Students often view their teachers as void of lives or hobbies outside of their work. For Parkway School District teachers Mike Steep and Matt Wall, this couldn’t be further from their reality. By day, Steep teaches middle school band at Northeast Middle, while Wall is the digital media program director for the district’s Spark! program. By night, however, the two play 1990s and early-2000s covers in their band, DadBod.
The longtime friends grew up making music together in middle and high school ensembles. Steep, who is the band’s bassist, initially approached Wall with the idea. Although Wall — DadBod’s multi-instrumentalist — had been in rock bands before, he viewed DadBod as a musical opportunity that would be new for the both of them.
“Mike hadn’t really tackled a rock band before, and I think he kind of had this itch,” Wall said. “ I didn't think it was going to evolve into anything besides just hanging out and playing some tunes, but we felt good about the way it sounded and just went from there.”
They played their first gig in October 2022 at Sky Music Lounge in Ballwin. Nearly two years later, DadBod has a loyal millennial following that flock to venues across St. Louis County to hear the band. Some of those dedicated fans are fellow teachers.
“This is the music we grew up listening to, so it's nice to actually go out and have music we can relate to, [that we] sang along to when we were little and also see people we spend days with at school. [We] get to see them up there living their best lives,” said Parkway South High teacher Ashley Winslow.
Wall and Steep’s former students have also come to their shows, where they note surprise with the band’s range.
“Some of the songs they were playing, I did not expect them to play. I'll tell you that, but it was very, very good,” said Wall’s former student Duncan Saxon, who went to his first DadBod show in July. “I loved that they jumped between country, rap, rock. It was awesome.”
Despite what might be thought of as an awkward interaction, the presence of former students is actually a “cool thing to see,” Wall said.
“I've seen former students at shows – and I don't know that they're coming – and they approach me in between sets or after the gig, and it takes me back for a second, but it's been super, super fun,” Steep said.
DadBod is primarily a space for Steep and Wall to exist outside of the school curriculum, but the band has also helped them connect with their colleagues.
“Having Matt be in this band and seeing him perform, I have a better respect and understanding of how he approaches his education and how he approaches teaching music to kids because he has real world experience,” said Parkway South High choir teacher Taylor Hawkins. “And it's better for me, too, where the colleague-to-colleague relationship is built and stronger because now that I know what he’s capable of, that helps me.”
By going all in and pursuing the initial “itch” that is DadBod, the educators are also better able to relate to their students.
“I love the saying, ‘When words fail, music speaks,’” said Steep. “That's something that I carry with me all the time. It doesn't matter what type of music that I'm playing, there's passion behind it because it's something that is so powerful. I hope I relay that to the kids that I work with.”
To learn about the origins of the band’s name, why they decided to exclusively play '90s and 2000s music and hear a couple of DadBod’s covers, listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube or by clicking the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Ulaa Kuziez, Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. Roshae Hemmings is our production assistant. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
Related Event
What: DadBod at Trainwreck Saloon Westport
When: Aug. 31, TBD
Where: 314 W Port Plaza Drive, St. Louis, MO 63146
