MOVE - ISSUE 11

MOVE Piece by piece 11.02.12 VOLUME 11 ISSUE 11

THE KEY TO YOUR ENTERTAINMENT

Meet the Patchwork Project's bands inside

+ PATCHIN' UP A QUILT COMO'S FIRST PATCHWORK PROJECT SPOTLIGHTS TUNES, TALENT AND SOME REALLY WEIRD BAND NAMES HEY, MR. DJ MOVE CHATS IT UP WITH JAY FAY BEFORE HIS BITCHIN' ELECTRO TOUR MUSICAL MAE-NIAC SINGER/SONGWRITER/ STUDENT AMANDA MAE PREPARES TO DROP A SINGLE ON ITUNES

feedback JACKSON FARLEY

on Shiny Toy Guns’ III

Shiny Toy Guns re-found their ‘shine’

Reunions are a beautiful thing.

A soldier returning from war to see his family. Christmas dinner with the extended family (although some would argue about how “beautiful” that really is…). Peanut butter and jelly meeting up with a tender embrace on a nice slab of white bread.

Oh, and also the re-joining of singer Carah Faye Charnow to rock band Shiny Toy Guns for their third studio album, III. After a long four years without a CD and without Charnow, Shiny Toy Guns is back in business with not only a new album, but also the original singer that everyone had grown to love so dearly.

Released on October 26, III is a kickin’ album with potential to be in the running for best album of the year as a mix of good ole’ rock and electro-pop dripping with synth-love.

The album starts off strong with “Somewhere To Hide,” one of those songs that’s so incredibly catchy that by the last few choruses, you’re already singing along. “Somewhere To Hide” is a perfect combination of Charnow’s smooth voice, gritty synths and the elements of your everyday rock band, blended up nicely and served in a tall glass over ice. Oh, and there’s definitely a cherry on top.

“Waiting Alone,” “Carrie” and “Speaking Japanese” can all be summed up in one word: loud. Infectious hooks, grungy beats and sassy lyrics all define these tracks. These tracks also have a nice ‘80s feel, so for those interested in a little blast for the past, you might like one of these.

While mostly heard in backgrounds of tracks or used as harmony, guitarist and vocalist Chad Petree’s voice can be easily looked over when Charnow is on the front lines. However, “Mercy” is quite the exception. Claiming almost the entire song as his territory, Petree really struts his stuff on this song and showcases his dreamy voice.

“Wait 4 Me” and “E V A Y” are two more tracks oozing with electro-pop goodness. These tracks are very representative of III as a whole: enough traditional rock elements, enough synth and enough pure awesome. These songs are what would happen if MGMT bred with Paper Route and then with The Temper Trap.

It’s a lot of breeding, but that’s totally what it’d be like.

Now, take a breath. After 10 tracks of upbeat dance music, the final track on III slows things down a bit and changes moods completely. “Take Me Back To Where I Was,” another Petreeempowered track, focuses on piano and vocals. This track is simply breathtaking. Petree’s voice stirs a deep emotional feel and ends the track on an awe-inspiring note. “Take Me Back To Where I Was” is a lovely surprise, and although it may not resemble the rest of the album, I think fans will be completely fine with it.

So, the question of the hour: is Shiny Toy Guns better with Carah Charnow back? Was her presence on III a huge step up from Season of Poison? Would III have been less impressive without her? I would dare to answer yes to all of those questions. Sure, the band’s previous album, Season of Poison, was a substantially good album. However, without Charnow, I’m not sure it unlocked its full potential. Let’s face it, without Charnow, Shiny Toy Guns just wasn’t as shiny (and nobody likes Dull Toy Guns). But, in the end, good prevailed. Shiny Toy Guns re-found their shine.

/cover photo/SARAH BELL design/Savannah kannberg interns/anDREA GONZALES-PAUL, KENDYL KEARLY, MADISON FELLER EDITOR/DELIA CAI

the patchwork project

Battle of bands sews local musicians together If musicians were pieces of cloth, then Dave Kemper, founder of the Columbia Missouri Music Scene Facebook page, would be the one holding the needle, sewing them together.

