Hollins Steele

Hollins Steele Bio:

Hollins Steele, the Brooklyn pop/rock duo of Dayna Hollins and Benny Steele, have released their first full-length CD, "Songs from Vanderbilt Avenue", which features sparkling production and an all-star talent line-up. The album was written, arranged, recorded, produced and mixed by the multi-talented pair at The Steele Factory, the recording studio in Brooklyn, which they co-own and operate. On the 13 original tracks, listeners will find a rich blend of strong grooves, Hollins' sweet vocals, and a slick, sophisticated twist on contemporary pop production. Blending the best of the old with the freshest of the new, stand-out tracks include the powerfully swelling, orchestra-accented, "Falling" and the beat-driven, smart-rock approach of "Tongue Tied".

Songs from Vanderbilt Avenue features a heavy-hitting lineup of top-name musicians accompanying Hollins' vocals and Steele's drumming/percussion/keyboards, including Matt Beck (Matchbox 20, Rob Thomas), Tomás Doncker (The Neville Brothers, Defunkt), and Alec Berlin (Rent, The Lion King) on guitar; Booker King (Santana, Kelis) and Buster Hemphill on bass; Michael Cain (Meshell NDegeOcello, Jack DeJohnette) on keys/piano; and Daniel Sadownick (Steely Dan, Meshell NDegeOcello) on percussion, with orchestration by Michael Picton.

Hollins and Steele met while attending an East Coast music conservatory; Dayna Hollins studying to be a classical singer while Benny Steele trained as a jazz drummer. Their musical backgrounds were worlds apart, but upon forming a friendship, the two realized they shared a common musical goal. "Writing songs that mean something to us and other people was much more appealing", explains Hollins.

The pair invested in a recording studio on Vanderbilt Avenue in the Prospect Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, which not only grew into a successful business, but also helped in developing the sound and creative partnership that has become Hollins Steele. "Songs From Vanderbilt Avenue" was two years in the making. Of the process, Steele notes, "pursuing a career in music is challenging, and being self-sufficient is helpful. It's great to have a hand in as much of the process as possible". Adds Hollins, "we complement each other and have, with very hard work, managed to do it all ourselves".