Laura Miller
After watching their show at Dipiazza’s in Long Beach, The Steelwells were nice enough to spend some time outside for a little after-show dish sesh. The guys let their pizza grow cold as they discussed the band, the writing process, influences, the future, and even rehashed some old high school shenanigans.
The Steelwells are Joey Winter (vocals/guitar), Robbie Gullage (bass), Billy Kim (keys/vocals), Andrew Eapen (guitar/vocals), and Jon Bradley (drums). They’ve been together for about two and a half years, with the exception of Bradley who stepped into his role only a month ago.
When asked about the writing process, they agreed that front man, Joey Winter, mainly writes the lyrics and melodies. Sometimes another musician in the band will write a piece of music and they’ll start from there. They like to think of their band as “an equal partnership” because everyone has a say in all of the goings-on. It seems to be working pretty well for the guys. Most of them have been in other bands prior to The Steelwells, and unanimously agree that their success is a “part of playing in other bands. You see what works and what doesn’t.” Unlike the others, Winter didn’t even start playing guitar until he was 26 or 27. He didn’t think much about it until someone finally told him to “take it seriously.” Playing in the group has been a real “learning curve” for him.
Another large part of The Steelwells’ success is what brought them all together in the first place: a love for music. Going around the circle of Steelwells, the consensus is that no one has a favorite type of music. Gullage speaks for the band when he says they really like “anything that’s talented” and are “open to everything.” As far as influences and artists on their personal playlists, they mentioned many stylistically different musicians, from Brian Wilson of The Beach Boys to Boston to Elvis Costello to Sigur Ros to Erykah Badu. And The Steelwells love a band like The Flaming Lips because they “think outside the box,” which is what they are striving to do. They discussed how you could distinguish a really well crafted song; it’s when you strip it down to just the bare minimum, having that folk sensibility, and you can still say, “Wow, this song is amazing.” And they all agree how important it is to have an appreciation and respect for all genres of music.
Even though the guys have the same feeling about music, each one brings their own flavor to the group. Fortunately, they complement each other well. The musicians have a great chemistry on stage, there’s no doubt about that, and it’s probably because they get along so well offstage. Listening to them talk was like being at a high school reunion, recalling how they first met and their impressions of each other at the time. In fact, that isn’t far from the truth. Half of the group went to one high school and the other half went to another, save for the lead singer. Of course, first impressions aren’t always good ones: bassist Robbie Gullage used to put trash into the pockets of drummer Jon Bradley in math class. Bradley is the latest addition to The Steelwells, replacing founding member Brian Manchester after he was accepted to Duke University. Needless to say, Gullage and Bradley have put their differences aside and are now making beautiful music together.
Though he wasn’t on stage, Manchester was still there supporting his friends and giving more insight into the band. The most memorable story of the night was when the drummer recalled an experience he had in high school involving an evil kid, a pencil, and an apple. Manchester admits he was deeply concerned about getting lead poisoning from pencils at the time, and this kid would trick him every single time into giving him his apple. He didn’t have to try very hard; all it took was, “Let me see your apple,” and Manchester gave it up. The kid would, without fail, stab the apple with a pencil. This was a learning experience for Manchester, as he now knows two very important things: 1. You can’t get lead poisoning from a pencil (which, in his defense, I’m pretty sure every kid thought at one point) and, 2. NEVER let anyone see your apple, especially if they ask for it. It was jokingly proposed that the next album have a picture of the inevitably pierced apple, with Greg Anderson adding that the album would be, “Dedicated to Brian Manchester.” Anderson is not a permanent member of the band, but can usually be spotted on stage adding percussion to the songs and completing the live experience.
The Steelwells’ last EP, Shallow on the Draft, was released through ArtiSans Label. ArtiSans is, “Dedicated to creating integrity in the music business” (ArtiSansLabel.com, 2010). As Mike Filson of ArtiSans told OCMM recently, the label operates with “the idea of giving the artist much more power and more share of the money” (OCMM, 2010). This is perfect for The Steelwells because it gives them control over their own future as a band. As recent Orange County Music Award winners, their future is a bright one. When asked about winning Best New Artist and Best Song for “El Capitan,” Winter described the feeling as “surreal.” Along with the recognition and press from the OCMA, The Steelwells walked away with a music video and their choice of Fender guitar. They’ve even been approached by MTV about using their songs in a few television shows.
So, what’s next for The Steelwells? Right now, the band is looking forward to a June residency at Detroit Bar in Costa Mesa and Beauty Bar in San Diego. They’re excited about scoring the shows at Beauty Bar because it’ll put them in front of a whole new group of future fans. There’s no doubt they’ll win over San Diego with their impressive song compositions and onstage charisma. Locally, they’ll be at Alex’s bar this Thursday, April 15th and The Gypsy Lounge on April 23rd. Keep a look out for their next EP just around the bend, as well as a new website. Oh, and maybe a dance-mix version of Shallow on the Draft?? Fingers crossed!! Currently, you can keep tabs on The Steelwells by visiting their MySpace page at Http://www.myspace.com/thesteelwells. 
Photos by:Brian Okamoto.