Tonight, Roxy’s, a party bar on East Broadway, will host Kemper’s brain child, the Patchwork Project, a battle of the bands bringing together musicians who were total strangers before the competition.

It all started two months ago when 70 local musicians applied for a spot to play in the project. Kemper put the names of the best 25 applicants into a hat and randomly sorted them into five separate bands.

Each band consists of a guitarist, vocalist, bassist, drummer and auxiliary instrumentalist, all ranging from 19-40 in age. The resulting “patchwork” bands had six weeks to get acquainted, work together and come up with a 30-minute setlist that included a Beatles cover. At the final battle tonight, the winning band will take home $500.

“I thought of it a couple years ago and kind of had it in the back of my head,” Kemper says of the project. “The idea basically just came from our desire to create some enthusiasm for the local music scene.”

Unlike today’s music competitions, there will not be a Randy, Paula or Simon to decide the winner. Instead, audience members will be given a ticket to vote for their favorite band.

“There’s only one person in the world that has heard all five bands, and it’s me,” Kemper says. “And they are a lot better than I expected them to be.”

There’s one band in particular that Kemper says he believes might be the best band in Columbia, but you’ll have to see for yourself which one it is.

Roxy’s is hosting the event to strengthen an already thriving music scene.

“I don’t know how they did it in five weeks, but they’ve got very intricate, well-written, well-performed, dynamic songs with a unique style,” he says of the mystery band. “I would expect to be impressed, and if you’re going just to watch a train wreck, go to a different bar because there are going to be five good bands.”

Although Kemper is full of compliments for each band, the journey wasn’t always rainbows and sunshine. A few participants dropped out a third of the way through, forcing Kemper to replace them with other applicants who hadn’t been initially accepted.

“The funny part is that the people that we replaced them with have been some of the more enthusiastic members and some of the more talented members,” he says. “It is interesting to see how well these people have gotten along and how well these people have worked together.”

As competition day dawns upon us, the bands practice in hopes of taking home the cash at the end of the night.

“I’m excited, but I’m already thinking about the second one,” he says.

To keep people updated on future projects, Kemper says he uses the Columbia Missouri Music Scene Facebook page. He says the page also unites bands and promotes local music. For example, music enthusiasts can find future shows posted on the page and trust that they’ll be good performances.

“We appreciate the support Columbia has given us and an event like this can only happen in a town with the amount of talent and the amount of enthusiasm towards local music that we have,” Kemper says. “It definitely makes me proud to be living and working in a town like this.” andrea gonzales-paul | staff writer

band one Chalkboard Dinosaur anything but dusty » The indie-folk rock band says it’s got something the other bands don’t.

A cozy living room with amps on coffee tables, audio equipment in every possible alcove and a mixing board on the dining room table: Chalkboard Dinosaur thrives in its natural habitat.

Violet Vonder Haar, Patrick Matticker, Trevor Judkins, Jordan Lamb and Rob Watson make up the eccentric band behind its equally quirky name. “Chalkboard Dinosaur” was the brainchild of bassist Jordan Lamb’s misinterpretation of a past conversation, and according to Lamb, it has been festering in his mind ever since.

“We all agreed to it immediately,” says Matticker, the rhythm guitarist. “It was something that was catchy.”

Choosing the band’s name was the easiest part. The group faced difficulties such as finding power and band members, but Matticker says the struggle was a welcome one. Vonder Haar, the latest Dinosaur addition, helped to make the band’s predicaments prehistoric. Providing a source for lyrics and acoustic tunes, Vonder Haar has proven herself to be an asset to the otherwise all male group.

At a recent practice, Chalkboard Dinosaur worked on hammering out the details of its cover of The Beatles’ “Revolution.” Their Friday night performance will feature the cover as well as five original songs.

