Interview: The Steels
LTTM caught up with British rockers The Steels who just released their new album 'Supreme' after being signed by Kingsway. Lead singer Adam Carmichael talks about the band, the album and their charity work in China.
For those who haven't heard of you before, can you tell us a little bit about the band?
We are a three piece rock worship band from Morpeth in Northumberland. We started the band 10 years ago while at school together. Since then we have had the privilege of playing all around the world and recording three studio albums. The most recent of which 'Supreme' was signed by Kingsway this summer and was released on October 18th. We do what we do because we believe that God has changed our lives and we find that our music is a great way to share that with others.
You've recently signed with Kingsway, how did that come about? Were you 'discovered' or did you approach labels yourself?
During the writing process of 'Supreme' we sent ideas and demoes to various record companies and Kingsway showed an interest. Ken Riley who produced our album had been with Kingsway for many years with his band YFriday so he could vouch that they were a fantastic label to work with. When the album was complete we had a few companies who were interested but after meeting and chatting we felt that our aims as a band most coincided with Kingsway's vision for us.
Tell us a little bit about your new album 'Supreme' and what the inspiration behind it was?
An ongoing theme throughout various tracks on the album is the idea of not conforming to the pattern of this world. There are so many influences, distractions and temptations all around us everyday but this album is a bold statement that God is our number 1 and nothing is going to separate us from him.
Which is your favourite track off your new album and why?
My personal favourite track is the title song 'Supreme'. We realized this track was special as soon as we started playing it as a band for the first time, it just had this real power and energy about it. Production wise I think Ken got it spot on, and we decided to use this song as the title track and album opener.
What's your song writing process?
For this album the writing process began in September 2008 when I met with Ken Riley for the first time to do some song writing. We decided to rework an idea from our previous album called 'Better Not Dance'. Ken felt the song had great potential but had some of his own ideas for it. What we came up with was exciting so we decided to try the same process with a few more of our songs. Ken was a great help pushing every aspect of the song to be as good as it could possibly be. By August 2009 we had a handful of strong songs we were really happy with. From August to November, I set about the hard process of completing the album. We wanted every track to earn its place, no fillers. By the time we headed to Eastbourne we had 9 songs we were happy with and one we weren't so sure about. We kept working at this song but it never felt quite right. With a day left in Eastbourne, at 2am in the morning, Ken and I had a moment of inspiration and the song Glorify arrived. The next day we jammed the song and tracked the drums and bass. The album was complete, and it felt good!
Who are your musical influences?
We are fans of lots of different bands. I think YFriday have been a big influence in what we do. As we have grown up knowing them they have had a big hand in teaching us our trade. We also love bands like Switchfoot and Relient K who we have both had the pleasure of playing with at festivals in America and Ireland.
You've just come back from a trip to China - how did you find that experience?
We are linking up with a charity called International China Concern which care for abandoned, disabled children in China. The horrifying fact is that hundreds of children are abandoned everyday in China because you are only legally allowed one child and there is no care or support for disabled children. The government run orphanages we visited were empty, lonely places and so many children die from things like malnutrition because there are not enough carers or the necessary facilities. International China Concern is working to change this. They have set up orphanages across China where the care is fantastic and the kids are loved again. We met so many of the kids and you could see the joy in their eyes and their lives had literally been saved. As Christians we should do whatever we can to support causes like this - english.chinaconcern.org.
What advice would you give to any aspiring bands out there?
Songs are the most important thing. Good bands are the ones with the great songs. Write about what your passionate about and throw in a catchy hook!
You're stuck on an island, it's hot, you only have enough battery life left to listen to one song on your mp3 player. What track is it?
My favourite song seems to change everyday but today it would be 'Hey Soul Sister' by Train. And I reckon that would put a smile on my face if I was stuck on a hot island. My band mates I'm sure would disagree with me though!
What does the next year hold for The Steels?
We are launching our album and promoting it over the next few months. We will hopefully be doing a tour for the album at the start of next year before we get back into the festival season again.
For more about The Steels visit www.the-steels.co.uk
