Sean Davis Newton seamlessly managed to blend indie, folk, and art-rock sounds with a quirky twist he refers to as “fabloo.” Although Sean started making music in 1995, it wasn’t until 2020 that he began releasing music under his current name. Since then, he’s put out two EPs and is gearing up to release his latest album, *Bird Brain*, on October 18th. His most recent single, “Cigarette,” offers a glimpse of his eclectic musical style, which draws inspiration from childhood favourites like Paul McCartney and current idols like Jon Brion.
Name:
Sean Davis Newton
Genre:
Indie? Folk? Art music? Wonky rock? Fabloo?
Founded:
1995, but I suppose 2020 is when I started putting out music under this name.
# of Albums:
1, two EPs
Latest Album:
Bird Brain
Latest Single:
Cigarette
Latest Video:
Favourite musician growing up:
Paul McCartney or Adam Schlesinger
Favourite musician now:
Jon Brion
Guilty pleasure song:
Pink Thing by XTC (an enormously fun vocal performance, wild performances from everyone in the band, an insane song structure, and lyrics that are…. Pretty gross)
Live show ritual:
I tend to usually miss the second half of the band’s set before me to go stand outside, maybe have a cigarette, and just stand by myself for a minute. I usually like to do the same thing immediately after the show, just to decompress, but that’s not usually as practical.
Favourite local musician:
Bad Buddy or L.N Baba here in Edmonton. Crazy amount of songwriting talent between those two.
EP or LP?
I prefer listening to LPs, but EPs are way more fun to make. You can be off the cuff and play around a little bit in a way that’s harder to do on a project that’s as large in scale as an LP.
Early bird or night owl?
Night owl
Road or studio?
Studio! I got into this because I love writing and I love recording. Road life ain’t for me.
Any shows or albums coming up?
Well, I’m releasing an album called Bird Brain on October 18th, and I’ve put out a couple singles from the album already. I’m playing a release show in Edmonton on October 19th at the Aviary with Samantha Savage Smith coming up from Calgary and Kaiya Kodie from Edmonton supporting.
Where can we follow you?
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Rapid Fire Local Questions:
What is your favourite local restaurant?
The restaurant I go to the most, by far, is the Mona Lisa Pub on 118th Ave. Is the food the best? Nah. Is Michelle, the owner, the nicest woman in the universe? Absolutely. Are the food and drinks cheap? Impossibly so. Do they do karaoke on the weekend with a wireless mic and no real stage, permitting and indeed encouraging patrons to wander aimlessly around the bar while singing “Don’t Stop Me Now”? Yes. It’s the best.
What is your favourite street in your city and why?
118th ave baby! It’s the main arterial street that I’ve lived closest to for the last 5 years (and for the last four years, directly on). It’s got a bad reputation for being kind of rough and tumble, but the arts community in Edmonton has really directly invested here, whether that’s in the art gallery and arts housing co-op, the festivals that happen year-round down the street, or the installations all down the Ave, it’s a vibrant place to live. The community is really understanding and supportive in the face of some of the tougher stuff that happens in the neighbourhood, and some of the best and cheapest restaurants, dive bars, and convenience stores are around here!
What is your favourite park in your city and why?
I think this counts, so I’m going to go for it; I lived in a 120-year-old apartment building owned by the city of Edmonton smack dab in the heart of the river valley. It was super cheap, really creepy (it was originally an orphanage, before it was a ‘women’s hospital’), and most of the units had shared bathrooms, but I could walk through the river valley to get almost anywhere. This was my third summer in Edmonton, and I realized: the river valley here is our Central Park, it’s our Mont-Royal. It’s the defining feature of the city, and it’s incredibly underappreciated.
What is your favourite music venue in your city?
This one is easy, it’s the Aviary. I’ve been going there since it wasn’t even open yet, and the entire staff have all become good friends, to the extent that I also now work there occasionally. I’ve been to a lot of great venues in other cities, but there’s absolutely no one that does it quite like the Aviary.
What is your favourite music store in your city?
I usually go to Stang Guitars! I don’t tend to buy a lot of new gear, but Stang has the best guitar tech in the city by a country mile.