“We’re only 4 weeks old,” Lamb says of their progress. “We’re a baby band.”

Despite their short time together, the members of Dinosaur have solidified their sound. Vonder Haar describes the group’s music as indie-folk rock. On Pandora, you might find them on the same station as popular artists like Florence + the Machine (but they’re less experimental, they say).

Four weeks also proved to be plenty of time for the band to develop chemistry. According to Vonder Haar, once the group was officially set, they began practicing a few times a week. The Dino love is evident in the way the members related to one another at practice, constantly laughing and smiling.

“We treat it like hanging out and chilling,” drummer Rob Watson says. “It’s not like we have a set agenda.”

Rank in Friday’s battle will help determine if Chalkboard Dinosaur will stay together post-Patchwork.

“When you’ve already developed chemistry with people, it’s nice to come back and write something,” Matticker says.

According to the group, part of the excitement of the experience is finding out Friday night what the competition will be like.

Lamb says he wants to assure the public that Chalkboard Dinosaur is betterlooking than the other bands and, of course, completely humble. lauren rutherford | staff writer

BEATRIZ COSTA-LIMA | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

band two Well Hidden Wolf ready to unleash sound This Well Hidden Wolf is ready to break out of its cage.

The second of the Patchwork Project’s five bands, Well Hidden Wolf, consists of vocalist and guitarist Jarrod Turner, lead guitarist Bryan Degase, bassist Jeremiah Lotven, keyboardist Josh Chittum and drummer Phylshawn Johnson.

Keep an ear out for Well Hidden Wolf ’s cover of The Beatles’ “Octopus’s Garden,” which Lotven says was a good starting point for the group.

“It only took one to two practices before we had (‘Octopus’s Garden’) the way we wanted it,” Lotven says. “That’s the best part about having a cover is that it allows you to hit the ground running.”

Lotven says he felt lucky to have this lineup for the band and praised the raw skills of his band mates.

“I think we got stocked with talent,” he says.

“Phyl is an amazing drummer. I’d easily put her as one of the best drummers in the city. And our guitar player is outrageous. The first day of practice he kind of blew me away.”

Lotven says for each of the songs, a member of the band offered a riff, vocals or some other element that allowed them all to build into

The second Patchwork Project band draws on each member’s influences and songs.

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a full song more easily. Degase describes the band’s sound as a sort of funky drive-in rock, but that doesn’t mean Well Hidden Wolf fits into any one category.

“It’s difficult to group all of our songs for this set into one or two genres, because each song was literally written by a different person,” Lotven says. “It’s all rock ‘n’ roll pretty much, but I think each song kind of speaks to the person who wrote it.”

Degase says the different styles of the members will set the band’s live show apart from the others in the competition.

“We have a singer who’s country-driven and has a lower voice,” Degase says. “We have a song where our girl drummer sings and then we have a few instrumental songs. So there’s a wide variety in our set.”

Although the name of the group might sound like a typical college rock band’s moniker, Lotven had a more practical meaning behind its surface.

“No one has ever really heard of us before, but we’re pretty confident in what we have,” Lotven says. “We plan on coming out and melting faces, and hopefully people are pleasantly surprised.” alex bond | reporter

TIM NWACHUKWU | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

band The Wet Dream you won’t forget three »

reel reviews JOSH SIPP

mollie barnes | staff writer

Yes, you heard that band name right.

SARAH BELL | STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

»

“We got a bunch of people that are good at what they do,” Bobby Moenignann says.

For The Wet Dream, competition at the Patchwork Project finale will be … stiff, to say the least, since vocalist Jenny Teator will be squaring off against her boyfriend and Emigrate band member, Cy McConnell.

“We’ll see what happens,” Teator says. “That’s what makes it fun.”

Teator says The Wet Dream’s music — a mix of bluesy rock — will be a little more “provocative” than other bands … but that members are all looking forward to hearing what others have come up with to compete with The Wet Dream’s cover of The Beatles’ “Oh! Darling.”

