylan Stewart
Dylan Stewart’s Advice For Others
Photo by Katie Dale
“The first 100 songs don’t count. Keep writing. Tell your truth.”
Dylan Stewart
Stewart wants others to realize that songwriting comes from the heart. No one person has the same experiences as another. He expresses that individuality is important, “Tell your truth and don’t ever try to sound like anyone else.” Stewart claims that each person has the tools to craft something original just by experiencing life.
“Do it. Don’t let fear or discomfort stop you.”
Dylan Stewart
Stewart recalls that sometimes his best songs wouldn’t have happened if he had let fear hold him back. “Nobody that achieved greatness ever did so staying in their comfort zones.” He wants others to do it for the “sake of creating.” Stewart believes that this is the most powerful way to create which could lead to saving somebody’s life who isn’t able to write songs. Stewart says they need a voice to cling to in the darkest hour, “Be that voice. Be that truth.”
Dylan Stewart embodies the essence of red dirt music. From his roots listening to his father’s music to gracing the stages across Oklahoma, Stewart’s journey is a testament to the power of artistic expression. As Stewart continues his musical odyssey, he not only shares his songs but also his unwavering belief in the transformative power of art.
Stay in touch with the red dirt music scene in Oklahoma via Respect My Region.
