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NEWS

Making it Big

Anna Turner

It's 2:00 a.m.

The clientele of uptown's club scene is trickling out of various bars. Some are stumbling, some are crying and some are not sure what state they're in.

The DJs are spinning the last track, bartenders are serving the last drink and bouncers are kicking out the last doorstop.

Another vivacious Oxford night has drawn to a close.

At the same time, another band is left playing its final song to the applause of close friends who stayed throughout the whole concert.

For Byron Lewis, a Miami University sophomore and lead singer of the student-created band Portocal, this scene is nothing out of the ordinary.

"I don't think people even realize live music is an option," Lewis said. "They don't realize that there's something besides DJs and dance clubs. They don't know that they could go see a live band who writes their own music."

Portocal is a prime example of one such band.

Originating in 2006 when then first-years Sam Hendricks, Eric Sunray and Ryan Stevenson realized their common interest in music could amount to more than good dinner conversation, Stevenson, now a junior, said the creation of Portocal flowed smoothly.

"We knew we had something good," Stevenson said. "But we couldn't get anywhere without a singer."

After finding a vocalist in Lewis, Hendricks, Sunray and Stevenson-drums, guitar and bass, respectively-launched a campaign to complete their first EP (extended play) called Regression.

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In August 2008, Portocal recorded six original songs at Group Effort Studios in Covington, Ky.

Despite having completed the first demo, Portocal faces the dilemma of making it big in Oxford's undeveloped independent music scene.

According to Stevenson, Portocal, like the other dozen student bands, has fallen victim to the DJ trend, a lack of student support and a decreasing opportunity to perform and hear live music in Oxford.

While Portocal may have something good, Stevenson said to make it in Oxford, a band needs more than just talent.

Singing the right stuff

To become a successful band, Jason McMahon, owner of Substream Music Press, a magazine that features up-and-coming bands, said that bands must be both unique and professional to succeed in the industry.

With tracks recorded, Hendricks said the next step for Portocal is to book gigs with local bars.

"Now that we have the EP, we can send it to bars," Hendricks said. "The plan is simple: send it to bars and get gigs."

While the plan might appear to be simple, Matt Hughes, owner of Stadium Bar and Grill, said bar owners are looking to book bands that will bring in crowds-and revenue.

"It's really hard for me to take a risk on someone who is completely unproven," Hughes said.

While bands can pocket anywhere from $100-$700 a gig, the more people they bring in, the better the bar does.

For Lewis, a band must be entertaining to draw a crowd, with a good stage presence and a fun environment luring people to the bars to hear their music.

As a member of a fellow student band looking to hit the big times, junior TJ Slattery of Sex Kitchen Love Cooks, said drawing a crowd is the key to booking future gigs and making a name for a band in Oxford.

"If you have a great energy and a great performance then the crowd will love you," Slattery said. "Club owners will take note of this."

However, in the past few years, Hughes said crowds have been less receptive of live music.

According to Hughes, he and other bar owners have noticed the overriding popularity of DJs in comparison to live music.

"One reason for the decline in live music is that there are very few bars in town who actually do live music," Hughes said. "What really hurts the bands is the lack of opportunity to play somewhere. Most venues now have switched solely to DJ."

Chris Skaggs, drummer of Sex Kitchen Love Cooks, said he believes the lack of interest in live music at uptown venues is a direct result of students' fear of the unknown.

"Everybody wants a DJ so that they can hear music they know," Skaggs said. "They don't want to pay to hear a band that they aren't familiar with and might not like when they can pay to hear a DJ who will play songs they know and enjoy."

Echoing Skaggs, Hendricks said Miami students want to hear music that is familiar to them, so they end up going to clubs and listening to dance music instead of discovering a new band.

Sunray, too, agreed that a desire for popular dance music drones out the allure of a indie student band.

"There isn't enough interest in diversifying what people listen to," Sunray said. "It's a shame because there is a lot of good music out there, and unfortunately the students are missing out on it right now."

Beating the odds

Faced with the challenge of gaining exposure and breaking out in the competitive bar scene, Slattery said he suggests bands start small with house parties and philanthropy events before working their way up to bars and clubs.

"If you get more exposure, you get more student support," Slattery said.

For Sunray, a successful show is about more than just gaining student support.

"A show can be a success on multiple levels," Sunray said. "A show is a success if we play our best with good energy and presence, regardless of how large the crowd is."

After gaining student support, Slattery said more students will attend shows and bands can establish themselves as part of the music scene.

Mary Schatz, account representative for Ivy Hill Cinram, a CD and DVD manufacturer, said

bands in the college music scene run the risk of turning into clones that play the same songs each night.

"There's always going to be imitators who jump on the bandwagon," Schatz said. "The bands that are successful right now are not compromising themselves. They are not trying to fit into a mold, and, of course, they have to be talented."

To Sara Reynolds, a sophomore zoology major, a band must be exceptional to draw her interest-and that of her peers.

"People won't go to a concert unless the band is actually good," Reynolds said. "If a band doesn't have talent, then they will not get anywhere, whether it be here at Miami or wherever."

Despite the competitive music scene, Portocal members said they are ready to introduce their music to Miami students and even those outside of Oxford.

"We're confident in our craft, and we think we have a good thing going," Sunray said. "And yeah, we're frustrated with the music scene, but we feel like it has so much potential."

If that potential breaks free from the confines of Miami's current music scene, that same disgruntled band from before will be playing for a packed bar-music drowned out by a cacophony of hysterical fans, both close friends and complete strangers that stayed out until 2:00 a.m. in Oxford.


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