Song Builder Studios

The 10 Questions Series is back in 2016 and we’re very excited about this one! Steve Herrera, a veteran musician with several thousand miles of touring under his belt has been gracing Charm City with his tunes for the past 10 years and shows no sign of slowing down. Check out what he has to say...

1. Tell us about your musical background, how you got into songwriting, and any current projects you have now.

My background is pretty basic.. picked up the guitar at around age 13, started writing songs almost instantly!  As I grew older, my musical taste evolved and I became exposed to lots of different styles of music, all of which play a part in my writing process. The only project I have currently is my solo project. I'm looking to release an EP in the new year. 2. What influences you as a songwriter?

What influences me as a songwriter.. in the broadest terms: life, interactions, emotions, relationships both romantic or platonic.  If I hear a story, or experience something that affects me on an emotional or spiritual level, I'm gonna put it in a song.  Not all of my songs are autobiographical, a lot of it is fiction, but it's all based off the ups and downs of real life.

3. What do you think about the current state of the music industry? Do you think it’s more difficult to build a career in music today than say 20 years ago?

A lot has changed in the industry in just the past decade, let alone the past 50 plus years.  Technology has played a HUGE role in this. However, a few royal tenants remain... talent, innovation, and most importantly DRIVE. In terms of musical taste, and what's "popular" I mean.. that stuff is constantly changing. But if an artist has enough of the three qualities I just listed, then man, you can get as far as you want.  Especially with the onset of social media and the interconnection of the web.  There are countless ways to get your content out there and get new fans.  And that's really all it comes down to, getting a solid (and expanding) fanbase.. from there you can really go places!

4. Who are some of your favorite songwriters right now?

My musical taste is all over the place really..  a few artists I'm really digging currently are some Americana/Folk cats like Dawes, Jason Isbell, Ray Lamontagne..  But I also love me some good party music, I've been digging on this techno pop duo, Powers most recently. Also, roots rock bands like the Alabama Shakes, and J. Roddy Walston and the Business are doing some fantastic things! 5. If you haven't already, are you open to working with another songwriter or a team of songwriters?

I'm always down to collaborate! Some of the best stuff comes that way.

6. How important are outside opinions of your working songs?

I'll take any and all opinions about my works in progress that are offered.  I may or may not take said opinions into the studio, but it's always nice to hear different takes on my stuff, from music folk and non music folk alike.

7. If you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?

This is an impossible question to answer....  I guess safe answer, Dave Matthews, he was one of the first and biggest influences on my musical voice. But I mean, there are SO many artists I'd absolutely love to collaborate with. too many to mention.

8. What’s the most unique location you’ve ever written a song?

Honestly? The toilet.

9. With thousands of miles of touring under your belt, what’s one of your fondest memories from the road?

Man.. so many memories, both amazing, and amazingly bad! I gotta say one of my fondest would have to be Baghdad.  We were doing an AFE (Armed Forces Entertainment) tour through the mid east a few years back.  We were hopping around Iraq in the belly of a C-130, playing various military installments.  We stayed at the base in Baghdad for a few days due to some dust storms that were preventing us from traveling.  It was located in Saddam Hussein's old compound, we stayed in one of his old palaces, where the top Generals of the US military stay.  We also got a guided tour through the grounds.  Saw some incredible stuff, and some incredible devastation. it was a rollercoaster of a trip and I was left supremely humbled and grateful. that entire tour was one of the most eye-opening, inspiring experiences of my life.

10. Your favorite song of 2015?

"It's Alright" courtesy of yours truly ;)

Unless you’re new to the Maryland scene or have been living under a rock then you should know the name Kelly Bell. Imagine Muddy Waters wearing a Bob Marley T-shirt riding on Black Sabbath's tour bus on their way to a Parliament Funkadelic concert, listening to Sammy Davis Junior on an 8-track tape humming a Run DMC song - that would be close to what he does (according to their bio). Check out the latest installment of our 10 Questions Series with the man himself!