For drummer Bobby Moenignann, the Patchwork Project was a way to dive headfirst into the local music scene after transferring to MU this year.

“It’s real cool to be meeting new musicians,” Moenignann says.

“It’s something different that you don’t normally do.”

At first, band members weren’t sure what they were getting themselves into. Nerves definitely played a part, says Teator, who had only seen drummer and accordion player Justin Craig play at open mic nights.

“We got a bunch of people that are good at what they do,” Moenignann says of the band roster. “We work well off each other it didn’t take us long to come up with songs.”

Although none of these band members knew each other six weeks ago, they say that now, they all get along fine. Teator is planning to shoot a music video for her personal musical project, and she says she’s asked The Wet Dream members to help.

“I actually need to get a set band, and I think they would step in since they already said they would for my music video,” she says.

Strangers no more, The Wet Dream members even go to shows outside of practice together. Chemistry like that could only have come out of a dream.

Blue Amberol: PFF (Patchwork band friends forever) four » This Patchwork band combines rock influences with lots of caffeine.

CAROLINE GOESSLING | PHOTOGRAPHER

Blue Amberol consists of Craig Wingate on drums, Nate White on guitar, Casey Conway on bass, Kyle Bellinger on vocals and David Augler playing both piano and trombone.

In the past six weeks, they’ve become a close-knit group bound by the music they create and a mutual adoration of Coffee Zone.

You would think the members of Blue Amberol have been friends for years. However, the band was originally put together as a group of complete strangers.

“I think that made it better — coming in without any sort of preconceived notion of what someone could do,” Augler says.

Although the bands were each assigned a Beatles cover (theirs is “Don’t Let Me Down”), Blue Amberol wrote its first

jessica allison | reporter

original song at its first Tuesday night rehearsal.

White says the creative process goes quite smoothly.

“Kyle opens up his notebook and starts singing his lyrics,” White says. “So we see what key he’s in, and the next thing we know, (Casey) has a riff for that.”

Despite the short deadline given by the Patchwork Project, getting organized and getting in groove hasn’t been difficult for Blue Amberol.

“There’s really no time that can be wasted because everything is moving forward,” Augler says. “That hasn’t been hard in this band. I think all of us have been dialed in since day one.”

So far, the band hasn’t experienced many problems at all (although apparently Bellinger’s back massages are less than stellar, White says). In fact, White says the biggest issue the band members have faced is working outside their comfort zones.

The contributions from each member are obvious in Blue Amberol’s style, which White describes as “Steely Dan meets Guns N’ Roses.”

Besides the unique style of music, the band has another feature setting it apart from the other groups: “The fact that we get along pretty well,” Wingate says with a laugh.

Even though Wingate says he believes their new friendship sets he and his band mates apart from other Patchwork bands, Blue Amberol members have not discussed whether they will stay together after the finale tonight.

“After we’re done, we said we would sit down and talk,” Bellinger says.

Let’s all hope they do stay together. There aren’t enough friendly, back-massaging, Coffee Zone-loving bands around anymore.

band Emigrate to a new sound five For six weeks, former strangers Mitch Hughey, Todd Pemberton, Brad Leatherman, Cy McConnell and Andrew Camp formed the Patchwork Project band Emigrate to create a sound all their own. Their setlist Friday consists of covers of Mumford & Sons’ “I Will Wait,” The Beatles’ “Come Together” and a variety of original Emigrate music.

“We’re essentially all kinds of songwriters,” drummer Mitch Hughey says. “So, we compiled material we had done on our own.”

Hughey and percussionist Pemberton say band practices have gone very well and the band works well together in the relaxed mindset that the Patchwork Project affords. The short-term nature of the project allows the band to focus on the music without any bickering or pressure to develop a long-term sound, Pemberton says.

The five members of Emigrate are each involved in their own bands outside of the Patchwork Project and come from different musical backgrounds. Lead singer Camp has a wide vocal range, and bassist McConnell brings a lot of funky groove to the band, says Pemberton, who describes himself as the band’s wildcard musician.

