Brett Newski generally doesn’t take himself too seriously. He has a good sense of humor about the indignities of life as a starving artist, which he’s channeled into comedic tour videos and funny songs about the DIY lifestyle. Make no mistake about it, though, he’s passionate about what he does, and he makes that clear in the artist’s statement for his new EP, The Stars Are as Good as a Nightlight, excerpted below:
Recently, I've seen a few of my most talented friends quit music or other creative pursuits.
It gets me pretty bummed how it's often the most genius creative work that we never actually see. It's the songs or stories or paintings that never leave the basement studio because the people who make them receive little to no encouragement from a society that seems to value the arts less and less all the time. People can only go for so long on their own steam.
Every time someone quits what they were born to do, the light gets a little dimmer for everyone.
So here's the deal. Society will push you around. It will make you feel guilty for being unique, or taking risks, or pushing boundaries. Society looks down upon odd-balls, weirdos & people who don't follow what is "normal" or "status quo". This makes me sad because it keeps so many brilliant minds at bay, too scared to put themselves out there.
This has been stirring in my mind quite heavily and I've been venting it into a new EP. It's about taking risks and embracing those who take them. It's about honoring the weirdos that go on their own ride (or are about to) and light their own road. It's for the ones who decide who they are for themselves, and not based on what others tell them.
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Newski opens the statement by recalling his favorite art class as a kid, writing “It was the one safe class where I didn't feel judged. Plus, the teacher let us listen to rad ’90s alternative music while we worked (Pixies, Weezer, Wilco, Death Cab, Nada Surf).” Those fond memories may have shaped the EP’s decidedly amped-up opening tracks “Ride” and “Stars,” two of the catchiest, most driving song he’s ever done. Both recall ’90s alt-rock rock at its hookiest.
You can stream the EP, which closest with a lovely cover of Big Thief’s “Masterpiece,” below.
