My Majic 102.3 is embracing local talent and so every Monday, Mymajicdc.com will prominently feature a local artist on the site.
One Monday out of the month, My Majic 102.3 will host a New Music Monday listening party that will feature an artist that has been featured online and has received the most votes.
If you would like to be featured on My Majic’s New Music Monday please upload your song in a MP3 format, your photo, your bio, contact information and a link to your music artist page here.
This week’s featured artist is Steel.
Artist Bio:
Steel is a first round multiple Grammy nominee entertainer and member, who runs an independent record label and currently resides in Greenbelt, MD.
“Steel”, (birthname: Francis Eldridge Anderson) is truly DMV homegrown, born in Cheverly, MD, at P.G. Hospital and was raised between the cities of Landover and Lanham, MD, until his entry into the military after graduation from DuVaL High School, in Lanham, at age 17. Born, third of five siblings into a local singing family of Redskin fans, from an early age he was encouraged to take music lessons and played trombone, in all bands, while singing in various local gospel groups and churches with his family members, and his mother, his all-time favorite, and semi-retired homemaker, evangelical local gospel singer of all time, Mrs Erma Anderson. While his father, Mr. Eldridge Anderson, a retired jazz musician and bus , also encouraged his musical education, and showed him tough love when it came to developing his own style and making great music for the people in the future.
During middle and high school at Thomas Johnson and DuVal, he played trombone/horn and was first picked up by “Go Go Lorenzo” who he played with his buddy, “Dollar Bill” currently of the local band “Y2K”, who was a drummer at the time, but now sings as well, and then later, under the tutelage of Ms. Patricia Hopkins at DuVal, she opened up the whole world of instrumental music to him, all styles, and genres, his production knowledge blossomed, and ended up with MD state jazz awards, and also playing side with the Bowie State University Band, under Dr. Knight, Lions Club Band, and even played in Toronto, Canada, giving Steel his first taste of both musical success and travel!
After a year in the military, Steel picked up a military scholarship, and came back home to the DMV to do 4 years at George Washington University. There he ran into some new friends who wanted to put together a rap group, so, first, “Native Creed”, and then “Dysfunkshunal Family” was born, working with local talent such as Bubu the Producer and DJ Kilmore of Incubus, and opening for acts like De La Soul, and competing against local groups at the time like “Shai” out of Howard University. In college, Steel went ahead and took voice lessons to help his rap articulation and help to improve his lead singing vocals as well, so by the time he re-entered the military after college, he was ready to be a front man in his own right.
In the following years, during his world and military travels, Steel had an alternative, bilingual (Spanish/English) rock band, called “Aikan” in Monterey, CA, then a West Indian/soca group while living in Trinidad called “Cousins Steel & Cortez” (also where he first joined the Grammy’s as a member), and sang in a few Carnivals there, and then back here to the DMV as a solo artist/entertainer, performing most genres of music, with, from all of the knowledge I’ve picked up in the music business, my own fully functional and personal independent label for the management of my whole music catalog I’ve created over the years! It’s good to be back in the DMV, and for other local artists, he is always available to give positive constructive criticism and his honest opinion on how to help them best navigate the music industry and realize, then fulfill, their music goals and dreams! I also have a few CD EP’s and singles on Itunes and CD Baby.com. Thanks and all the best!
Check out his song Good Vibes featuring Nychaela Symone:
Submit your local music here to be considered for New Music Monday.