“It would be crazy to try to put a genre on us,” Pemberton

The five-man piece promises twice the percussion and grooved-up covers.

says. “It’s definitely a hybrid — a collaboration of the different music tastes.”

To give an example, Pemberton says that Emigrate’s rendition of “Come Together” will have a funkier groove and even a bit of a Latin influence with aid of his additional percussion.

Though Emigrate has no plan to stay together after tonight, Pemberton and Hughey both say that the Patchwork Project battle will be more about the music than the competition.

“Patchwork is meant to galvanize the community and bring people out to support each other’s bands,” Hughey says.

Pemberton says the project has gathered the “cream of the crop” from the local music scene.

“People don’t always realize how much talent there is in Columbia,” he says. “It’s really going to show what some of the local musicianship does.” leslie howard | reporter

Spice up your boring Twitter feed. Follow @ManeaterMOVE

on ‘Cloud Atlas’

At least it wasn’t longer My time is not very valuable. I spend multiple hours a day watching TV and staring at my fantasy football team, hoping that somehow the combined force of all of the minutes I stare at players’ names will somehow compel them to get better. I feel the need to establish that because I’m genuinely angry with everyone involved with the movie adaptation of David Mitchell’s book, “Cloud Atlas,” for wasting two hours and 45 minutes of my life that I could have been staring at a different screen. And my screen wouldn’t charge me $5.00 for a soda.

I should mention that “Cloud Atlas” isn’t a terrible movie. The Wachowski siblings (Lana and Andy) along with the third co-director Tom Tykwer actually made what would have been a reasonably good movie if it weren’t so painfully long. The story itself is very riveting with basically five different mini-movies: a young man sailing back home to San Francisco, a new composer being mentored by an old great, a publisher’s struggle with life, a woman’s fight against slavery in the future and a goat herder’s journey in the apocalyptic aftereffect of the revolution. These stories somehow connect to each other, yet the overall effect of the movie is a relatively boring one.

The overall production value of the movie was great, which is to be expected of any movie that spends an estimated $100 million dollars among three directors and production costs, according to IMDb. “Cloud Atlas” has some great special effects throughout the futuristic scenes and has wonderfully grandiose, historic shots in the older scenes, which help make the movie very beautiful. On top of all that, the soundtrack to the movie is great, especially during the composer’s storyline, further enhancing the “prettiness” of the film.

Tom Hanks delivers a great performance in the several roles he plays throughout the film. The recurrence of actors seems like it would either be annoying or confusing, and at times it did feel a little forced (Hugh Grant in a fat suit and some painfully obvious make-up to make him look to be about 80), but overall it wasn’t hard to keep track of who was connected to whom. Hugo Weaving (“V for Vendetta”, The Matrix Trilogy) is his usual long-winded and dramatic self, and Halle Berry delivers a sold performance alongside Tom Hanks. But previously unheard-of Ben Whishaw (appearing in “Skyfall” as Q in November) really steals the screen during the storyline where he stars as Robert Frobisher and portrays the character incredibly well.

The biggest problem with “Cloud Atlas” is the length of the film itself. By the end, I simply didn’t care about what happened to anyone. Two hours and 45 minutes is a long time to spend with these characters, and I feel terrible for saying it, but they just become stale after a while. Some of the story lines, like the composer’s, held my attention most of the way through, yet the publisher’s story quickly turned into one I couldn’t feel any less about. It was an average movie overall, but it’s hard to justify setting aside nearly three hours for an average movie.

And I know I can’t really gripe about much of the story since the writers were adapting a book, but having not read the book, I was left feeling like I missed some important, overarching theme.

The interconnectivity of the characters and story lines is neat, but that was seemingly all it was: neat. I was expecting to see a series of actions and repercussions, but it felt much more like watching origin stories. There was no real sense that something might be affected later in the future based on the actions taken during whichever storyline you were in, which, again, unless I missed something, seemed to be the point of the movie.

