Photo by Cal Mcrae
I totally credit Steele with introducing me to the New York music scene.
When I first moved here several years ago, I almost always stayed in my little Manhattan bubble. One random weekend night a friend brought me to a “loft party” in “Brooklyn”, two things I thought only existed in movies. Me, a transplanted Seattleite, at a Brooklyn loft party for the very first time watching a band called The Britanys. I knew nothing about them but respected their ability to bring the most stylish, coolest people together to enjoy their music in an unconventional venue space. It was an experience I could never find with the preppy NYU kids I was friends with at the time.
The Britanys would continue to perform in DIY venues and gain traction, capturing the attention of New York’s youth with their rock and roll. Going to their shows made me feel like I was in one of the movies I used to romanticize about. I wasn’t even really into music at the time but because of the Britanys, and by extension Steele, I became acquainted with more and more upcoming bands they’d play with who had their own unique takes on what performing in this city meant to them.
Which finally brings me to Steele, the drummer and heartbeat of the Britanys, who has become a good friend of mine. Steele loves dogs, basketball, and the English soccer team Arsenal. He went to jazz school for drums and his mom has some really interesting Game of Thrones theories. If you ever catch him at a party where the music is bumping just right, he’ll never be afraid to go all in and bust a move. He might even get injured for it. I bring this all up because Steele, to me, represents the idea that you can be friends with your heroes. You can be close with them enough to meet their moms and know their secrets.
Knowing Steele and his passions, it’s easy to see how the Britanys have become as big as they are. His genuinely cordial demeanor and effortless knack for style is part of the creative core that drives the Britanys and their live shows still cultivate the same energy I felt all those years ago. Their music has taken them as far east as England and as far south as Mexico and they’ve established themselves as a Bushwick crowd favorite.
But now Steele’s venturing off on his own. Releasing a self-produced album as a new way of expressing his ideas, the Britanys’ drummer has already released a couple of singles off the project and flexed some never before seen muscles to the music consuming public. I was quite surprised when I walked in on him recording the vocals for “Is This How You Find Love?” in his dining room. I’d never heard him sing before. For so long I had known him as not just the Britanys drummer, but THE drummer, the drummer that sparked in me an excitement to live in New York and find an interest in the music currently being made here. I’ve been fortunate to get to know him and excited to see him take on this adventure in his musical career.
Check out a few of his favorite things below
Dogs
Saying you love dogs is now as basic as saying you love pizza, but whatever. Every dog I see on the street greets me tongue out and tail waggin. I used to work at an animal clinic and I think all dogs can tell I’m paisan. Whatever the dog version of parseltongue is, I got that.
The New York Knicks
They always let me down and I always come running back like a fool. They’ve taught me everything there is to know about heartbreak, disappointment, and the soul crushing realities of a fraught love affair.
Larry David
Reminds me of my dad, reminds me of my future self. I have his initials tattooed on my body. The only celebrity, bar LeBron James, that I’d commit crimes to meet.
Soccer/”Football”
My favorite past time. My social life. My strange adult obsession.
Soccer Uniforms
The level of obsession I have for a classic kit is psychotic. Live for sports fashion. Underrated sports fashion icons- Scotlands national team uniforms. It’s the most vibrance the whole of Scotland (culturally and geographically) has ever produced.
Big Hoodies
Forever hopeful of my chance to wear a thicc hoodie in the middle of summer. Rarely works. Nothing better than the portable blanket that is a big roomy hoodie.
Love Island
Television and Britain’s greatest export. Call it trashy, say it’s beneath you. Shut up. I can be smug too and say that it’s a great glimpse into the inner machinations of society and human nature. Maybe the true essence and ethos of love island is beyond your comprehension / you just want to deprive yourself of great entertainment and drama. They do need to add gay and trans contestants though. Fingers crossed for that development in future seasons.
My neighbor Luis
My guardian angel. As the super for the building I live in, he fields every noise complaint the neighbors make, and lets me know before they contact management. Loves the band, and encourages our loud rehearsals. Knows the name of every mother, every child, and every dog on our block. Always texts me when theres a traffic cop writing parking tickets and my car is in a bad spot. Always brings me a plate of his moms cooking when there’s extra from a bbq. He’s Bushwick’s national treasure.
Almond Butter
Puts peanut butter to shame. I skrrrrt the high priced store jars by making my own at home. My roommates hate when I do. I’ve been banished from the kitchen to my bedroom to craft my delicious nectars before. They couldn’t have a conversation over the loud delicious crunch of my food processor. They all wanted a taste when it was done though.
Poaching Eggs
So decadent, delicious, and deceptively impressive. Wild easy to make at home! Just slap a little white vinegar in simmering water for 4 mins, science does the work for ya. Slap that on some toast w avocado (won’t call it avocado toast), and you’re chef excellence.
General video merriment