1. Tell us about your musical background, how you got into songwriting, and any current projects you have now.

Many moons ago, I was in a band called Border Patrol (a heavy metal cover band, fresh out of high school). After that, I was a rapper in a band called Caprice, and then I had a hiatus from performing, before joining the Fat Tuesday band, where I was strictly a background singer and percussionist. 20 years ago, an opportunity presented itself to Fat Tuesday through one of my bouncer jobs at the 8x10 in Baltimore City to back up Bo Diddley. The members of Fat Tuesday declined the opportunity, but Automatic Slim said that I should put a band together myself. Thus the Kelly Bell Band was born.

The first song I ever wrote for the band was called “Say Hey’, which only appears on our first cassette tape (haha dating myself on that one!). My song writing style is a hodgepodge of life experiences, both mine and others. Sometimes I sit down to purposefully write about an experience, and sometimes it happens while I’m in the bathroom!

Our current project is mixing and mastering the Kelly Bell Big Band for our 11th release, which is a live recording from Quiet Waters Park this past summer. It includes a 22 piece big band playing Kelly Bell Band favorites from the past 20 years.

2. What influences you as a songwriter?

My most powerful influence as a songwriter has been my complete and utter failure at relationships. I write great songs, but I’m sure as any one of my ex’s would tell you that dating me is like being Goldilocks breaking into the 3 bears house. Life is first too hard, then too soft, and rarely as the last choice, just right.

3. What do you think about the current state of the music industry? Do you think it’s more difficult to build a career in music today than say 20 years ago?

Yes and no. Long gone are the days of big expense accounts for record execs developing new bands, molding them and shaping them into money making machines. Long gone are the efforts to make a complete album that flows from beginning to end, taking you on a ride and challenging your emotions. Music listeners are more eclectic these days and that presents a challenge to record companies who attempt to force feed us what our ears are supposed to enjoy. Our song “Popstar” is about just that.

4. Who are some of your favorite songwriters right now?

Corey Taylor from Slipknot, Willie Dixon (bass player of the Muddy Waters Band), and the guy that wrote the Spongebob theme.

5. If you haven't already, are you open to working with another songwriter or a team of songwriters?

The Kelly Bell Band is a team of songwriters. Although it’s called the “Kelly Bell Band”, every song is very much a collaborative effort of everyone in the group.

6. How important is outside opinions of your working songs?

I recognize as an entertainer, my job is to provide a relief from people’s everyday struggles and hardships. I’ve been lucky enough to make the music I care about, with people I care about, and have other people just happen to care about it too.

7. If you could collaborate with any artist, living or dead, who would it be and why?

Bobby Blue Bland because when I saw him as a child, he completely captivated me. At the end of his first performance, every woman in the building was fanning themselves frantically, from 18-80. At the time I didn’t understand what flustered meant. My father explained to me one day it would all makes sense to me. I can’t say that I understand women, but I definitely can tell you something about the Blues.

8. What’s the most unique location you’ve ever written a song?

The USS John C. Stennis. We have been honored to have provided entertainment for all branches of the US Military for the bulk of our career. The KBB was flown on board the Stennis by Navy Entertainment to entertain the troops for the last leg of their deployment, for the “Tiger Cruise”, where family members are also allowed to board the ship. We had started writing “Don’t Go”, and a service member heard the writing process- and insisted we play the song that night. So we finished the song, and performed it at our first show.

9. You guys have played tons of shows, what is one of the most memorable moments you’ve had playing live?

After we opened for James Brown, and the 9:30 Club treated my Mom like royalty, they put her in the front row of the balcony, front and center. When I went to check on her to see if she needed anything, and asked her how she felt, she said “I’m watching James Brown, the man I have admired in music for as long as I can remember. And my baby child brought this opportunity to me by opening the show. This club is treating me like a Queen. How do you think I feel?”

