Rising Music Star Steve Leads On The Five Things You Need To Shine In The Music Industry
An Interview With Ming Zhao
If you want to be the best musician you can possibly be, you must put in the hard work of practicing and rehearsing as much as your schedule will allow. My band rehearses several days a week, and I practice almost every day. This really makes a big difference when you go out to perform live. Playing the songs becomes second nature and develops muscle memory which greatly reduces/eliminates mistakes during performances.
As a part of our interview series with leaders, stars, and rising stars in the music industry, we had the distinct pleasure of interviewing Steve Leads.
Steve Leads is an American guitarist/vocalist/songwriter that originates from the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains in northwestern North Carolina. Starting at a very young age, Steve was exposed to many genres of music that later molded the style he developed as an artist and the path he took with his original music. In 2019 Steve formed his existing band, Off the Grid, to perform his original tunes as well as cover tunes. Steve Leads & The Off the Grid band is a very tight, high-energy band that primarily performs at festivals and summer concert series’ throughout the DC/Maryland/Virginia region. His goal is to attract audiences globally with diverse tastes in music because that’s exactly what he delivers!
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series! Before we dive in, our readers would love to learn a bit about your “origin story”. Can you tell us the story of how you grew up?
I grew up in a small rural town in the foothills of the Blue Ridge mountains in northwestern North Carolina. Like most if not all the residents there, we were probably considered to be lower to middle class (from a financial perspective only). No one in my family was musically inclined. Like most of my boyhood friends, I loved fishing, hunting, riding bicycles and sports. However, I was also able to include music in the mix.
Can you share a story with us about what brought you to this specific career path?
When I was around 4 years old (pre-school), I heard a song on my mother’s little brown box radio that had a profound effect on me. While listening to that song, I started to get tears in my eyes and a feeling I would describe today as exuberance, but the tears were not from sadness. The song made me feel something that, at that time, I had never felt before. Even today, certain songs can have that same effect on me. I’ve never forgotten that day. So, when I was 10 or 11 years old, I begged my parents to get me an electric guitar for Christmas and they did. That’s when my interest in making music started.
Can you tell us the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your career?
There have been quite a few interesting moments in my career, but most interesting was making my first album titled, Off the Grid. I had recorded all the songs in my basement on a portable studio recorder in which I played all the instruments except drums. So, for drums I used a drum beat from an electronic keyboard. I wanted to go into the studio and record them for higher sound quality. The only problem was I didn’t have the musicians. So, I worked with the studio engineer to help me find a keyboard player and a drummer. They were both from different local area country bands. I played all the guitars and did all the lead and background vocals. It was a challenge being that I had never met either of these guys and I could tell that my style of music was very different from what they were used to. Regardless, I produced it all and feel that it came out pretty good. I later formed the band “Off the Grid” to go out and perform songs from my album. Since then, I have released three new singles in the last year. I have another new single that will be released in early 2023.
It has been said that sometimes our mistakes can be our greatest teachers. Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
I am a self-taught guitarist/musician. However, when I first started, I did not know how to tune my guitar. I used to pay a local bass player in my hometown $.50 to come and tune my guitar for me. That started to get a little costly for me being that I was only 11 or 12 years old at the time and didn’t have a job. I soon found a little record at the local jewelry store that also sold musical instruments. And that’s how I learned to tune my guitar. From there, things started to happen much faster in terms of my musical growth. The lesson learned is, if you want to play a guitar, learn how to tune it from the very start.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
My mother was always my greatest supporter. She always supported me both emotionally and financially in every endeavor I ever wanted to pursue. Music was one of them. She bought my first quality (name brand) guitar from the same jewelry store I bought the “How to tune a guitar” 45 record.
At the time, I knew it was much nicer than any guitar I had previously owned. The two precious guitars I had cost less than $50 each. Buying that guitar for me was a financial risk for my mother being that money was very tight. The more I learned about quality guitars made me appreciate the risk my mother took in buying that Fender Telecaster for me. Soon after getting that guitar, I auditioned for my high school’s Stage Band that played after the home basketball and football games. I was accepted in the Stage Band. With that came my first real musical performance at my high school. Going back to my mother, I will always love and appreciate her for having faith in me and helping me follow my dreams.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
Never judge a book by its cover.” The first time my current band, Steve Leads & Off the Grid, performed for an all-white audience, I assumed they would not quite get us or like our style of music. I turned out to be wrong. The audience loved us, and I received more streams and downloads of my album the following week than I had after any prior performances.
