We recently had the chance to connect with Stephen Pappas and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Stephen, thank you so much for taking time out of your busy day to share your story, experiences and insights with our readers. Let’s jump right in with an interesting one: What are you being called to do now, that you may have been afraid of before?
Ever since I launched my band and found my footing in the music industry, I had always hoped that I do more than just make music. I’m not saying that I don’t love what I do, but I find more clarity when I’m doing charity work. It’s something I always wanted to do, but I didn’t have enough knowledge to get there. I don’t enjoy playing live for any praise or affirmation upon myself. I don’t need that. If I can use my platform to help people with cancer and donate to research centers across the country, Im happy. I never got into music wanting to be famous. I just wanted to make songs build a platform in a brand and give quietly from the heart.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My father is a classical guitar teacher and composer. I grew up hearing renaissance era pieces of music throughout the house. When I was In elementary school I was obsessed with Walkmans and CD players. I was always off on my own with headphones listening to pop on local radio stations. I found mixing and production fascinating. I started to understand the relationship between bass and guitar in a song and how those things related to the vocal melody and what the drummer was playing. Sometimes I would hear one thing going on in my right ear and something different in my left ear like a repeating vocal or a big reverb on a guitar. It seemed like magic and I had no idea how those effects were done but wanted to know. It wasn’t until my freshman year of high school that I decided to commit myself to the guitar. I spent thousands of hours watching DVDs and going to concerts and studying different artists and guitarists. I took in as much inspiration as I could. When Youtube and Myspace came around that changed everything for me. I started to see that the internet was slowly circumventing the music industry and that I could make connections with people from other states and share ideas with like-minded people. The internet opened up opportunities for DIY artists like myself to have a platform and reach.
I am a songwriter at heart, it’s my passion to write songs with memorable melodies and hooks. I had a lot of song ideas but I didn’t have the studio knowledge or the gear to record my ideas. I met some like-minded local musicians that introduced me to “self-production”. That was the beginning of a personal awakening for me. I realized that I could take the power Into my own hands in a home studio environment and have complete artistic control and ultimately release songs on the internet and build a catalog. I started making demos back in 2011 of the current album that you hear today. In those early days I learned as much as I could and over time I decided I wanted to be a music producer. My goal at the time was to write and record my own album and use that as a resume to break into the music industry. So I wrote the best batch of music that I could and themed a story around it. (I’m really into motifs in music and recurring themes).
In the spring of 2016 I met a singer named Daniel Tompkins based out of England. He’s the lead singer for a band called TesseracT. Dan also runs an online vocal coaching school. I decided to take private singing lessons with him over Skype as a part of his vocal coaching program. I wanted to sing my own songs and be conditioned enough to track in a studio. In the fall of 2016 Daniel introduced me to another producer named Randy Slaugh based out of Salt Lake City. Randy has worked with artists like David Archuleta and bands like Periphery, Sleeping with Sirens, it was a real honor to have Randy involved.
Those early demos came in handy and opened the door for me to work with highly respected musicians. I’m lucky that they liked what I was doing and they were willing to get involved. I took private lessons with Daniel for three years and tried to be the best student I could be. During that time I invested in my own personal studio and learned from Daniel how to record and edit my own vocal takes.
Around the time I met Daniel, I also met a mixer and engineer named Josh Roman who owns and runs Mind Rocket Recording Studio. I spent my time from 2016 – 2020 saving money and recording my album Lullaby. It was a grind. I was being coached by music industry veterans while working a day job and recording in a professional studio while doing pre-production at home. I was also booking shows across Ohio and taking my project live. 2018 to 2020 was very difficult. My mother was an 8-time cancer survivor and wrote a book called “Courage Hope and Healing”. She passed away on March 2nd, 2020. My album took on new meaning and became a concept album based on my faith after living with a sick mother for 30 years. In the fall of 2020 I finally released Lullaby and vowed to carry on my mother’s work. I now have a platform to share her story and testimony along with my own testimony.
I’m currently leading the band Centre Piece as a singer, songwriter, and executive producer. When not performing, I also work as an artist consultant and producer on the behalf of other artists looking for guidance. From my experience, I help artists theme records and craft songs as a hands-on producer, arranger, and editor. I also work from home as a publishing, marketing, and music business consultant for bands and solo acts.
This has been the hardest thing I’ve ever done. You have to be willing to make sacrifices and accept the suffering along the way. You have to be good at budgeting your finances and show proper self control over your emotions and decision making skills and it varies depending on the situation. Staying humble and grateful will get you ahead especially when you are suffering for your art. Writing and recording while taking care of my mom was extremely hard and it took a real toll on my health physically and mentally. When one person gets sick in your family it affects everyone around that person. I went into financial debt and lost twenty pounds and my coworkers at my day job were helping me buy groceries. I developed ulcers and IBS. I didn’t let my health hold me back from finishing my album. I sang and gave it my all on the lullaby record. I remember there were days at the studio I felt like I was barely hanging on. I think I’ve entered a grace period now, some sort of providence under God. It took extreme suffering and turmoil to get here. I was making regular trips to my doctor around my work schedule. Working a day job to support this was tough.