10. What’s your favorite song of 2015 so far?

This is not a slight to all the songwriters who work so hard to put out music today, but when I listen to an Otis Redding album, I just don’t hear anything today that stands up.

We are really stoked for this next interview! Marc from FIVES was gracious enough to sit down with us and talk about his current project that yours truly is working on. There are some great industry insights in these answers so make sure you read them all, and check these guys out!

1. Tell us about your musical background, how you got into songwriting, and any current projects you have now.

I started playing guitar at 7 years old.  My grandma gave me a starter electric guitar and I can remember sitting in front of the TV playing along to Raffi songs.  I’m not sure if anybody actually remembers Raffi, but he was a really popular children’s singer when I was growing up.  Who could forget such hits as Baby Beluga and Apples and Bananas? I started my first band while in college, which is actually where I met my friend Matt White who helped start our current band, FIVES. From there I went to Nashville for a few years where I studied music business. I was fortunate enough to work with a great production team and really learn what happens behind the artist. As for songwriting, I think I wrote my first song in the early 2000’s.  I honestly don’t remember what it was, but it was probably about a high school girlfriend.  It couldn’t have been very good since she wasn’t my girlfriend for very long, but I’ve been writing ever since. Currently I’m in a band called FIVES out of Rockville, MD.  We’re working on a new EP with Steve and Nate from SongBuilder Studios and it’s going really well so far.  

2. What inspires you as a songwriter?

I’m always looking for a good story.  I don’t know if I have a “muse” or one thing I can always count on though. I try to draw inspiration from my own experiences but I like writing in a way that isn’t too specific. I enjoy writing the foundation of a story and leaving just enough space for the listener to be able to insert themselves into the song. I think that’s how people connect with music and get inspired by the music. I really believe that if a person feels like you’re saying what they couldn’t say, or maybe just saying it a little bit better than they could, then you’ve done your job as a songwriter. I just think you have to be ready to accept whatever inspiration appears.  It could be my wife or daughter, and it has been many times, but it might also be car accident or a broken window or whatever. I always have a pen ready to wright that stuff down.      

3. What do you think about the current state of the music industry? Do you think it’s more difficult to build a career in music today than say 20 years ago?

I think the music industry is in a little bit of turbulence right now. It’s trying to figure out how to deal with a diminishing profit model caused by .99 cent downloads and online streaming. Nobody is buying full albums anymore. We buy our favorite song from the record and ignore the rest. It hurts the business side of things but it really screws with the up-and-coming artist who might not have the reach needed to make any sort of real money off of their single on iTunes. I think there are two ways to answer the “is it more difficult now” question. In some ways, yeah, it’s much harder now.  There is so much noise out there that a great band or a great song can get smothered by some skateboarding dog on YouTube.  Every songwriter has either a studio in their house or the ability to record a good quality demo and post it on the internet.  On the other hand, bands that broke in the 90’s and earlier had to travel around the country in a small van, playing three shows a night, making little money, and hoping that some A&R rep. would hear about them.  Don’t get me wrong, touring to promote your music is absolutely essential. I’m just saying that there are other avenues now that allow musicians to reach millions of people without ever leaving their basement. If it were up to me, I’d be in a smelly van.

4. Who are some of your favorite songwriters right now?

My favorite songwriter is Dave Matthews but I love the Beach Boys and think Brian Wilson is a genius. I also really like Chris Thile from Nickel Creek and now Punch Brothers. I’d throw in some John Mayer stuff too: Billy Joel, Sting, early Chris Martin.  I love that they actually write songs with meanings and messages.  I love songs you have to think about.  Ones that don’t spell it out for you in black and white.  I think there are some people who do that now, but I don’t think they’re the norm anymore.  I like Ed Sheeran a lot. Marcus Mumford is another one. I think he’s brilliant.

