First impressions don’t get much better than Jonathan Stewart’s first dance with the Queen City and Carolina Panthers fans last fall. As a rookie, the first-round draft pick made quick work of NFL defenses, teaming with good buddy DeAngelo Williams to form the league’s fiercest rushing attack.

Turns out the dude can make beats, too. Stewart the musician spent his first offseason putting the finishing touches on a new production company, Heart Grab Productions, which he launched with biz partner Titus Jackson in the spring.

The Vibes Blog recently caught up with Stewart, now sweating through two-a-days at camp in Spartanburg, to talk a little music.

PS: NFL star-turned-hip-hop producer appears to be the road less traveled. Talk about the decision to launch Heart Grab Productions.

JS: The decision was simply to bring awareness to the idea of letting people hear my music. I enjoy making and playing music.

You started on the keys. How long have you been making music?

I’ve been playing the piano by ear since grade school, and I’ve been making music for about two years.

At what point did you realize that this could become something serious?

The point it became semi-serious was when I played my music for friends and family, and they were asking me, “What producer made this? This sounds hot.” So automatically I was intrigued by their reaction.

Is there a fear associated with putting your stuff out there for the first time?

Of course there is. The fact that it’s something from within me, my expressions being displayed through music. That people can enjoy and connect with my music is definitely a hope that I have.

What’s been the response thus far?

The responses so far have all been good. I’ve talked to some actual producers and they’ve said some great things.

The meaning behind the name Heart Grab?

The meaning behind the name [relates to] the wonders that music can do for a person. It’s grabbing the hearts of the listener as the music travels through them.

You seem pretty open when it comes to working with different kinds of musicians. What are you looking for in collaboration?

I look for an overall positive message. Something different, but still catchy and attractive. Something that gets the attention of young listeners and older listeners – something they both can relate to.

Hypothetical. You have the chance to collaborate with any five artists on a Jonathan Stewart-produced album. Name them.

Kanye West, Anthony Hamilton, Tyrese, Keri Hilson and Jay-Z.

Which of your Panther teammates has the best mic skills? I’m guessing DeAngelo doesn’t sing like D’Angelo.

The best mic skills on the team would have to be Dante Wesley.

Is this a year round project or will HGP go into sleep mode during the 2009 NFL season?

I play music in my free time year round. It’s something that keeps me stable. Instead of sitting down and watching TV, I’ll sit down and play music.

At age 22, you could be doing this for a long time. What does the future hold for HGP?

Hopefully big things.

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Ovens Auditorium and Bojangles Coliseum have gotten new, updated Web sites and they are both a breath of fresh air over the old ones. Check them out when you have a chance.

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From the Web site textsfromlastnight.com:

(704): i wore my purity necklace wen we fucked. but its ok cuz simplified was blasting in the background
(1-704): hahahaha. im glad listening to simplified justifies breaking ur promise to god

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Annuals w/ Jessica Lea Mayfield, What Laura Says
Visulite Theatre
Feb. 6, 2009

The Deal: Triangle-area band Annuals visits Charlotte for the second time; brings along

The Good: Arizona’s What Laura Says was already on stage when I walked into the Visulite last Friday. They reminded me a bit of Kings of Leon mixed with some early Floyd. It didn’t matter that the crowd was still small at that point, because the guys were giving it everything they had. While I wasn’t quite impressed at first, they did start to grow on me after a song or two. I also thought it was interesting that they had one band member handling “percussion” in the form of an array of bottles being hit with sticks.

Jessica Lea Mayfield was next up and I could instantly hear why The Black Keys brought her along on their last tour. Having a drummer and guitarist with her helped electrify and give her more of a raw edge instead of something so folksy.

Annuals came out with an in-the-dark drum intro as the drum heads lit up each time they were struck. The band had a somewhat static sound, though they did change it up from time to time. (See The Bad for more info on that.) The band had a solid following up front that was singing along to every word and feeding off of every energetic note. Dual drummers pounded away as singer Adam Baker drew them in with his vocals.

The Bad: There were moments when Mayfield’s guitarist was overbearing and you couldn’t hear a word that was sung. As for Annuals, I kept felt myself thinking, “Didn’t I just hear this song?” A lot of the band’s tunes were sounding similar to me as singer Adam Baker continued to scream out each chorus in the same tone.

