Rising Stars: Meet Michael Bell

Today we’d like to introduce you to Michael Bell.

Hi Michael, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story? 
I have been a musician since age 14, following in my father’s footsteps. He was a drummer in several bands for years of my childhood, and when I got to be an older teenager, he was a roadie for several R&B Bands like the S.O.S. Band, Roger Trautman & Zapp, and One Way… just to name a few. I started doing R&B… and was the main songwriter as well as lead singer. 

I had a knack for songwriting, so didn’t just write for me; I wrote for other bands in the Columbus, Ohio, area. I had a lot of ups and downs when it came to success; bands would break up… when we had opportunities to get signed to a major label, inner conflicts, and a band member with a substance abuse problem kept us from progressing. I always kept writing an working on music. I eventually met Ty Williams, who has been a DJ in the Columbus area known as NordiQ and who is now signed to an indie label doing black metal under the moniker Manawydan; if you like black metal… you should definitely check him out. 

He and I started a band called Amalgamated Funk, which later was changed to Nomad Soul. As Amalgamated Funk we had a variety of sound, mostly R&B, but we would throw in some alternative and rock sounds, so to streamline our sound, we became Nomad Soul, which was more Alternative Rock mixed with some Drum & Bass. We regularly played a bar called Snaps & Taps on downtown Broad Street; they were known for having poetry slams as well as live music. We played there with the likes of Columbus’ own Doctah X, The Charles Cooper Quartet, Jacotti Sommes, and others. 

Nomad Soul eventually had to be put on hiatus, so I went out and became the frontman for an alternative rock band called Via Medina… though I wrote a ton of solid songs for them the band never took off like I thought it would. Nomad Soul did reunite to start recording; we did one song in studio before… once again we had to stop. That song “Land of the Lost” has been released under my name; it was just too good a song to leave sitting unreleased. 

I loved being in a band working with other artist in a collaborative setting, but alas… nothing ever panned out. Still… I continued to write, and when my mother died of Covid-19, I decided that instead of letting my grief get the best of me, that I would channel that into my music and getting my music out there solo. So, my first album, Extant, was released in March of 2022. I later re-released it as a Deluxe Edition with 5 additional songs. 

I consider myself a conscious musician and a spiritual musician; I keep my lyrics clean and try to be message-driven in my focus… of course, I have normal fun tracks mixed in, but for the most part… I am always looking for a way to reach people’s hearts and minds with what I say. There are plenty of other artist out there who make party club music, so for me… I feel it is important to have something positive to say when I am on the microphone. In my songs, I openly talk about dealing with depression, disability, and other life challenges not only faced by me but also many others in this world. I want people to know they are not alone and that there are other people going through the same thing. 

My 2nd album, entitled “CR!T!CAL TXMES!” released in May of this year. The production on that album was all done by my good friend Ty, aka NordiQ/Manawydan, who has also given me 5 new tracks to work on for a Nomad Soul release, which I am excited about. I am also working on producing music for my 3rd album, which I plan on releasing in 2024, while still working on the Nomad release and working with a NY producer known as Flip My Beatz, so there are a lot of things coming up on the horizon. 

I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It has not been easy; 2023 has been difficult for me… I was laid off September 2022, and it took me long time to find work, which is difficult when I fund a lot of my own projects; thanks to my Uncle Edmond, he help fund some of my studio time and also was able to get a small music grant, so that I could complete my album this year. I finally made it bad to work but had to go through my savings to stay afloat, and now my wife is out of a job, hopefully, that will be remedied soon. I have also had health issues this year that have made things even more difficult, but music brings me joy, and I will continue to fight through. 

Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I love to write… love to write everything: lyrics, poetry, short stories, and I am even working on a novel, but I think that is my main strength. I have some many songs sitting that need released, and if not performed by me… I need to get other artist to perform them because they are moving and tell great stories. Yes, I rap, but that is not all I am as a songwriter… If I could play the guitar as well as some of the people I’ve worked with in the past, then I would probably only be doing singer/songwriter music. I have a lot more to share with the world. 

Alright, so to wrap up, is there anything else you’d like to share with us?
If you are disabled, don’t give up on your dreams, and don’t let anyone tell you that you can’t succeed. We don’t hear enough of everyone’s story, personal journey, or how they may have overcome obstacles. I want to find more people like me, who despite struggles, are still fighting every day to share what we have. If you know artist like me… in all fields, not just music, have them reach out to me at knoeticmusic@gmail.com, and let’s start a path together. 

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thepoeticknoetic/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThePoeticKnoetic
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/Knoetic1
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/knoetic