As artists wanting to relate with their fans, the decision to leave their hometown of Pittsburgh more than 500 miles in the rear view mirror is giving Sara Zebley and Hayley Prosser a lot to write about. The country-folk duo known as Steel Blossoms decided to leave the shelter of Western Pennsylvania so that they may chase their dreams in Nashville, Tennessee. Steel Blossoms, who are giving away free downloads of the band's music at www.SteelBlossoms.com, is experiencing a growth spurt not just in the hearts and minds of Zebley and Prosser, but also in their music business. Performing formerly as “Girlz in Black Hats”, Zebley and Prosser say the move to Nashville included a decision to rebrand their act. The decision was not made lightly. “I think it was a combination of growing out of that name and realizing that it didn't fit the brand we were trying to portray,” says Zebley. “We changed it because we realized the old name was more of a cowgirl-country name and that just didn't describe our original music anymore.” “As we grew up, our music styles changed,” adds Prosser. “Our lyrics became more serious as our songwriting improved and, over time, the music we were playing did not fit the former image.” A chance meeting at a local festival in Western Pennsylvania led to the very first conversation between Sara and Hayley. As both artists explain, Sarah was already performing under the “Girlz in Black Hats” name when that meeting took place. “I first saw Hayley at the festival and I remember thinking she had a really great voice,” Sara explains. “It wasn't until a year or so later that we met at another mutual gig and she was better then than the previous time I saw her.” Fortunately there was chemistry leading to a budding friendship because, years later, Sara found herself having to audition new singers for the band. That is when she reached out to Hayley. “Sara called me when I was a freshman in college,” Hayley remembers. “She told me she was looking for a singer and that the band was holding auditions.” The rest, as they say, is history. The band performed live multiple times each week and managed to build up a strong fan base throughout Western Pennsylvania. However the decision to relocate to Nashville loomed and presented Sara and Hayley with many open doors. “There are performance opportunities every single day in Nashville,” Sarah points out. “And that is at all hours of the day. We couldn't play seven times a week in Pittsburgh because there aren't enough thriving venues. I think we needed to move away from normalcy to be able to dedicate ourselves to music 24/7.” “In Nashville, we play four hours a day during various shifts,” Hayley adds. “Some start as early as 11 am and go as late as 2:30 in the morning. Those shifts just weren't available in Pittsburgh. And there are also multiple writers nights every night of the week.” Making the move a little bit easier was the fact that the two had already made several in-roads with folks living in Nashville, one of whom was former Taylor Swift manager Rick Barker. Barker is also the creator of Music Industry Blueprint, a development service teaching singers and musicians about the inner-workings of the music industry and how to market themselves via social media. “The biggest thing that we have learned from Rick,” says Hayley, “is that this business is all about relationships, relationships, relationships.” “He has also taught us how to use social media as a tool to connect with fans that don't live near us,” claims Sara. “We want to know who they are and what they like so that our music can relate to what they are going through.” That emphasis on communicating with fans and building up relationships doesn't appear only on social media; it also shines through when Steel Blossoms perform live. Sara and Hayley are both quick to point out that the personal touch is something they are using to separate themselves from everybody else in a very crowded music industry. “The shows are conversational,” describes Hayley. “We really focus on positive vibes and greet everyone when they walk in the doors. We are there to make them happy and we aren't afraid to tell people in the audience about our own lives and struggles.” “We love laughing and having fun with the audience,” says Sara. “We are definitely serious about our music careers but our live shows still have comedy and substance.” Both Zebley and Prosser are optimistic about the future of Steel Blossoms. In a world where the majority is paralyzed by potential failure, both Sara and Hayley have refused to be intimidated. “I felt fear when we moved,” Sara admits. “Leaving all that I knew was terrifying but I just knew that I was going to thrive in Nashville.” “This town is full of incredible musicians and thousands of people in a mile who have the same goal as you,” says Hayley. “The biggest pressure is standing out.” But they are doing just that. One show at a time. One laugh at a time. One handshake at the door at a time.