Exposed Vocals Interviews Scuba and the Tanks

Straight from El Paso, Tx is a one man Indie Soft Rock band who goes by the name Scuba and the Tanks with a debut album mere months away from release!

Stephen Molina is 24 years old and currently putting the finishing touches on his 13-track LP, all written and recorded in his room by himself with guest vocals by Elaine Keim. After piano lessons at age 13, Stephen met his first love, the bass guitar, when he was asked to play in a local Praise & Worship band, which helped him form a very spiritual connection between love and music, the two most important things in life. After picking up bass rather quickly, he was determined to be self-taught in as many instruments as he could, though it wasn’t until he bought his first acoustic guitar at 16 that his passion for songwriting began to sprout. Shortly after, he messed around on drums, the harmonica, and the electric guitar and was able to find his voice in it all and grow into an exceptionally gifted composer, songwriter, soul searcher, and storyteller.

It didn’t happen overnight though. Stephen’s ongoing struggle with ADD, depression, anxiety, and OCD had kept him in hiding for almost 9 years, getting so stuck in his head, filling it with fear and doubt, and laying in bed for hours on end feeling like the world didn’t need him. Naturally, these disorders helped shape Stephen’s artistry in more good ways than bad, giving him time to work on himself and his craft. Most days, it would’ve destroyed him, but he managed to push himself over and over to be better, to dig deep into the muck of emotion and pull out something beautiful. By 2015, having written enough material for nearly 3 albums already, Stephen finally decided it was a good time to start pumping out some tunes.

Scuba and the Tanks’ debut album, “The Girl, the World, & the Struggle,” is a story of love, loss, and rehabilitation, with an ending that leaves the main character still lost and confused but aware that it’s ok to not have it all figured out because no one does, and all that matters is moving forward, leaning on love, and letting the past stay in the past. Scuba and the Tanks may have started with a cheap guitar and a pocket full of bad days to vent about, but now the project has become a living, breathing art form and hopes to inspire the trapped, the troubled, the aimless, and the unhappy: “This album is a symbol of perseverance despite the ever-growing odds, and I wanted to share that with the audience right in the intro song, “Tickets, Please,” which states to never quit or you’ll lose yourself getting caught in the what-if’s and could’ve’s. I also know that bad days are always around the corner, so even if you slip, even if you begin to fall, I promise to do my best to hold you up and not move.” “The Girl, the World, & the Struggle” is expected to release late June 2016, and a Kickstarter will be launched very soon to fund a successful album release! For more information, please stop by ScubaAndTheTanks.com!

THE SOCIAL THANGS:
https://www.soundcloud.com/Scuba_Tanks
https://www.twitter.com/Scuba_Tanks
https://www.instagram.com/Scuba_Tanks
https://www.facebook.com/ScubaAndTheTanks https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUzerVlP_z6JVC5UMJk5SVw
 

Exposed Vocals: So tell us your story. Where did you grow up? What made you decide to become an artist?

 

Scuba and the Tanks: Well, I was born and raised in El Paso, Tx, the youngest of three children, all very talented in the arts, with two loving parents who worked very hard to give their kids the things they never had growing up, but I always felt that my musical story began as a shy, overweight nerd in high school who was asked to play bass guitar in a local Praise & Worship band. I was barely growing out of my shell, nervous and aimless, but once I discovered this spiritual connection between love and music, it was safe to say music saved my life. A year later, I bought an acoustic guitar, learned how therapeutic writing songs can be, and started turning my sad days into stories everyone could relate to.

 

Exposed Vocals: How did you come up with that name? What was your inspiration behind it?

 

Scuba and the Tanks: The first part is easy. I’ve had dozens of nicknames in my life, but Scuba Steve was always the best and brightest of the bunch; it’s practically been my identity here in college. Also, my music deals with a lot of deep emotion, so I liked the idea of diving deep into the subconscious. I got to “Tanks” because I wanted my music to be powerful, like an army tank, but also to include a good variety of genres so that it could breathe fully, like an oxygen tank.

 

 

Exposed Vocals: What do you think about online music sharing? Do you ever give your music away for free? Why?

 

Scuba and the Tanks: Well I pretty much consider putting my music on Spotify as giving it away for free. After doing the math, I found that every time Spotify pays me the cost of one album, 92 people will have listened to it and I just lost about $700. I mean the reality is Spotify has taken over, and it’s definitely set a new standard for musicians to reach besides iTunes, but it gives consumers the comfort level of an endless music collection that artists don’t benefit from, which is extremely sad considering the hours it takes to explore, revise, and develop an idea into an art form. Nevertheless, I will use it to my advantage.

 

 

Exposed Vocals: Since everyone was a start-up once, can you give any smaller or local bands or artists looking to get gigs and airplay some tips?