5. If you haven't already, are you open to working with another songwriter or a team of songwriters?

The first time I ever worked as a songwriting “team” was on this current FIVES record. For the most part I would start writing a song by myself, acoustic guitar and scratch lyrics, then bring it to the guys in the band for their input. With this current record, we’re working a lot with Nate and Steve on formulating the music and trying to build a song around a melody which was something totally new for me. I already had a lot of lyrics written for these songs, some we wrote in the studio, but it was a new experience for me having so many people focusing on lyrics. We’re definitely going to do some more co-writing in the future though.  I think these new songs are stronger because of it.

6. How important is outside opinions of your working songs?

I have a core group of 3 or 4 people who I ask to give me feedback on a song before it is finished, in addition to the guys in the band of course.  I think it’s good to have people outside of the band review your work since they are not emotionally attached to it.  With that said, I think a songwriter or a band should first trust themselves and their instincts over anyone else’s opinion. Outside opinions are great, but I use their feedback in correlation with how the band feels. If the band loves it, for me at least, that’s the most important thing. Otherwise I think it becomes very easy to fall into the trap of trying to please everybody and ultimately pleasing nobody.  

7. Do you think it would be beneficial to have an unbiased team of songwriters in the studio with you while you record music?

I don’t know if I would work well with a bunch of people in the studio making sure I checked all of the boxes on the hit song check list. I could see it more if I were a solo artist or making a solo record.  Then I think having a few extra sets of ears would be beneficial.  I’m in this band with a great group of guys who are all extremely talented. If something stinks, they’ll tell me about it because their names will be on it too. If you have a good band and good producers, then I think you’re all set.  I trust the guys I’m working with.  Otherwise why make music together?

8. What’s the most unique location you’ve ever written a song?

I write in the shower a lot.  I take really long showers.  I could be done in 2 minutes but there’s something about a hot shower that is really relaxing.  I guess that’s not too weird.  I should have said the zoo.

9. Who would win a drum off – Carter Beauford or Jamaal Turner?

Our drummer Jamaal is a very humble guy, so I know he would say that Carter would win.  I don’t think there are too many musicians out there like Carter.  What he can do on the drums is amazing.  Jamaal has a lot of those same qualities though which is really fun for me.  Sometimes when we’re playing he’ll do an amazing rhythm or syncopation and I’ll look back at him with this goofy smile on my face.  Half of the time I need to remind myself to keep playing because I’m too busy listening to all the cool stuff that Jamaal is doing. Jamaal for me is the mood ring on stage.  He tells me how I should be feeling.  If he’s having fun then I feel like I can relax and open up.  If he looks serious then I know we need to step up our game.

10. What would be a dream tour for FIVES to be on and why?

A dream tour… I know there are three venues that I’ve always wanted to play; The Gorge in Washington State, Red Rocks in Colorado, and Giant Stadium in New Jersey. I know that last one is a bit different, but I’m from Jersey originally and I saw my first concert there.  It was a co-headlining tour of Billy Joel and Elton John.  I think I was 10 or so.  The Gorge and Red Rocks I think are two of the most beautiful and iconic places to play music and it would be amazing to make loud noises there.

I think we’ve all imagined playing alongside of our musical heroes so any one of them would be a dream. Honestly, being able to go around the country playing our own songs is what it’s all about.  Putting on a great show remembering that when we play live we are literally someone’s Friday or Saturday night.  That’s a huge privilege and whether its in a 200 seat bar or a 10,000 seat amphitheater, just being on the road and on stage, that’s what this band lives for.

This month we have a very special message for our 10 Questions Series as we were able to catch up with Sound Empire recording artist TMJ. If you don’t know him yet, you better get familiar. He just released his new single “Ugly”, featuring the very talented Cecilia Grace (if you don’t remember, they were also part of our 10 Questions Series). Not only are we happy to announce this single, but we are excited to join him in the fight against bullying. Read on to get the scoop...