Overall, “Cloud Atlas” deserves a solid 3.5 clouds out of 5, if it weren’t nearly three hours long. As it is, it is simply a gorgeous movie with a few compelling points and a vague overarching theme that seems half-baked. Lovers of the book will probably love the movie, and I’m going to chalk that one up to them understanding something that I didn’t get from the film. So, despite being quality enough for a 3.5, “Cloud Atlas” receives 2.5 clouds for being annoyingly long.

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move.themaneater.com Preview: Badfish pays tribute to Sublime at The Blue Note Wednesday.

Fitness: Abbie Wenthe on shamelessly napping.

Books: Jennifer Bennett on the irresistibility of cookbooks.

Review: Aladdin’s Hookah Lounge as the newest spot to breathe easy.

And so much freaking more on our blogs!

11.02.12 • MOV E

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style files CLAIRE BOSTON

Mixing and mashing to stardom katherine knott | staff writer

on how to freshen up your fall wardrobe

Break your fall fashion rut Barely two months ago, I was waxing poetic about how excited I was for fall. Now that it’s here, I’m cold. Since Missouri weather decided to throw us a few nice days after a preview of winter, now is a great time to keep rocking your favorite fall outfits. But if you find yourself reaching for that go-to ensemble for what seems like the hundredth time this season, try refreshing your look with these small outfit updates.

You’re probably tired of the usual dark nail colors that come out each fall, but now that fancy nail art is having a major moment in the fashion world, trying out a funky new style is an excellent way to subtly upgrade your outfit. Try to pick out a base color that complements whatever you’re wearing, but feel free to go wild with patterns and designs. Stripes and polka dots are interesting and surprisingly easy to transfer to nails — for simple designs, the only extra material you’ll need is scotch tape. Check out YouTube tutorials for inspiration and easy how-to guides.

On chillier days, add some new life to your short-sleeved dresses by layering them over long-sleeve blouses. Layering won’t work for all dress styles, but many cap-sleeve and jumper style dresses pair well with long sleeves, and adding a collar to an outfit is a fun way to look just a tad more dressed up. For the easiest contrast, try layering a neutralcolored blouse, although some patterned shirts may work under solid colored dresses. This style can also be a way to get a little extra wear out of those sheer blouses from summer — the dress will keep you warm, but the light fabric of the blouse helps keep outfits from looking frumpy.

Alternatively, if any of the Oxfords in your closet are running just a bit big on you, leave the shirt unbuttoned and throw it over your outfit in place of a sweater or jacket. Chambray, denim and flannel fabrics work particularly well as over-layers, so if you don’t have the perfect oversized shirt hanging in your closet, try your luck with thrift stores or your boyfriend’s closet.

For an outfit update that will cost you almost nothing, head straight to the hosiery section of your favorite store. Let a pair of fun socks peek out from the tops of your boots (this is a particularly popular option for rain boots, but will work equally well with leather boots), or if you’re particularly daring — and willing to brave the chill — let a pair of bright tights be the focal point of an otherwise neutral outfit.

It may be hard to believe, but alternatives to jeans and yoga pants that will still keep you comfy do exist. To mix up your look, try out a pair of corduroys or khakis. I know any non-denim pant might remind you of unfortunate school uniform or job interview attire, but stick to skinny or narrow-leg styles, and these pants can be as on-trend as your favorite pair of jeans.

Seeing as it’s barely November, it’s a bit early to begin thinking about true winter clothes, but it’s definitely not a bad time to buy some cold weather accessories. On chilly mornings you’ll get use out of whatever hats, gloves or scarves you buy now, and your new purchases are still bound to go well with both your favorite fall leather jacket and your perfect winter wool peacoat.

Why aren't you following MOVE on Instagram yet? @ManeaterMOVE

PHOTO COURTESY OF DUSTY KESSLER

MU sophomore Josh Fagin looks like your typical college student sitting in Memorial Union, but in reality, he is far from ordinary.