The Verdict: All three acts have the potential to go on to bigger and better things.

Annuals Setlist
Drum Intro
Hot Night Hounds
Always Do
Confessor
Down the Mountain
Sway
Hardwood Floor
Fair
Complete or Completing
Chase You Off
Springtime
Around Your Neck
Sore
Brother
Wake

Encore
Carry Around
Hair Don’t Grow

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Keller Williams
Neighborhood Theatre
Jan. 22, 2009

The Deal: Keller Williams brings his one-man-band looping extravaganza to a crowd of more than 700.

The Good: Williams hit the stage singing a song about porta-johns that definitely fit the theme of the evening — see “The Bad” below. His setlist had a handful of covers thrown in, starting with “For the Love of Money” that rolled right into “Superstition.” It’s quite hypnotizing to watch Williams work on stage. Standing barefoot with a backdrop that resembled a music store, Williams was constantly switching out guitars or picking up a bass or other noisemaker to layer sound upon sound in what’s generally known as looping. The technique offers him the opportunity to create the sound of an entire band. He’s an amazingly talented Jack-of-all-trades who can play just about any intsrument you put in front of him. He performed a cover of The Grateful Dead’s “Terrapin Station” while sitting at a keyboard. He sang Sublime’s “What I Got” while backed only by a loop of drum sounds. He strummed his ass off bluegrass-style during a cover of Nirvana’s “All Apologies” and only used a bass for Steely Dan’s “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number.” A definite highlight of his own material was “Above the Thunder.” His encore was a mostly instrumental version of Talking Heads’ “Burning Down the House.” All in all, it was an energetic, entertaining three hours of music.

The Bad: The only bad quality of the night was the fact a sewer line broke and the venue’s bathrooms were out of commission. The good part is they did the best they could and had an array of porta-johns just outside.

The Verdict: Having seen him with his band the WMD’s and as a solo act, I think they’re both equally good, but his solo act is more entertaining to watch.

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Charlotte Music Awards
Booth Playhouse
Nov. 20, 2008

The Deal: Second Annual Charlotte Music Awards honors variety of acts from around the Carolinas.

The Good: The opening production of the night was a great showcase of the variety of talent and styles that are present in the region — rock, gospel, hip-hop, Celtic and more. Chuck Boozer did a fine job with hosting the event and kept things going when they hit any speedbumps.

All of the bands did a great job with their performances throughout the night — some of them having a tough time cutting their song down to the three-minute allotment. While some bands told me they only had three minutes, and stuck to it, others went over. It happens.

The show moved quickly and was finished in three hours. Country music artist Jimmy Wayne was present to accept the award for Country Artist of the Year and made a few comments backstage after accepting. Wayne, who grew up in Kings Mountain, said he usually gets back to the area around the holidays. He recently presented an award at the 2008 Country Music Awards and also had a number-one single on the country music charts this year. “I didn’t even know these awards existed, but this thing (the award) will make a good belt buckle,” Wayne said. “It’s amazing to win because there’s a lot of competition and really talented people around here. To be recognized on any level is an accomplishment.” Wayne says he would have never achieved the success he has today if he hadn’t left the area to move to Nashville — “You have to go to where people are watching.” He also agreed that Awards shows such as last night’s and the recent announcement of two new venues will help bring more eyes to the area.

It was great to see the Lifetime Achievement Award and Reliable Music Award winners present to accept their well-deserved awards — The Spongetones, Maurice Williams, Double Door Inn, Nantucket and Sis Kaplan.

The Bad: You can’t help but wonder about hints of nepotism when you watch these awards, as well. As recently as the September 2008, Awards co-founder Jeff Cheen was also the co-publisher of Amps 11, the winner of the Best Music Publication. Awards publicist and stage manager Tina Gibson received the award for Best Music Festival. The Joe Davis Band, winner of Best Male Vocalist, performed at the Morris Jenkins 50th Anniversary Party — Morris Jenkins is the lead sponsor of the awards (not to take anything away from Joe’s vocals.) The Blumenthal Arts Center is a class-A facility that is the host of a variety of fantastic shows, but one person asked me — “Did they win because that’s where it was held? They have, like, one concert a month.” You just have to wonder how it’s done… The official explanation is this: “The Charlotte Music Awards has a Board of Advisors who are asked to nominate three artists in each category. Once all the nominations are turned in they are tallied and the winners are the artists who receive the most nominations.”

