Steve Brooks & The Fourth Level is an Americana Rock band with a story to tell. Drawing from his experience playing anywhere from smoky dive bars to music halls with the best acoustics, Steve has created a soundscape that is deeply grounded in the storytelling tradition of American music. Inspired by the “devil at the crossroads” legend, his new concept album “Between The Sun & Moon” tells the story of a musician who is persuaded by the devil that he’s sold his soul – when he hasn’t.
Steve writes songs that simultaneously hold three separate meanings. First, they are events that have happened in his life, sometimes told through metaphor. Second, they tell a basic story that anyone can relate to. “Where Are You?” is a perfect example: Everyone knows what it’s like at some point in their life to wonder why it’s taking so long for their soulmate to show up!
The third meaning Steve weaves into his songs is an element of mythological, spiritual, or folk tradition in the background of the story. This is true for “Between The Sun & Moon” as a concept album as well as the individual songs. In “She Comes Around” - the final song on the album – the musician finds redemption by following his own path and not “selling out” to fear.
Even with these multi-layered meanings, just enough is left to the imagination. The songs are always crafted with an open ended approach to allow the listener to relate to and maybe even find themselves in the story. Like all great songs, they are as much about the listener as they are the songwriter.
Steve Brooks is a singer, songwriter, recording artist, drummer, rhythm guitarist, and producer. Combining his life on the road with his Masters’s degree in music, he has created a modern folk tale that has something new to say with every spin.