What are some of the most interesting or exciting projects you are working on now?
I’m finishing up a new single titled “I Wanna See You” that will be released in early 2023. I’m also working on my band’s 2023 Live Performance Schedule. If you’re interested in booking my band, contact me at OTG@TheOfftheGridBand.com
We are very interested in diversity in the entertainment industry. Can you share three reasons with our readers about why you think it’s important to have diversity represented in music, film, and television? How can that potentially affect our culture?
Having diversity in the music, film, and television industry provides the viewers and listeners with different perspectives of how people from different cultures interpret, deliver, and perform their music and artistry in ways that are not consistent with their own. I believe this could have a positive effect on our culture and the world in general in that it would help people from one culture better understand people from cultures other than their own. I feel this could help drive them to want to learn more about each other possibly and start to erode some of the stereotypes some cultures may have about others. The result could be more peace, harmony, and understanding amongst people of all walks of life.
What are your “5 things I wish someone told me when I first started” and why? Please share a story or example for each.
- If you want to be the best musician you can possibly be, you must put in the hard work of practicing and rehearsing as much as your schedule will allow. My band rehearses several days a week, and I practice almost every day. This really makes a big difference when you go out to perform live. Playing the songs becomes second nature and develops muscle memory which greatly reduces/eliminates mistakes during performances.
- Audiences can quickly tell the differences between your typical “bar bands” vs. a professional well-rehearsed band. Professional acts tend to have very tight and defined intros and outtros as well as modulations and volume changes throughout any song. Steve’s band plays a lot of festivals and summer concerts, and they are constantly being complimented on how tight they are as a band. This comes from hard work.
- Another thing I’ve learned is that you must have the best professional equipment (guitars, amplifiers, microphones etc.) you can afford to buy. It makes a huge difference in how you sound in live performances.
- Remember as I stated earlier, “don’t judge a book by its cover”. Never assume that an audience must look like you to respect and admire your music.
- Finally, stay true to yourself musically and don’t try to mimic or copy someone else. Be original and deliver your music the best you possibly can and know that there’s someone out there that will respect and enjoy it.
Which tips would you recommend to your colleagues in your industry to help them to thrive and not “burn out”?
I’m not sure how much of an authority I am on this topic because I’m still trying to reach my goals musically. The truth of the matter is there’s a bit of luck involved in how successful you may become. A lot of the times it’s all about who you know. There’s so many great bands and artists out here that just haven’t gotten a break. And there’s a lot of bands that tend to shoot to the top, not because they are better than other bands, but because they knew or were introduced to the right people at the right time that could help make things happen for them. The key is you must be ready when, or if the opportunity presents itself. Hard work and rehearsing can keep you ready!
You are a person of enormous influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
You never know what your idea can trigger.
Go out of your way to learn more from and about other people that are culturally and even socially different from you. This could generate more interactions and hopefully friendships that can last a lifetime.
Is there a person in the world, or in the US whom you would love to have a private breakfast or lunch with, and why? He or she might just see this, especially if we tag them. :-)
Jimi Hendrix is at the top of my list because he “really” stepped out of the box from playing with R&B bands to playing Jimi. Also, he really seemed to be very deep and intelligent. But being that he is no longer with us, I would love to have a sit-down with Lenny Kravitz. One reason is that I’ve been told on many occasions that our styles are somewhat similar. Lenny also stepped out of the typical R&B style and created his own thing. I respect that Lenny Kravitz has stayed true to himself. Plus, based on some of the interviews he’s done, I gather that Lenny Kravitz is a deeply spiritual guy and appears to be humble. I would love to meet him and possibly open for his band one day somewhere in the world!
How can our readers follow you online?
Facebook: www.facebook.com/theoffthegridband
ReverbNation: www.reverbnation.com/theoffthegridband
Official Website: www.theoffthegridband.com
This was very meaningful, thank you so much! We wish you continued success!