 

Scuba and the Tanks: I mean if the main goal is to get as many people as possible to listen and share your music, then, thankfully, we have the beauty of the internet. If a cat getting stuck in a box can get millions of views, so can you, but only if you really want it. Twitter and Instagram are probably where to begin. Not only are there dozens of companies on Twitter offering daily submission opportunities to blogs and such, but a 30 second video on Insta with a solid collection of hashtags goes a long, long way.

 

Exposed Vocals: Where do you usually gather songwriting inspiration? What is your usual songwriting process?

 

Scuba and the Tanks: Well I’m always a sucker for a sad song, but over the years, my inspiration has changed quite a bit. Back in high school, it was about feeling like a nobody and wanting to exist. Oh, and girls, lots of girls haha. When college hit, it was about finding happiness, direction, and being comfortable in my own skin. These days, it’s all about self-improvement and appreciating the good things in life that are worth fighting for. I also love a good story. The best part about songwriting is that when you start a song, it might be completely different when you finish it. Just two weeks ago, I had a great acoustic progression and was struggling to find the lyrics to go with it. Then one night I got so frustrated and couldn’t focus because of some intense summer rain, and then the rain inspired me to turn this tune into a story about a captain who honorably goes down with the ship, and it feels like one of my best.

 

Exposed Vocals: Do you have a band website? What online platforms do you use to share your music?

 

Scuba and the Tanks: Yes, it’s ScubaAndTheTanks.com. My life significantly improved when I went “dotcom” haha. I’m also on Twitter, SoundCloud, and Instagram as @Scuba_Tanks, and on Facebook, you can just search for “Scuba and the Tanks.”

 

Exposed Vocals: If you were given half a million dollars and a year off, what would you do? How would you spend it?

 

Scuba and the Tanks: Easy! Promote the hell out of the album, buy a tour bus, and pay Christian Orozco (bass), Noah Slavin (electric), Robert Hanlon (drums), Desi Skaf (piano), and Elaine Keim (vocals) an amount of money you can’t turn down to join me on the road and see where it takes us! If I could have more, in a heartbeat I’d grab Abraham Marinelarena (electric), Jacob Piñedo (drums), Brianna Villalobos (vocals), Tyler Powers (electric), and Sebastian Orozco (rap) to shake things up. That’s the dream team right there. If I have more money left over, I guess I’d start recording my second album, “At the Turn of the Age.”

 

Exposed Vocals: How do you find ways to promote your music? What works best for you?

 

Scuba and the Tanks: Social networking is a must. My SoundCloud is about to become a channel for unreleased fresh jams, which I’m so excited for because it feels like I’ve written enough songs for almost 4 albums by now. There’s also tons of sights and blogs that write music reviews to check out, local magazines and papers which write profile pieces all the time, and hopefully, soon I’ll have some merchandise to help spread the word as well. Nothing happens overnight, so all that matters is doing a little bit every day.

 

Exposed Vocals: So, what’s next? Any new upcoming projects that you want to talk about?

 

Scuba and the Tanks: The main upcoming project is a Kickstarter campaign I’m about to launch to raise $800 for a successful album release. Throughout the month, I’ll be posting a YouTube cover video almost every day and scheduling interviews with radio stations and such. Please check out ScubaAndTheTanks.com for updates!

 

Exposed Vocals: If you weren’t making music, what would you be doing?

 

Scuba and the Tanks: I’m currently a super senior at the University of Texas at El Paso working on a math degree. That was the best backup plan I could come up with haha. Math was always my strongest subject. You wouldn’t believe how integrated math is with music. It’s like balancing an equation of tones. I love it!

 

Exposed Vocals: How do you juggle the rest of your responsibilities while trying to stay ahead in your music life?

 

Scuba and the Tanks: Given that my ADD just wrecks my focus constantly, staying organized is the main thing that keeps me afloat. I have a giant calendar in my room, countless reminders on my phone, whatever it takes, you know? It also helps when you have accountability partners, like family. My family keeps me very grounded and always reminds me that hard work is never easy, but it is always worth it.

 

Exposed Vocals: What should fans look forward to in 2016?

 

Scuba and the Tanks: Depending on the funds I raise, it’ll range from a much bigger YouTube presence, to getting on radios and blogs, to more merchandising and, if God wills it, a west/central Texas tour! This is still a small project, so I hope that the fans will let me know they’re out there with comments and messages so I can plan my tour spots accordingly.

 

Thanks so much for taking the time to read this! Please stop by ScubaAndTheTanks.com to stream more music, see photos and videos, leave a comment on my website, and hop on our mailing list so you can stay informed. Have an amazing summer! God bless!