I don’t know how I survived in that environment as well as I did while also managing a band, taking care of a sick mom, taking voice lessons, communicating with producers from different countries or states, staying on top of my voice, booking gigs, and bringing my pre-production to Mind Rocket for mixing late into the night. Even getting things like the artwork right and writing the lyrics was all a part of what felt like birthing pains. It’s a process most will never understand unless you have done it yourself. I would like to write a book about it. I’ve seen a lot from my short time in the music industry. You can’t come into an industry like this with a know it all attitude and expect the right industry people to enter your life.
A negative mindset won’t get you very far and if your cutting down other artists you are asking for your plug to be pulled. Doors will open if you can just enjoy the ride and trust God. Surround yourself with successful people that are living right and have a positive mindset. Get away from the dream killers and don’t become one yourself. The best advice I can give anyone looking to get started is to be coachable and seek out teachers that have a good head on their shoulders and are passionate about sharing their knowledge.
Our last show was March 2 of 2024, we’ve been on a hiatus and we have a comeback gig planned for the new year as well as new music for 2026. I’ve been laying low, experiencing life, and allowing myself to be inspired. Right now I’m working on getting into dance while writing for the next Centre Piece record, which has been coming along well. I may be branching out as a solo act. Nothing confirmed yet, but I have the music and it may involve dance and some choreography.
I’m also looking at different hospitals and research centers on the charity side. It’s my mission to donate money to benefit cancer patients and find a cure for thymoma.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. Who were you before the world told you who you had to be?
I like this question, I never let this world define me or influence me. I’ve always done my own thing and I’ve been consistent as my own person. When I was a kid in school, I was into what I was into, whether it was cool or not, even now at my age Im the same way. I don’t like following trends. Especially as an artist. If you have a vision or if you have conceptualized or dreampt something and you’re working on bringing that body of work into this physical realm, you want to stand out with it, you should want people to take notice that there’s something different about you than everybody else. What that looks like is up to the process but I know I’m well on my way there. I have my fans, a core group that is growing based on what I’m about which is putting yourself last, remaining small and hidden while putting God first and putting others first and giving quietly from the heart. I’m honest when I say that I don’t need the praise or the affirmation that you can get from a music career. I got more out of this than I could’ve ever hoped for. If I did ever get those things or major label interest and promotion like International tours, it would just be the icing on the cake and I would reach the world as a humanitarian.
I see a lot of young people following trends and I’m worried about where innovation and creativity is headed. I want young people to think for themselves and to not allow themselves to be conditioned by social and cultural engineering through social media.
I guess what I’m saying is as society goes one way downstream and culture moves one way, I’ve always moved in the opposite direction. I don’t conform to what’s in or what’s trending or what the popular movement is. I want to stand out and be different and I always have. Be your own person and have your influences and inspirations but never try to become who is on top in the game, learn from the greats and become better.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
Success can make you proud, but suffering makes you human. When you’ve gone through something difficult, you understand the quiet battles others face. That kind of empathy isn’t something achievement can teach. Suffering forces you to confront your limits and endure pain, uncertainty, or loss. That struggle teaches resilience in a way that success never could, because success often reinforces what’s already working rather than testing what happens when things fall apart. Suffering teaches humility, resilience, and empathy in a way that success never can. Success affirms what we already know, but suffering challenges who we are at our core. It strips away illusions, shows us what truly matters, and gives us the ability to connect with others in their pain. Without suffering, success is just achievement; with it, success becomes meaningful.
Suffering strips life down to essentials. It shows you what really matters, what you can live without, and what you should hold onto. Success might feel good, but it doesn’t give you the same clarity about what’s truly valuable.
Sure, so let’s go deeper into your values and how you think. What’s a belief or project you’re committed to, no matter how long it takes?
The project I’m committed to, no matter how long it takes, is using my music and personal growth journey as a way to create a lasting impact. As an artist, I’m building a body of work that reflects not just who I am but also the values I want to stand for. Beyond the music itself, I want to channel my platform into humanitarian work—supporting causes and people who need a voice. For me, it’s not just about an album release or a career milestone; it’s about dedicating my life to growth, creativity, and service, so that the art I make and the actions I take can truly help the world.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
I’d want people to say that I was an artist who poured my heart into the music, someone who created songs that outlived me and spoke to people’s souls. But I’d also hope they remember that I didn’t just make music for myself—I used it as a way to connect, to heal, and to give back. If my legacy is that I was an artist who inspired people through my work and a human being who tried to leave the world a little brighter, then I’ll have done what I came here to do.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.centrepieceband.com
- Instagram: @centrepieceband
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centrepieceband
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@centrepieceband
- Other: https://linktr.ee/Stephenpappas?fbclid=IwVERDUAMsGQBleHRuA2FlbQIxMAABHpeh51PTZmIrSuwUP1hHJD14lHXLhKQnC83ErcpCS5wQFy7GGxRhVsMZEp1Z_aem_4TxOhPtsIO2patPnKQuUlQ
Image Credits
SMD Photography
kellie Dunham Photography
Clifford Bozart
larisa Kerik
