NEW CD Release!
The Dark After Dawn

Powerful and true to life, "The Dark After Dawn" is a haunting journey into the mind of one man caught in a world of war, environmental destruction and financialruin. The year is 2009.

The follow up to Joel Steven's second release "Fathomless," "The Dark After Dawn" was conceived and written in the troubled years of 2008 and 2009, a time when fear and uncertainty became the fabric of everyday life across our faltering world.

Check out all the tracks from this album at CD Baby and iTunes

Second album from What Man Was
MARATHON

Octagon's original recording artists What Man Was have released their second album "Marathon." Featuring 12 beautifully recorded songs, "Marathon" is yet another heart felt collaboration between musicians Paul Grove (piano, synth, bass) and Joel Steven (guitar, drums, bass, vocals). True to the What Man Was tradition, the CD showcases a wide diversity of tracks ranging from soaring acoustic guitar and piano solos to crushing rock instrumentals.

Listen to track samples or get the CD here!

A Rock & Roll journey with the storyteller...
FATHOMLESS

Lyrical Rock with haunting melodies and a strong sense of place and time. Very Diverse. A Rock & Roll journey with the storyteller.

Powerful and dark. Wonderfully melodic. Organic and wistful. Haunting, lyrical, and surprisingly diverse. Rife with a sense of place and time. These are just some of the words used to describe the music of Joel Steven. Now you can experience all of this in one album, "Fathomless." Fourteen beautifully recorded and dynamic songs totaling over one full hour of music!

Joel Steven's First Studio Album!
NORTH COAST

Featuring several songs from MTV’s Real World, "North Coast" is Joel’s first studio album, rich with organic compositions and heart felt songs of pure emotion and lyrical power. Melodic, thoughtful, haunting, intimate and sincere, "North Coast" is a beautiful transition from childhood's hour to the wistful memories of an adult world. The simple and beautiful arrangements feature haunting acoustic guitar work and the vulnerable, often sad and foreboding, voice of the songwriter. This album is a must-have for anyone who likes unadulterated music recorded with the purity and honesty of tradition vintage rock and folk albums.

Recorded Live!
ONE NIGHT LIVE

Join guitarist Joel Steven in a live intimate setting as he showcases songs spanning over 10 years of his musical career.

Recorded live at Music Galaxy in Kalamazoo, Michigan, Steven unveils a bare bones collection of acoustic songs that brings his art to life through heartfelt melodies and thoughtful, haunting lyrics.

order at Octagon

Celebrating the worlds of acoustic guitar and piano music...
WHAT MAN WAS

"What Man Was" is a sonic journey celebrating the worlds of acoustic guitar and piano music—uniting them with the modern age of electronics and studio wizardry. A rare collaboration of true artistic expressionism, "What Man Was" takes you on a musical journey through days long gone and futures not yet born. Sophisticated yet natural, this magical experimentation in sound takes each listener on an individual ride through time and space, and brings back the hidden childlike wonder in us all.

order at Octagon