The Band Steele Interview by Preshias
Harris for Country Music News International Magazine & Radio Show
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.
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 performing at CMA Fest.
PH:
What were your main influences when you were growing up?
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?
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 the 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.
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 https://thebandsteele.com Follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/TheBandSteele/
and check out their YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCrBV1HrJSHg0pygpSxr6j-Q
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