CARISSA MARSH
Staff Writer
Like many bands trying to make it in the entertainment industry, the members of Soundmind said they decided to stay in Los Angeles after graduating from Pepperdine to pursue a music career and wait for their big break.
A sign the break may finally be on its way happened last week when Soundmind stopped by Napster Studios in Los Angeles to record a song for the music downloading company’s new resident artist program.
The four-person band, which has been together a little over a year, is composed of three Pepperdine alumni: Brian Bushway (2005), Casey O’Keefe (2005) and Jon Thomas (2004). Lead singer, Travis McClain, did not attend Pepperdine but was on campus so often to visit his band mates that many people said they thought he was a Wave, the group said.
Soundmind is primarily a rock band, though the group said it has a difficult time defining its genre.
O’Keefe, who plays the drums, said Soundmind’s music appeals to a wide spectrum of audiences.
“Our influences are diverse, and the music hopefully reflects that,” O’Keefe said.
O’Keefe compared the group’s sound to Pink Floyd and said it is a mix of progressive rock, pop and classic rock.
Soundmind is one of the first bands to partner with Napster in the creation of its resident artist program.
O’Keefe described the program as an unsigned artist series.
He said the program was started in September, and the music should be available for download on Napster’s site by December. Once the music is up, the band plans to work with Napster to upload more of its recorded songs to the library.
“It should be a cool feature,” O’Keefe said.
O’Keefe said Napster did not aim for a certain type of music and selected a wide variety of genres to be involved in the program.
“The common thread between all the groups is that they are all unsigned,” O’Keefe said.
Soundmind heard about the program through a family friend of Thomas who has connections with people higher up in the company. McClain said this connection put in a good word for the band and Napster soon contacted Thomas, the lead guitarist, through e-mail.
Soundmind then sent Napster their resume along with samples of their music.
Bushway, who plays bass, said he was excited that Napster chose Soundmind.
“They chose 12 independent bands to test this new program out, and we were one of the 12,” Bushway said. “Napster likes us — I hope that says something.”
The band spent three days at Napster Studios, from Nov. 9 to Nov. 11.
The first day consisted of orientation and setting up equipment for recording. Bushway said Napster representatives asked the band members questions in order to get a feel for the band and what they needed.
The second day was a full day of recording. The band members said they were very excited, not only because it was free studio time, but also because it was only their second time in a recording studio.
“The studio was really high quality,” O’Keefe said.
McClain said the recording process was a learning experience for the band.
“It showed us a lot of our strengths and weaknesses,” McClain said. “It’s important to keep the performance aspect in mind and the heart aspect in mind.”
McClain said this process can be difficult in the studio because “it is no longer about the synergy of four people making music” because many times people are recording individually.
The band members said it is very important to them to bring the same energy into recording as they do live onstage.
“There’s nothing worse than a band who doesn’t sound good live,” Bushway said, in a press release on the band’s Web site. Bushway said the band was also looking forward to capturing what they do on-stage in their Napster recording.
The band recorded one song at Napster Studios called “Say So Much,” which O’Keefe described as upbeat and catchy. The song is eight minutes long and will probably be broken up into two different parts, he said.
He said the first half of the song is structured, and the last half features the band jamming.
“Say So Much” is one of the band’s newer songs and is not on the band’s upcoming demo “Origins.”
The third day at the studio was split between a photo shoot and filming a mini-documentary. It was the band’s first photo shoot.
After the photo shoot the band filmed a video piece to give audiences a glimpse into what the band is all about and to showcase the band members’ personalities, Bushway said.
Soundmind’s main fan base consists of Pepperdine students and alumni. The band generally plays gigs in the Los Angeles area.
However, they said this experience and new connection with Napster has the potential to change that.
“It was a great opportunity for us and in the future we can possibly get a bigger fan base,” Bushway said. “Greater exposure adds to our credibility.”
McClain said he agrees that increased exposure is at the core of Napster’s program.
“The experience was good because we had a good response from the people we worked with,” McClain said.
O’Keefe said he sees the experience as one that will have lasting effects.
“The networking was helpful,” O’Keefe said. “The connections we made in three days have the opportunity to linger longer than those three days.”
Overall, the band has taken a lot from this experience.
In the span of three days, Soundmind reaped a lot of free benefits including studio time, a photo shoot and an electronic press kit. The press kit contains the band’s bio, photos, mini-documentary and music.
“The electronic press kit makes the pitch to a company a lot more attractive,” McClain said.
Besides increasing the band’s exposure and resume, working with the resident artist program has encouraged the group’s members on a personal level.
“It reinforced optimism about where we are going,” O’Keefe said.
In the end, McClain said it all comes down to the music.
“It is a personal release,” he said. “There is a unity that is formed when four people come together with the same goal. The reason I make music is because I have to.”
11-17-2005