Just this past Monday, Fagin left Columbia for Las Vegas to kick off the two month-long Church of Bass tour with electro acts ill.Gates and Stephan Jacobs. On tour, he is no longer Josh Fagin but DJ Jay Fay, a rising star in the electronic music industry.

In the past year, Fagin opened with G-Eazy for Drake and Tyga as well as for Steve Aoki at The Blue Note. Fashion designer Alexander Wang even used Fagin’s track, “Bonkers,” during his New York Fashion Week runway show.

The turning point in Fagin’s music career occurred last October when he sent tracks to Dillon Francis, a DJ who inspires Fagin. Francis became

Singer keeps independent voice kendyl kearly | reporter

MU freshman Amanda Mae has more to say in her songs than typical dance lyrics and moody, lovesick lines.

Amanda Mae has always had a strong voice.

She began singing and recording at the age of 5. Now, the independent singer and songwriter Amanda Mae Wells has performed in St. Louis, Atlanta and Chicago. She has 11,000 followers on Twitter (@ADayInMae) and will release her single “Love Again” on iTunes on Nov. 30. Her first EP will be out by the end of January and she’s performing and hosting a concert Jan. 5 for her afterschool music program for local kids, STEREO. Wells started out playing at open mic nights with her acoustic guitar when she arrived in Columbia to attend MU. But when local DJs asked her to make music with them, Wells created her own genre of dance music that combined her traditional acoustic sound with hip-hop. Her sound has been described as a female Drake and a mix of Adele and Rihanna, according to her Facebook page.

“I always have something specific to say,” she says of her music. “Not every song has to be pretty. People said, ‘Amanda, your first single should be a love song.’ Girls have more in their brains than love! There’s so much more to a woman than that. Like most women, I’m layered. I don’t just think about boys.”

Growing up, Amanda says she was inspired by tough, female musicians like Alanis Morissette, Jewel, Ann and Nancy Wilson of Heart, and Chrissie Hynde of the Pretenders.

“I thought they were so strong, so confident,” she says. “They weren’t scared of what people would think. And for this, we remember them. I wanted people to remember me like that.”

As a result, Wells wants to make use of her talents to set a similar example.

More than a hard rock name trio, The Many Colored » Local Death, likes to get technical.

PHOTO COURTESY OF KEVIN DINGMAN

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his first big supporter and connected him with other DJs. “That is when it became less of dream and more of an actual reality,” says Fagin, who began his career doing mash-ups as a high school junior.

Today, that reality is manifest in his fall tour, which includes stops in 13 states and Canada.

Fagin says he’s both excited and nervous for the tour. He didn’t get to travel as a kid, so this presents an opportunity for him to see the country.

He says he’s also excited to meet new people and just hang out.

When it comes to describing his sound, Fagin says it can’t be described with just one word — and that’s the way he likes it.

“I like pulling from a lot of different genres,” Fagin says. “I never want to pigeonhole myself.”

Right now, Fagin says he is experimenting with a genre called Moombahton, which he describes as the perfect fusion of every genre.

While he may be a rock star on the road, he is just a regular college student in Columbia, a city that Fagin says he has a love-hate relationship with.

On one hand, Fagin says he likes Columbia because it’s secluded and makes him focus. At other times, though, he wishes he were in a big city like L.A. At one point, Fagin even seriously thought about dropping out.

“I know what I want to do,” Fagin says. “If I am going to be in school, I want to get something out of it.”

Fagin originally began his freshman year as a journalism major but switched to general studies, a major that allowed him to take classes that applied to his career such as music theory and business.

“It’s making the most out of my situation,” Fagin says of his major.

“It’s definitely tough traveling and staying up with school work.”

Fagin’s best friend and photographer/videographer Dusty Kessler says that though he and Fagin both want to stay in school, Kessler believes, “It’s not the end of the world if we don’t.”