1. Tell us about your musical background, how you got into songwriting, and any current projects you have now.

I got into music after my father put on a gospel rap album around 1992. I told him I could do that but I never even attempted to write a song at that point. I just thought the songs were wack, the beats were wack and if that impressed him, surely I could do better than what I had heard. After that I started writing songs about how I felt. Mainly just to prove to my father I could do it. Before I knew it, it became a hobby and later a big part of me. Ugly was one of the songs I created during my child hood writing days. So when I started working on this New Age album, given the state of bullying I decided to rewrite the song and put it on this up coming album that will be released in the fall.

2. What influences you as a songwriter?

Life experiences influence me, I like real life music! Love, pain, struggles, student loans (laughs), your car broke down, happiness, success! The pursuit of happiness! I hear a lot of songs where rappers  are talking about buying out the bar and expensive watches and chains and that's cool but I mean how many of us ever woke up in a Bugatti? Might have woke up on a strangers porch from partying too hard though. 3. What do you think about the current state of the music industry? Do you think it’s more difficult to build a career in music today than say 20 years ago?

Well that's a tough one because it's both difficult and easier at the same time. It's difficult because we live in a "on to the next thing era". I still have a tape deck in my truck, one of those tape/CD player things that was high tech years ago! I put in Mary J's real love tape and because I couldn't skip forward so easily; I just let it play. I was able to enjoy the whole album as if it were back in the day again. People hardly buy whole albums anymore, let alone listen to the whole album. We buy ninety nine cent singles and some just rip your songs straight from the internet. That mixed with the fact record labels hardly invest in building artist for the long haul and you have the wild west in the industry! However it’s easier because it’s the wild west (laughs). If an artist can do the ground work to build core fans by utilizing social media, they can reach fans from all over the world, with out ever leaving their city! However I still think grass root fan building still works. Taylor Swift is the best at it. She's never too big to crash a fans sleep over.

4. Who are some of your favorite artists right now?

I'm always old school. My favorite artists are Tupac, DMX, and Eminem because they weren't that big on bragging to us about what we the fans helped them pay for. It's a lot of raw emotion in their songs. I like that, however if I had to pick I would say J Cole at the moment.

5. If you haven't already, are you open to working with another songwriter or a team of songwriters? Oh I love working with writers, but not in a " guy write my rap verses kinda way; you won't call me out Meek Mills style (laughs). I like working with writers that can push me so as of late, I haven't been working with other rappers. The album I'm about to release only have features from singers and one spoken word feature. I'm doing all of the heavy lifting on this album. 6. How important are outside opinions of your working songs? It depends! My emotional songs like the song Liquid Windows from my mix tape, I don't care who says what. I keep it raw, honest and truthful. If it’s a fun song, or a feel good song; I welcome opinions. Because those songs are for the public. I'm trying to capture what the public is feeling, but on my emotional songs, I'm trying to put you in the mood of how I was feeling when I wrote that particular song. 7. Do you think it would be beneficial to have an unbiased team of songwriters in the studio with you while you record music?

Always! Like I said I like to be pushed. You can't get better when yes men telling you that you’re hot! I’d rather have people around who are going to tell the truth for the love of the music and for the sake of the song. 8. What’s the most unique location you’ve ever written a song?

I guess I can say, from my bed only because some will find it strange. I will randomly wake up all times of the night and write down lyrics I said in my dreams. Besides that...my favorite thing to do when I was younger was to jump on a bus and end up where I end up! Get out and write. I kinda miss those days. I was a smoker back then so I use to love to escape the city, which was at three hundred plus murders a year at that time in the nineties. I would go to some far away park and just write.

