Through performances at house shows and the bar and club scene of Buffalo, there were enough places for developing musicians to flourish in Western New York.
Gernhart ended up working in sound engineering, while Buffalo native Ryskalczyk took her time finding her place in the city; she was a nanny before fully immersing herself in the Brooklyn DIY music scene.
[6] In 2016, Bethlehem Steel was also named by USA Today's FTW!Culture writer Nate Scott as one of 14 bands that impressed at SXSW.
"[7] The Village Voice wrote: "Even though Bethlehem Steel's music retains some lo-fi elements and a punk ethos, the foundation built for a bigger, more accessible sound is a sturdy one.
"[1] Nick Sessanna of Buffalo-based music source, Buffablog, explained Bethlehem Steel: "Try to imagine Waxahatchee fronting Pinkerton-era Weezer for a second… If that’s too obscure, other comparisons could be drawn to buzzing indie queens Courtney Barnett, Colleen Green, or even Rochester’s Pleistocene.
"[8] With the release of their first studio album, BrooklynVegan's Andrew Sacher describes the record's sound as "It’s kinda got a Waxahatchee vibe in the way it combines singer/songwriter type stuff with loud, crunchy indie rock, and singer Rebecca Ryskalczyk’s truly soaring voice makes Bethlehem Steel really stand out.