Interview with Steve Beal: The Artist, Musician, and Certified Personal Trainer

         

Interview with Steve Beal: The Artist, Musician, and Certified Personal Trainer

          

            On a cold and snowy night on February 9, 2014, Steve Beal came to a small place called The Coffee House in Edison, NJ to play music for people who come every week to see him play. His playing on Sunday adds to the feel for The Coffee House. It is a coffee house where almost everyone gets to know each other just as Starbucks used to do many years ago.

            I’ve heard Steve Beal play before, but I kept on hearing the rave about his music as he is the main attraction on the last night of the weekend which is Sunday night. It is a night where people are getting ready to go to work the next day and enjoy their coffee and Steve Beal.

            In this interview I ask the question, “Who is Steve Beal?” And how does he utilize his life to the fullest? And on his busy schedule he took time out of his schedule to be interviewed.

            First I asked for him to tell me a little bit about his background and where he came from.

            Steve Beal said that he is from Brooklyn, NY and he is 58 years old.

            I then asked him when did first discover the passion for art?

            He said, “I first started painting in the first grade and since then it has always been a passion of mine.”

He then discussed a little bit about what he does when he paints.

Steve said, “With my paintings, I draw and paint with water colors and I play music in the background. And when I paint, I lose myself as if I was to become a spectator and the paintings come alive. I take a little piece of myself and add it to my paintings. For example, in my paintings I add a little more blue to the sky than was there before.”

He added that he paints with New York as the setting of his paintings and He has had his art displayed in the Metuchen Inn and the Metuchen Gallery, which led to a question about how he feels when his paintings are sold.

Steve Beal said, “Whenever I sell a painting, it feels as if I sell a piece of my soul. However, I am happy that someone would want to buy a piece of my artwork.”

I then asked him about his second passion which is music. I asked how he got started and what inspired him.

Steve Beal said, “When he first saw The Beatles come on the scene 50 years ago, he knew what he wanted to do.”

He added when they asked for a volunteer for someone to play the guitar at his Catholic Church when he was a kid, he volunteered. Even though he knew nothing about playing the guitar at the time, he remembered what the Beatles sounded like and started to play music with the guitar.

He said, “Out of all the guitars he owns, his favorite is the one he started using in 1989.”

He said he used to play at this place Brewed Awakening Coffee House in Metuchen, NJ It was a coffee house where they were in a circle and they played a little of their song and then another person took over. And then he found The Coffee House last year.

I then asked a question about The Coffee House. It has meant a lot to a lot of people and I asked what has it meant for you?

He said when he met Ben Yabra and Sally Yabra of The Coffee House, he felt a little timid about playing at first, but Ben made Steve feel welcome and told him he was looking for someone to play. His openness helped Steve Beal to take up the endeavor at playing at The Coffee House.

At first when Steve came to The Coffee House he felt as if they were coming for the coffee, but when he came time and time again and saw the same people, he realized they were coming for him and he was flattered.

Steve said, “I enjoy the people I have met at The Coffee House.”

Since he has come to The Coffee House, it has been a platform for Steve to perform. He keeps on challenging himself and wanting to play different music every time he performs. He uses some of the music from his journal he has kept for 20 years.

Steve Beal said, “When I perform, I want to get people to think.”

He also said, “On a side note, I am a Certified Personal Trainer on Skype.”

He works with others doing dumbbell exercises.

Steve Beal said, "People can either find time for fitness now or make time for illness later."

            Steve Beal was a delight to interview. From what I could tell from the interview, he enjoys life and lives to the fullest. He spends time with family, friends and has time for his passion.

            In life, many people lose sight of their passion and do things they don’t enjoy in life. They make excuses and bury their true feelings of what they were meant to do in life. Steve Beal lived his life with passion and the best is still to come.

            He may not be as big as The Beatles, but his heart sold more records then The Beatles for the passion he has for life. I had a pleasure of interviewing Steve Beal and The Coffee House has the pleasure of him perform there. Rather it is in his art, music, or helping someone with their fitness. We should all thank him for what he has done with our community. Keep on going Steve Beal.