9. Congrats on the new single Ugly! What was the inspiration behind it?

My childhood was inspiration. I grew up like Everybody Hates Chris. My older brother was so handsome and slick the females would say, then there was me -  big nose, big ears, short, skinny, and nerdy! I got teased so much growing up because of my nose! One time they were handing out those disguise glasses at my friends birthday party and they say “all Ty needs is the glasses his nose already big”! That's my favorite one. Funny now, hurt back then though. All the girls I had crushes on were laughing at me. Later I started to see everybody got joked though, one of the original lines I wrote as a child was " You get joked for being fat, joked for being skinny, joked for big breast, joked for not having any!" People will joke you for fifteen minutes and yet it will stay with you a lifetime! So I wrote this song to empower people. So words don't hurt, because the only thing that matters is what you think and what you become. I want kids to know. "you young now, but things change when your older, and that's how I got this chip on my shoulder!". 10. What is the #NotUgly campaign? How can people get involved? I have a theory that is we all are art and God's the artist, and beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I want people to behold their beauty. Realize you are a piece of art and some will appreciate you and some won't. The only opinion that matters is yours! So I'm asking people to share that art with me and the world by uploading a selfie to our Sound Empire Entertainment Facebook page, my TMJ Facebook artist page, or my Instagram and Twitter profiles @ Break_out_star_tmj.

We are very excited about this next 10 Questions interview! Not only is this artist extremely talented and has served in our military, he is the OFFICIAL National Anthem singer for the Baltimore Ravens. Here is 10 Questions with Joey Odoms...

1. Tell us about your musical background, how you got into songwriting, and any current projects you have now.

My musical background began in theater. As a homeless teen I wandered into a community based theater in Baltimore called Arena Players. It was during my time there surrounded by so many talented people that I realized I could actually sing. I started writing music not long after my father lost his battle with cancer. The roller coaster of emotions from the joy of having this new artistic family; who knew little about my personal life versus watching my father die after rehearsal in a hospice, directly behind the theater ironically was tough. So I started writing. I recently wrote a self proclaimed anthem for the city of Baltimore produced by Stephen Antonelli and Nate Lanzino entitled  "Like A Raven". After the riots I felt so helpless. So many opinions from people who didn't have a clue of what it meant to be from Baltimore. So I literally flew into Baltimore to start working on it. 

2. What influences you as a songwriter?

Listening to compositions from musical theater for so many years has an enormous influence on how I hear melodies, if or when to change tempo, choosing the best words based on their cadence and vowels. I could go on. 

3. What do you think about the current state of the music industry? Do you think it’s more difficult to build a career in music today than say 20 years ago?

That depends on what goals you have. If mainstream stardom through a record company is what you seek, I think it's extremely hard to somehow be unique but at the same time be safe enough that people feel comfortable investing in you financially. As a minority songwriter trying to walk that path it gets even harder if you're not willing to fit into the "Urban Box". But if you're ok with not being a super star, it's much easier to go indie and build your own fan base. Make money doing what you love and share your gift with as many as willing to listen. I could ride that wave for a very long time. 

4. Who are some of your favorite songwriters right now?

Amos Lee, John Legend, John Mayer, Ed Sheeran, Darius Rucker, Eze Jackson... And I won't even get into the greats who I'm sure inspired them. 

5. If you haven't already, are you open to working with another songwriter or a team of songwriters?

I would love to have that experience. I often find myself wondering what my songs would become with the influence of other professionals. 

6. How important are outside opinions of your working songs?

Opinions are very important for me. I need feedback to know if I'm a productive member of the artistic community or not.

7. Do you think it would be beneficial to have an unbiased team of songwriters in the studio with you while you record music?

I think it's the ideal situation. If everyone is on the same page as far as a vision for the project it can be a recipe for magic!

8. What’s the most unique location you’ve ever written a song?

Well I wrote an entire album while in a war zone. But if we're talking specifics, the flight line of Kandahar Airfield in Afghanistan.

9. Tell us how your relationship with the Ravens started and what that means to you.

My relationship with the Ravens started a half a world away in Afghanistan after a chance meeting with Ravens head coach John Harbaugh. I simply asked him if he knew who I should contact to possibly get a chance to sing for a single game once my unit got home. That split second decision to ask him a simple question changed my life in so many wonderful ways. 

10. What’s next for Joey Odoms?

I plan to produce a long overdue album for the many loyal supporters I've gained over the years and my new fans due to my success with the Ravens. I'm really excited about it!