Man of Steele
Local musician is gaining the knowledge to blend his music into other art forms
Carlos Steele gravitates toward the arts, for he has stories to tell. Currently, Steele is a senior at the University of New Mexico studying film, but his creativity doesn’t stop there. The program only enhances his vast artistic nature, especially when it comes to prose.
And then he adds music to his eclectic repertoire.
“I really prefer this solid workbench of creativity, sitting down, writing and making music and going into a studio recording, really creating something cool,” said Steele said.
He added his procedures are similar to how he goes about crafting screenplays, stage plays and fiction.
“It’s been an interesting process for me trying to sort of delineate how I want my career to be just in general,” he said. “Writing is a huge part.”
The wonderful thing about the arts is the ability to blend mediums. As Steele nears the end of his film program, incorporating music into all his creative avenues is a more than viable option. He understands how well the art form pairs with his love for film and theater, and he already is forming a collection of original songs.
Steele shared that he’s incredibly passionate about both music and storytelling, and his lyrics can interchange between fictitious accounts and “very real things.”
“Being able to devise something melodically and put to it words that, with that melody, make sense, ideally not for myself, but for hopefully any and everyone who listens to it … that is definitely the goal,” he said.
Steele, who released his debut album “Pictures” last year, is a gifted guitarist, proven on such songs as “It Was (Something I Knew)” and “Someday.” He started playing at 10 years old and learned through both selfinstruction and traditional lessons.
The acoustic tracks that make up “Pictures” have a very ’90s-rock feel, reminiscent of Days of the New. There are hints of The Black Crowes in “No” and even grunge icons Nirvana in “Shoes” – from an “Unplugged” standpoint.
His sound partially derives from the influences he picked up from his mother and father. Both would share their favorite artists from different generations and genres of music, but also just their love for the arts.
“They’re voracious readers and about tons of different creatives,” Steele said about his parents. “I think that’s been so enriching for me, personally, and has caused me to say, I do feel somewhat like an old soul. I sometimes think about what it would have felt like to have grown up around these artists from 50 years ago who I’m still listening to, that would have been surreal.”
Not only does Steele reference the classic rock he was exposed to, but also 20th century jazz, blues and folk played a role in shaping his path as a musician.
“It was certainly enough to get me started and try to understand what I was musically attracted to,” Steele said.
From Charlie Parker to Dave Van Ronk to The Beatles to the Foo Fighters, he has a wide range of inspiration. Steele’s style emulates the influences from his youth to the present day, admitting he favors many older artists while creating his songs. Despite what many Gen Xers may deny, this includes the ’90s. He blends elements of grunge, folk and soft rock with smooth rhythms and a mysterious vocal tone that eases the listener through each song.
“To be able to write music that just kind of clicks and has substance to it … that’s where it’s at,” he said.