Northwest Missouri State University - Tower Yearbook (Maryville, MO)

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Bands find it hard to mix classes and practice without missing a BEAT Thousands of screaming fans rushing the stage, hot lights, adrenaline pumping and an arena filled with sweaty bodies sounded like every musician’s dream come true. But, with that dream, came a price. For most band members getting to- gether and playing was enough, but for some groups, making it big would be a dream come true. “ “Tt was adream It was very of mine to be a professional mu- difficult. All | was sician and actually . make aliving from ever doing was it,” Kyle Dredge, member of 12 homework and | New Guppies. said. “Just being i in” ble to pl igi- play ing music. als uniee -Kyle Dredge press myself, whether it be lyri- cally or through my drums, was my- dream.” Don Carrick, drummer for Trouble in Mind, admitted that if the opportunity to make it big came up he would take it. “My parents would have hated me, but I would have been willing to drop every- thing for the opportunity,” Carrick said . “Tt was a one-time shot and if you got the chance you might as well go for it.” Maryville provided few playing op- portunities. Occasional gigs at fraternity parties and local bars were the outlets for publicity. However, most of the band members said their more intimate and private performances were their favorite. “] liked playing shows that were re- ally small,” Dredge said. “The interac- tion with the crowd was what really turned me on.” Members of the group Stranger Than Fiction agreed with Dredge. “We really liked small parties,” John Friedman said. “That was where we got the best response. Everybody was danc- BY KARISSA BONEY ing and having fun. However, it was kind of a double-edged sword because a lot of students were into the house beat and rap which strayed from what we were doing. So, sometimes we gota better response at other places.” A good response from any audience required hours of practice and hard work, band members said. Finding extra time between college studies and band prac- tice was sometimes impossible. “We learned 40 new songs in a span of amonth and ahalf,” Dredge said. “It was very difficult. All I was ever doing was homework and playing music. I usually played two or three hours a day.” However, most said forming a band was more than throwing muscians to- gether. “You had to find the right songs that people were going to listen to,” Friedman said. “It came with a lot of trial and error. There could be conflicts of interest with band members wanting to do separate things.” Members agreed that it was hard to keep a college band together. Because of the strain on time and difference of opin- ion, some bands stopped playing. One week after Stranger Than Fiction per- formed their KDLX Top 10 hit, “1,000 Dreams,” at the Homecoming Variety Show, they broke up. “Tt finally became too hard for us to agree,” Stranger Than Fiction member Jimmy Meyers said. “There were too many artistic differences. We wanted to play too many different styles of music.” It seemed making it big in the music industry would take some time for many bands, but in any case they were creating music and following their dream.

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Family Day activities liven campus as relatives pay students a VISIT The “game” had begun. It was 7:58 a.m. and students all over campus were frantically throwing clothing, empty pizza boxes and other objects that might have been cluttering their humble abode into acloset, trash can, or for those off campus, perhaps a gaping hole in the wall. This casual disarray was quickly and neatly replaced by rows of text books that had not been exposed to the light of day since they were placed in their brown paper bags before the semester even be- gan. But, that didn’t matter. It was time for them to see the light. The date was Sept. 24, and hordes of parents, brothers, sisters and miscella- neous relatives were about to descend on Maryville. It was time for family inspec- tion to begin. “J moved stuff and did a lot of dusting, sweeping and mopping,” Eric Neece said. “I found myself shoving everything in the closet.” After the initial clean up was done,and the area looked semi-normal, it was time to spend the day with family. For early risers the day’s activities began at 8 a.m. with open house at the residence halls. Parents had a chance to see their child’s new home and to once again remind them how easy they had it at home. Some parents even pitched in to help organize the room. “My parents brought lofts for my room when they came up,” Dallas Timmerman said. “It took most of the day to get them to fit, but we still had a pretty good weekend.” Many families opted to stay oncampus for a picnic lunch at the Bell Tower. There they were entertained by C.C. Bumbles, a clown played by Shawn Wake. “My job was to be as entertaining as possible,” Wake said. “It wasn’t neces- sarily the most captivating audience I’ ve ever had, but I think I made some people laugh and smile. By roaming and impro- vising, I tried to entertain everybody.” Student Ambassadors painted paw prints on family members’ faces. Many had their faces painted as a way to express their support, in- cluding Kim Mahoney’s mother. “It was fun watching her get into it,” Mahoney said. “I thought it was nifty that she had taken such spirit. She was really excited about the day.” A packed Rickenbrode Stadium watched the Bearcats take on the Washburn University Ichabods in the traditional football game. The ’Cats came out on top, 29-3. “Everyone in my family was really nuts about football,” Angie Slider said. “They really enjoyed the game and prob- ably would have gone if it hadn’t been a part of the scheduled activities.” After the day’s activities were over, many families went out to eat before heading back home. Students eagerly gobbled up one last free meal before being left on their own again. “Tt was nice to get away from ARA,” Chris Palmer said. “My parents took me to Pizza Hut and Country Kitchen while they were here. I hated to see them go.” As the day came to an end and families headed home, students were once again left to fend for themselves as college students in the “real” college world. ping. BY ALLISON EDWARDS “| moved stuff and did a lot of dusting, sweelping and mop- | found myself shoving everything in the closet.” -Eric Neece Rami v Dav 17

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JUST JAMMIN’. John Friedman and Stranger Than Fiction finish up a set at the Sigma Phi Epsilon Mud Vol- leyball Tournament. The band performed their original song, “1,000 Dreams” at the Home- coming Variety Show. Photo by Patrick Mahoney ALL KEYED UP. Stranger Than Fiction member Jimmy Myers plays for the crowd at the Sigma Phi Epsilon Mud Volleyball Tournament. The band had a KDLX Top 10 hit before they broke up in the fall. Photo by Patrick Mahoney A SONG FOR YOU. Dur- ing a gig at The Outback, 12 New Guppies member Granger Lofton plays bass and sings back-up. Student bands found gaining local exposure was limited to bars and Greek sponsored events. Photo by Mike Fernandes ONE MORE TIME. Mem- bers of Trouble in Mind belt out a song during a rehearsal. The band played original songs and described their mu- sic as a mix of rhythm and blues and Southern rock. Photo by Randy Wolf StTupENT Banps 19