Joe grew up in NJ, and became fascinated with the electric guitar after hearing the Venture’s Walk Don’t Run and Pipeline. After a year of lessons, he was gifted his first real guitar, which he still has.

His first band, The 007s, played songs by artists such as The Monkees and The Searchers. The music from 1968-1972 (Led Zeppelin, Grand Funk, Black Sabbath) helped shape Joe’s style. After moving to Bel Air, he played in several local bands – 195, Circle of Fire, and Tainted Souls.

Karen grew up in Elkridge, MD. Although she had no vocal training, she enjoyed singing along to Stevie Nicks, Wynonna Judd and Tanya Tucker. She started her musical career when her dad bought a set of drums and decided to start a band. After searching unsuccessfully for a lead singer, Karen asked if she could give it a try and nailed down the job for Crossfire. Over the years, personnel changed, and band names changed to The 8* Day and Flashpoint, and finally, Wasted Gravity.

In 2013, Joe answered an ad for a lead guitarist and auditioned for Wasted Gravity, and that’s when Karen and Joe started playing music together. When the pandemic hit and put the music scene on hold, the band resorted to online practices. The practices didn’t go as well as expected and eventually, Joe and Karen were the only ones to continue. The vision changed and Joe swapped out his electric guitar for an acoustic guitar. Their repertoire grew and when outdoor venues started to re-open, One Step Down played its first gig in October 2020. Their love for many different musical genres shaped their style. Ask what kind of music they play, and they will respond, “Patsy Cline and Nancy Sinatra to Metallica and Iron Maiden and everything in between!”