“We’ve both been really fortunate to have parents that have behind us and supportive of our careers,” says Kessler, who’ll join Fagin on tour in two weeks and hopes to one day be able to travel exclusively with Josh.

The pair have been buddies since grade school, but they don’t let Fagin’s success overshadow their friendship.

“When I said good-bye to Josh before he left on tour, it was just another weekend hanging out with Josh,” Kessler says.

Fagin’s career might read like a Cinderella story, but don’t let his success story fool you. Fagin says the hardest part starting out at first was understanding the idea of quality over quantity.

“One good track will always be better than five mediocre ones,” he says.

And even then, just one good track isn’t always enough.

“You have to realize nothing comes over night,” Fagin says. “It takes three to four years to blow up overnight.”

victoria ross | reporter

What started as a Craigslist ad and a chance encounter has turned into one of Columbia’s last rock bands: The Many Colored Death.

As the story goes, drummer Shea Spence met frontman Brent Moore through Moore’s band’s Craigslist posting. Later Moore and Spence teamed up and started looking for a bassist to complete their group. One day, while Moore was working at a music shop, Preston Rodgers meandered in and started playing bass. Thus, The Many Colored Death began.

Moore, who writes the songs and sings lead vocals, says the band name originally came from a character in “The Neverending Story,” a German fantasy novel by Michael Ende.

Later, the band went on to pen a song titled, “A Many Colored Death,” which added a new layer of meaning to the trio’s name.

“The song developed from that name and described living life to the fullest, so that when you die, it’s a celebration,” Moore says.

Don’t let any preconceived notions of “hard rock” get in the way when it comes to MCD’s sound. Moore says that people may think MCD has a much harder sound then it actually does. “It’s much more technical than just us screaming.”

“I’m interested in helping young women reach their goals and dreams, especially those who are less fortunate,” she says. “I came from a singleparent family myself and had a strong, female role model in my mother.

Unfortunately, not everyone has that.”

She hopes to make use of her own recording studio and music company Mae-niac Music in the future to represent young artists, particularly talented women. Wells says she wants Mae-niac Music to be a fully functioning business with merchandise, clothing and a specific brand. She’s setting strict goals to get there: within five years, Wells wants to be signed to a label, embark on her first world tour and win a Grammy.

“One of the biggest challenges as a musician is remaining original while being a commercial artist,” Wells says. “I always want to stay true to myself and only give my fans music that I believe in."

Money is another problem. Amanda says music is one of the most expensive ventures. Her recording studio is industry-standard, and because she’s an independent musician, she doesn’t have an outside source of money though she pays her own bills and business expenses. Wells says she’s been making music on a budget since childhood.

“She always has so much going on for as long as I’ve known her,” says Callie Branum, one of Wells’ friends. “She puts in so much effort.”

With iTunes gearing up to take on Wells’ dance-meets-soul sound, it appears that effort and passion is about to seriously pay off.

“I have always used music as an outlet to express myself and to be heard,” she says. “I believe I have created something special and different … My music is very unique because I am the only me and I have definitely found my voice.”

When: 8:30 p.m., friday nov. 2 Tickets: $5 Where: the blue note As a result, this attention to musicianship attracts a lot of other musicians in their fan base because MCD’s songs are so technical and not just designed to hook a wide audience, Moore says.

Still, Spence says the band isn’t trying to fit a certain image or fit in any category.

“We’re just out there to have fun,” she says.

Being the female drummer in an otherwise male group has not been an issue for Spence within the band, but she says sometimes at shows people think she’s there to run the sound check.

“It comes with the territory just because this is a man’s world,” she says of the music industry.

The Many Colored Death recently signed with local indie label Home Tone Records, and members are currently working on their first full-length album. Spence says the album is more than halfway done. The group is just finishing some songs and cleaning up its overall sound while still touting a DIY work ethic.

Seems like that mindset is working for The Many Colored Death. The group is planning to release a single off the album Friday at The Blue Note and will play Dec. 8 at The Bridge.