MARCH 27, 2018/

When I decided to go to The Band Steele show at MadLife Stage & Studios in Woodstock, Georgia, I didn’t know what to expect.  I spoke with their manager, before the show, and she told me how she had been in the music business for years but had stepped away from it for a while.  She shared a conversation she had with a close friend where she said that the only way she would go back into the music business would be if she found an artist she would “bleed for.”  She found exactly that in Bo Steele and Ben Rubino of The Band Steele.  I thought this was extremely high praise from someone that had worked with so many celebrities in the past and I hoped her endorsement was merited.  And boy, was it ever!  I had no idea what to expect but sometimes I have found by taking a chance and getting out to see a live performance of someone you might not normally see proves to be a great decision.  Blown away by the performance given that night, I couldn’t wait to get home to write up my experiences.

The duo that is The Band of Steele, Bo Steele and Ben Rubino, have been friends since attending high school together in Winston County, Alabama. The two young and talented singer-songwriters began performing together at the age of 14. Fast forward to 2018 and the two became internet sensations when one of their videos of Bo singing in a hospital waiting room went viral.

Shortly after, they signed a record deal with a New York based label and have performed around the USA and Canada, made appearances at NASCAR events, and have had an original song featured in “Life on the Line”, a major motion picture starring John Travolta, Sharon Stone, and Kate Bosworth. The duo has also released two recording projects, two singles to country radio and have filmed three music videos. And if that were not enough….the guys were even asked to autograph a bun for Tony Packo’s Celebrity Buns!This duo has opened for top name acts such as Hunter Hayes, Lit (with Jamey Johnson), Mick Fleetwood, A Thousand Horses, Diamond Rio, John Hiatt, Steve Vai, Robby Krieger from the Doors, and John Michael Montgomery to name a few. They have performed on stages across the US and collected thousands of followers on Facebook, Spotify, Instagram and YouTube.

Bo and Ben are a “no-nonsense” country outfit that doesn’t believe in music genre barriers. They write and sing songs about summer love, love loss, recognizing fallen comrades, unsung heroes and share “good-hearted spirit in rockin’ and rowdy, good-timin’ tunes that move the listener to tears or to pick up a pool stick and raise a bottle of beer.” I can certainly vouch for the tears part. As I was listening to their song called “Sit Awhile”, which was written as a tribute to the United States military and their families, I found myself holding back tears…which for me is a sign of a truly great song. The song lyrics speaks about taking the time to sit and reflect on loved ones that have passed away and to find comfort in knowing they are still there with you.

“Now son, dry up those tears

And free your mind from all those fears

And just sit awhile.”

Another very powerful song was called “The Lineman” and it was written honoring lineman with the power company and their families. I had never really thought about the danger that lineman put themselves in as they venture out after a storm to restore power to other families while their own families sit at home waiting for their safe return. It was a moving tribute to those men and women line workers that are often overlooked heroes in our communities.

During the show, the duo commented that they had one goal in mind when they formed their partnership and that was, according to Bo, “to make enough money to get a boat so we could go fishing.” They reminisced about good times they had had growing up near a swimming hole in Alabama named the Sipsey. Located near the Sipsey Fork and the Black Warrior River in Northwestern Alabama, this popular teen hangout is the inspiration for the song called “Swimmin’ in the Sipsey.” The Band Steele also performed their single named “195” and it is currently #64 on the country music charts. Written about a lost love, the song talks about the day “my angel packed up her wings and left down 195.”

You can find The Band Steele’s two recording projects named “Tan Lines & Moonshine” released in 2016 and “Moon in a Mason Jar” released in 2017 on iTunes and GooglePlay. Their official webpage is https://thebandsteele.com/

The Band Steele Share Some Good-hearted Spirit Rockin’ and Rowdy Good-Timin’ Tunes

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