User:Pjanderson47/sandbox2

= BONESTEEL =

Bonesteel is an American rock band from Hollywood, California. Guitarist Alex Cain and vocalist Jake Bonesteel formed the band while attending Musicians Institute in Hollywood, California. Bonesteel has shared the stage with bands Miss May I, Gemini Syndrome, Fozzy, Adelitas Way, and Attila.

The group's debut EP, "Epitome of Infamy", was released in March, 2017. The band explains, "Lyrically, it speaks of a protagonist embracing the adversity they had to overcome." "Nightmares" (2018) was borne from a guitar riff; producer Gus Cryns played a drumbeat, then handed a guitar to Cain. For the resulting melody, the duo, Cain and Bonesteel, wrote the lyrics that showcased a message to the world: to bring awareness to the harsh realities associated with addiction and depression.

The Nightmares video follows three people struggling with self-harm, alcoholism, and addiction. The music video ends with an “In Memory Of” page that includes photos honoring 12 people who had died within the last ten years, almost all from drug use. Jake Bonesteel explains the video depiction of real people with real faces attempts to, “focus on the nightmare of an unfulfilled life,” adding, “It’s tragic.” While the song wasn’t written with addiction in mind, Bonesteel explained that, “When penning the lyrics, the line ‘Nightmares come to life, when your dreams start to die,’ struck a chord with me. Noting, "the real nightmare is an unfulfilled life," Bonesteel further describes the song as a metaphor for giving up on one’s dreams. It was also in 2018 that the Bonesteel band was listed in Music Connection Magazine's Hot 100 Live Unsigned Artists & Bands.

The music video "Caught Up" (2019) displays vocalist wearing a giant plush unicorn head. Jake Bonesteel termed it, "technical musicianship." Further, "in contrarily complimenting the music," the musicians created an alternate universe where, "we could really explore another side of us." Metalnoise warned, "Don't try this at home folks."

"Within These Walls" (2019) reached a success of over a quarter million streams on Spotify, and it has been included on multiple Spotify Editorial playlists. For the single, Bonesteel explains, "We created a glass box to visualize the disconnect that one may have from those they care about,” in an attempt to, “make clear that just like many other diseases, mental diseases can spread as well and anyone can end up in their own mental prison.”

Cain, Bonesteel, and Producer Gus Cryns co wrote Upside Down in 2019. The song includes the guest vocalist, songwriter, and instrumentalist McKenna Haner. Jake Bonesteel described the song as, “a dark love song with a waltz feel, heavy guitars, and a vocal duet.” With a departure from human characters, Diamonds by Dawn (2019) is a video featuring ocean scenery and lyrics only.