Photo credit: Mike Lee

What a powerful realization, to understand that we can’t always rescue the ones we love.

The Steel Wheels examine the limited power mere mortals possess on “Hero,” their new single from the forthcoming album, Sideways (Feb. 9). The single was inspired by frontman Trent Wagler trying to help one of his children through a mental health crisis, and the ensuing realization that we can’t always be the hero in everyone’s story.

“‘Hero’ was written to describe the way we all cast ourselves in the leading role of our story, while also touching on some of the particular pitfalls of a white, straight, cis-gendered man trying to ‘help’ or ‘fix’ situations where I just need to be in a supporting role,” shares Wagler. “I wrote this song in the midst of trying to help my child in a serious mental health crisis, needing to be OK with it being their story, and really taking a back seat to try to listen and understand exactly what they were needing in the moment, rather than what I needed to tell them about the situation they were in.” 

“Hero” is accompanied by a music video featuring the band in a contemplative dance routine opposite Wagler’s daughter and several of her friends, all of whom are enrolled in Virginia Commonwealth University’s dance and choreography program. At first, the two “troupes” perform separately, as if to illustrate the disconnect between the “fixer” and individual in crisis. In the end, however, the two sides come together, demonstrating the shared understanding that comes from listening to the needs of another.