Steve Oppenheimer grew up playing music, as did his younger brother, known as Larry The O. Steve was seven when he made his TV debut singing "Big Rock Candy Mountain" on a children's show. After high school he toured with several bands before attending Berklee College of Music in Boston. His brother, who attended the college at the same time, went on to do freelance work writing for Mix magazine. In November 1987, Larry the O introduced Steve to members of the staffs of Mix and Electronic Musician magazines, and Steve almost immediately began freelancing as a copyeditor for both magazines. In January 1988, Steve was hired as a Mix and EM editor, moving to EM full time a few months later.