Creating Country that rocks
Bo Steele and Ben Rubino are the Band Steele. They’ve been friends since they met in high school in Winston County, Alabama. After a video of Bo singing in a hospital waiting room went viral, they became celebrities appearing on local television and the nationally-syndicated Rick and Bubba radio show. They are now signed to indie label Fire River Records.
Bo and Ben are currently touring to support their new album, MOON IN A MASON JAR. ‘Good Times,’ one of the tracks on the album, is featured in the movie ‘Life on the Line’ starring John Travolta, Kate Bosworth and Sharon Stone. (Bo also secured a role in the movie!)
The Band Steele sat down to talk with me just after Fan Fest 2018. Or rather, Ben could talk, but Bo, who was suffering from strained vocal cords, was under doctor’s order to have complete vocal rest. Ben spoke for both of them while the normally talkative Bo wrote some notes that he could share with Ben and me during the interview.
This is one of a series of interviews that I conducted with rising singer/songwriters during CMA Fest to find out about their new music, their musical influences and their experience at CMA Fest.
Playing on Broadway
Preshias Harris: Tell us what was one of the highlights of CMA Fest 2018 for you? And did you get to see any of your favorite artists?
Ben Rubino: We were too busy to see any of our favorite artists. But my highlight would be that we got to play down on Broadway at The Valentine. Just playing on Broadway, that’s what Nashville’s all about. So that was my highlight for sure.
PH: Was there any moment this year, interacting with fans, that stood out for you?
BR: So hard for me to pinpoint a moment. But the reaction from everybody, it was just amazing. I remember we were playing Alley Taps in Printers Alley and there was this table off to our left. We were jammin’ and they were just loving it! They were complete strangers and they were in that moment where I was at and it was just awesome!
PH: So the stars just lined up?
BR: Yeah, it was just a good feeling!
PH: Was this your first CMA Fest?
BR: It was our first time performingat CMA Fest.
PH: What were your main influences when you were growing up?
The influence of Lynyrd Skynyrd
BR: My dad was into classic rock, so I grew up on Lynyrd Skynyrd and a little bit of blues. My uncle loved Eric Clapton. And there was James Taylor. My mom loved folk music, so that was there too. Mom also listened to Shania Twain, Brian White. So that’s what was playing at home.
Bo Steele: Audio Slave and Chris Cornell was their singer. Pearl Jam, Grateful Dead, Lynyrd Skynyrd. I could go on forever! We both listened to a lot of rock growing up. It’s hard to pinpoint a single influence, because we had so many.
PH: Share with me the making of the video, ‘Victory in Jesus’ because it’s rare to see a Gospel song on a YouTube country outlet. It looks like you got 40,000 views in two months.
BR: The reason we went with that video, when [the original video] went viral we had so many people messaging us about how it was helping them through struggles in their lives. There were so many stories that were so inspirational. We have just released the official video. It’s about a broken man who is struggling with his family and he finds victory in Jesus. Inspiration was what we were going for. Trying to help people get through their struggles.
PH: What are some of your favorite things about making music together?
Getting ‘in the pocket’
BR: Performing on stage together, of course. Apart from that, it would probably be songwriting together. We get ‘into the pocket,’ if you know what I mean. Some days it’s hard, some days you’re just not on. But when we get that day when we’re in that ‘pocket,’ we have so much fun. Sometimes when we’re writing our songs, even when they’re serious songs, we like to joke around with each other.
PH: How long have you been writing together?
BR: Since we were about fourteen or so, I guess.
PH: How did you get from Rock into Country?
BR: When we started out, we were rockin’ and rollin’ playing the local venues, playing rock music. But I think the moment it happened, Bo and I got away from the band we were with and we were kinda beginning to do our own thing. We were posting acoustic videos on YouTube and we were writing. The songs that were coming out, we weren’t really trying to make them country. They were just coming out from our inspirations growing up in the country. They just came out… country! [laughs] So the management that we’re with now, they really put us in the direction that they thought we should be, and we agreed. We’re country, but we like to rock, if you come and see our show.
“It’s hard to pop out”
PH: What is one of the biggest challenges you face as independent artists, trying to get your music out there?
BR: I think Bo and I can both agree that, in this town, there’s just so much talent and there’s so much music on the Internet, it’s hard to pop out. That’s why we like to do things a little different, and our music is a little bit different as well. We just pray that our music gets heard.
For Bo and Ben, it’s the Band Steele fans that motivate them and energize their performances. As they say, that’s what makes it all worthwhile.
Find out more about The Band Steele and sample music from Moon In A Mason Jar at their website. Follow them on Facebook here and check out their YouTube channel here.
Note: I originally posted this story here on the European website for Country Music News International magazine and radio show.
Preshias Harrisis a music journalist and music career development consultant with the emphasis on new and aspiring artists and songwriters. Her book, ‘The College of Songology 101: The Singer/Songwriter’s Need to Know Reference Handbook’ is available at www.collegeofsongology.com Follow her blog at www.nashvillemusicline.com