Forming at Auburn University, The Stews ultimately decided to leave school to meet the massive demand for their live shows and raw, high-energy rock music. The now-Atlanta-based band since have graduated from the ‘college band’ label, selling out venues nationwide from NYC’s Bowery Ballroom, to DC’s 9:30 Club and Wilmington’s Greenfield Lake Amphitheater, and bringing their electrifying stage presence to festival stages like Bonnaroo, Hangout, Lollapalooza, Shaky Knees and more in only a couple of years.
Comprised of Preston Hall (Lead Vocals/Guitar), Blake Dobbs (Guitar), Bennett Baugus (Bass), and Wyatt Griffith (Drums), The Stews burst onto the southeastern rock scene in 2021 with their self titled EP, all while recording and releasing music in a frenzy. From that EP, single “Make It Out” continues to make waves, eclipsing over 6 million streams on Spotify, earning radio play nationwide, and being placed in Netflix’s hit show ‘Outer Banks.’
The southern four-piece’s debut album ‘What Was’ came out in April 2022, and 2024’s follow up record ‘Chicken Fight’ has already taken them to new heights. A daring body of work that can’t be confined to one genre, ‘Chicken Fight’ delivers as a single sit-through record, with its 11 songs touching on sonic palettes of The Allman Brothers, Audioslave, Pink Floyd, and Kings of Leon, amongst others, yet still uniquely The Stews.
Since then, The Stews have been hard at work back in the kitchen, continuing to cook up new recipes for high fidelity head-banging and heart-capturing music. Their first release from this new batch of songs is “Used To” (releasing October 2nd, 2026 via No Coincidence Records), an upbeat rock anthem about moving on and letting go. Produced alongside Will Turpin (Collective Soul) at Real To Reel Studios in Atlanta, GA, “Used To” builds from a sparse, driving intro, and erupts into a soaring earworm chorus alongside whole band vocals, showcasing the band’s knack for infectious hooks and high-energy rock.