Nothing against Robin Rogers — she released a fine album this year that’s been submitted for a few possible Grammy nominations, but I was a bit surprised that it won Best Album cover. It’s simply a photo of her.

The Avetts were recognized for Best Americana, but I was surprised that no love was given to Benji Hughes who has been gaining national recognition via tours and magazine spots in Rolling Stone, Blender and Spin. But, everyone has an opinion…

Humorous overkill that Morris-Jenkins logo was lit up on the curtain and the podium that had a sign reading “Morris-Jenkins Charlotte Music Awards Sponsored by Morris-Jenkins.”

OK, let’s face it — these awards are about the music, the musicians and the people who help support the local scene. So, any bad comments are not directed at the bands or any of the supporters, as they say, it’s the thought that counts and there’s a lot of potential for this to grow into a fantastic event. Also, glitches happen, so you can’t fault anyone for mixups in the order that don’t follow the scheduled program.

The Verdict: A better presentation than last year, but there’s still some work to be done to lend more legitimacy throughout the local music community. Have an award for “Fans’ Choice,” get people from the music community — writers, musicians, club owners, record store personnel, etc. — to do the voting for nominees and winners and with SO MANY bands in the Charlotte area, less repetition from category-to-category and year-to-year would show more support for the music scene as a whole. A lot of influential people in the local music scene were either unaware of this year’s Awards or just apathetic when I talked to them about it. With more support from within the music community, the awards can grow in the coming years and become an event the entire scene will look forward to.

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2008 Charlotte Music Awards Winners:
Best Rock Artist — Luna’s Lament
Women in Rock Award — Kim Niption, Luna’s Lament
Best Latin Artist — Tropic Culture
Club Owner of the Year — Neal Harper, Milestone
Best Hip Hop Artist — King Carter
Best Gospel Artist — Greater St. James Young Adult Choir
Best Small Venue — The Double Door Inn
Best Large Venue — Blumenthal Performing Arts Center
Best Showcase Americana Artist — South 85
Best Americana Artist — The Avett Brothers
Best R&B Artist — Jocelyn Ellis
Best Promoter Award — Larry Farber
Best Radio DJ — Rick Ballew
The First Charlotte Junior Music Award — Coach Q
Best Showcase Blues Award — Contagious Blues Band
Best Blues Artist — Robin Rogers
Reliable Music Award — The Spongetones
Best CD Cover — Robin Rogers
Best Music Publication — Amps 11
Best Music Festival — Tina Gibson “The Summer Concert Series at University Place”
Club Booker of the Year — Micah Davidson, Double Door Inn
Best Country Showcase Artist — Smokey Joe Show
Country Artist of the Year — Jimmy Wayne
Most Promising Artist — Angwish
Best Songwriter — Kathy Osborne, South 85
Best Singer-Songwriter — Jared Allan
Best Southern Rock Artist — Swampdawamp
Best Female Vocalist — Erika Blatnik
Best Male Vocalist — Joe Davis

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?uestlove of the mighty Roots crew and singer Nikki Jean (aka my soon-to-be baby mama) voted and say you should, too.

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I’m not afraid to say it: I love me some Steely Dan. Sure, most of their music is relegated to smooth jazz or soft rock stations these days, but that doesn’t diminish the artistic merit of this rock duo that started in the 1970s and still plays today. I found a live clip of them performing on YouTube, although it should be noted that they never toured much back in their heyday. Anyway, check out this clip of the band playing “Black Cow”:

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Check this out — the first in a series of weekly nods to great old music. Today, we featuring this B-side cut from the dope funk band Cameo. I used to love Cameo back in the day. These days, folks just play Cameo hit songs like “Word Up” or “Candy” (usually at wedding receptions and oldie clubs), but most people sleep on tracks like this one, titled “We’re Going Out Tonight.” Yeah their costumes are crazy in this clip, but the music is tight. Anyway, check it out:

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Soul vocalist Anthony David performed last night at The Evening Muse and we (thanks to music intern Mike McCray) got it on video. Check it out by visiting our video site: www.qccltv.com.

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