Stephen Fearing Shares New Single, “Bring This Song” From The Empathist
Based in Victoria, BC, JUNO Award-winning roots troubadour STEPHEN FEARING releases a new single “Bring This Song” from his 13th album The Empathist, coming out in early 2025.
“Bring This Song” is an anthemic, majestic tribute to the healing power of music, and its ability to serve as a spark of inspiration. Riding a bright, strong horn section, and featuring a richly compelling piano solo from Jim Hoke – with Fearing singing as if his life depended on it – “Bring This Song” is an unstoppable wave of positive energy.
“I’m not sure that music can change the world,” says Fearing. “But as a wise person once said, ‘Music can change people, and people can change the world.’ I love songs, and the act of creating them is magical, something that no matter how many times I do it, or talk about it, I’m still in awe of the mystery of creation.”
Review
Stephen Fearing’s “Bring This Song” is a soulful blend of folk and rock, weaving together emotional storytelling and vivid imagery. From the first line, “If I could bring this song tonight I’d light a little fire,” the song offers both comfort and reflection, guiding listeners through life’s challenges with hope.
The track features steady drums by Ken Coomer, with layers of acoustic guitar, piano, and saxophone adding emotional depth. Fearing’s gentle yet powerful vocals carry themes of love, loss, and resilience, creating a sense of solace and warmth.
Part of his upcoming album The Empathist, “Bring This Song” feels like a prayer and a tribute to the journey ahead—reminding us that music and love can light our way, even in dark times. Fans of artists like John Prine and Bruce Springsteen will appreciate Fearing’s poetic lyrics and timeless melodies.
First off care to introduce yourself to our readers?
I am a Canadian-born, Irish-raised songwriter, singer, guitarist and producer. I am also a husband/ father and love my home life when I am not being a road dog. I’m handy with power tools and can cook a decent meal – I once won a scone/biscuit competition in Nfld.
Tell us a bit about your recent release.
The Empathist is the first that I crowd-funded recording. These days, making enough money from music sales to pay for an old-school studio recording, is pretty much a pipe dream, so crowdfunding is the only way to generate a budget. I recorded the album in Nashville at Cartoon Moon Studio with Co-producer / drummer and studio owner – Ken Coomer. Ken was a founding member of Wilco and is that rare creature – a born and raised Nashvillian. We tracked the album in 9 days with a band comprised of myself on guitar and vocals, Ken on drums and percussion, John Dymond (Blackie and The Rodeo Kings ) on bass, and legendary Nashville session musician – Jim Hoke on a bewildering variety of instruments including saxophone, pedal steel, piano and accordion (to name just a few). There are also some wonderful guest musicians and singers.
How do you typically go about the songwriting process? Do you have a specific method or creative routine that you follow?
I like to set time aside and step away from my day-to-day. I love to have the time to really get into a groove and zone out the usual internal critical voices that love to stir up trouble when I step into creative mode. It’s best to turn off the phone and focus on my guitar, my pencil, and my thesaurus and just play. Ideas come out of nowhere and I have learned to be quiet and curious and let them come. I experiment with tunings and love to have a few new toys (instruments, pedals, whatever…) to inspire ideas. I have done this enough times to be confident in my ability to write an album in a few concentrated bursts and that method seems to work better for me than trying to write all the time.
Looking ahead, what are your plans for supporting this new release? Are there any upcoming tours, music videos, or additional content that fans can look forward to in connection with this project?
I plan to tour this album as much as I am physically able (it’s the only way to make a living at music anyway). I will go out solo and with The Sentimentals – a Danish “Americana/ Roots” trio I have become friends with – we will hit the road from Vancouver Island to Wpg in March and after that, there are further plans for summer festivals and fall dates in other regions of the country and overseas in The UK, Ireland, Denmark, Germany, etc.
Looking back on your musical career, is there a particular moment or accomplishment that you consider a turning point or a highlight?
When I signed with True North Records and with (Bernie) Finkelstein Management back in the 90s, I remember a sense of rapid acceleration and growth – I consider myself lucky to have worked with Bernie for 14 years, during which time we built a strong following across the country show-by-show. Nowadays, when live touring is the only way to make a living in music, my audience is vitally important and those fans are the ones who backed me for the crowdfund and generated the budget for this new record..
Last but not least, it’s time to pay it forward, what upcoming band or artist would you recommend your fans check out?
Years ago I played a show in Halifax and a young artist named Terra Spencer opened the show. Terra is a superb writer and a beautiful performer who harkens back (in my mind ) to the golden age of 70’s folk-pop – with a unique, effortless voice… she just goes from strength to strength and her current release Sunset is worth repeated spins. I would also like to shout out to Logan Staats – a self-described Mohawk rocker turned folk and soul musician. I crossed paths with Logan a few years ago and was knocked out by his passion and by that voice – a very bright diamond in the rough.