Abby Stewart sparkles in her Joshua Bates Centre debut!

Athens, Ontario. A small, one-stoplight, town about 1 hour north east of Kingston and about 90 mins south west of Ottawa. Doesn’t sound like much but what many don’t know is that at the corner, by that stoplight, sits the Joshua Bates Centre, affectionately known as the JBC by locals. Over the years the JBC has developed a bit of a reputation as a venue that has played host to some of the biggest names in country music before they were stars; among them Johnny Reid, George Canyon, Gord Bamford, Brett Kissel and now Abby Stewart.

There’s something magical about the JBC, the sound and the intimacy is unequaled by any other venue I’ve had the luxury of attending. My relationship with Brett Kissel started at the JBC, I helped Gord Bamford with his load in and sound setup at the JBC. I laughed at the stories told by singer/songwriters like Dave Carroll (United Breaks Guitars) and Dave Gunning at the JBC. And on Saturday night I watched an young performer, that I have sensed something special in years ago, spread her wings and take flight.

Abby Stewart had the stage and one job. To control that stage and let her spirit and music do the rest, and that’s exactly what she did. Like most chicks when they leave the nest it takes a few minutes to get into their stride. Abby was no different, you could tell she was feeling out the crowd. But once she had that crowd warmed up, wow. It was like there were fireworks going off on that stage as Abby nailed track after track.

There were far too many highlights to name them all but there were a few that really stood out for me. Firstly I’ve got to say Abby is backed by an incredible band, the more they play together the better they gel together. That said some of my favourite moments with Abby are when it’s just her and her guitar. Her cover of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” gives me goosebumps every time. She followed that up with an incredible cover Tanya Tucker’s “Delta Dawn”, this showcased how powerful her voice has become since we first met Abby about 5 years ago.

When you hear about the list of accomplishments that Abby has had over the past five years and the artists she’s shared the stage with it’s hard to imagine that her debut EP is called Firsts. Hunter Hayes called Abby “a phenomenal talent” and Dallas Smith said “Her talent and natural instincts are something she was born with.” Since 2013 Abby has performed with artists like Hunter Hayes, Dean Brody, Tim Hicks, Dan + Shay, Tebey, Brett Kissel, Aaron Pritchett and Rascal Flatts to name a few. Abby was born to be on the stage and I’ve never been more certain of that than after her performance on Saturday night.

If you think you’ll be able to keep up with this 17 year old think again because she’ll simply say “I’m Still Faster”. For those keeping track Brett Kissel made his debut at the JBC about 10 years ago…he would’ve been close to Abby’s age. Look where he is now.

One thing is certain, and I’ll say it again and again, Abby Stewart is a name you’ll be hearing more and more of in the next few years. Why not start listening today so you too can say, “I was a fan of hers back when…” You can check her out at www.abbystewartmusic.com

If you’re ever looking to take in a show unlike any other you’ve ever experienced take a look at www.joshuabatescentre.com and take the trip to Athens for one of their upcoming shows, who knows you might witness the birth of a star.

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