February 6-8, 2017

Page 1

W E E K D AY E D I T I O N | F E B R U A R Y 6 - 8 , 2 0 17 | T W I C E W E E K LY I N P R I N T | O U D A I LY. C O M

OUDAILY

For 100 years, the student voice of the University of Oklahoma

PHOTOS BY PAXSON HAWS/THE DAILY

The Part-Time Savants, a band made up of OU student Jack Vesper (center) and his friends, recorded an album while juggling the struggles of being full-time students. The other members attend Oklahoma State University and the Academy of Contemporary Music at the University of Central Oklahoma.

FOUND THEIR SOUND Part-Time Savants produces album as full-time students “People often ask us if it is difficult to juggle between being in a band while being in college, and the simple answer is that you can make time for it as long as you’re passionate about it.” JACK VESPER, MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEMS JUNIOR

PART-TIME SAVANTS First album: “Latest Pickups” How to listen: Available on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon MP3 and Google Music. More music videos and upcoming tour dates are available at parttimesavants.com. Source: parttimesavants.com

I

K AELAN DEESE • @REDNPINKFISH

n 2011 when Mason Woodward and Jack Vesp er walke d onto the auditorium stage at Westminster School to cover Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believin’” for a talent show, they were unaware of what their future would hold. “We had no initial thoughts of becoming a band,” Woodward said. “We were just playing for fun.” Immediately following their performance, the crowd erupted in cheers. The reaction caught them by surprise. “After that reaction, we began to consider that maybe we have something that people are willing to go out of their way to listen to,” Woodward said. It turned out to be the right decision. The middle-school band that got its start by playing covers of Journey and the Red Hot Chili Peppers became the Part-Time Savants and debuted its first album, “Latest Pickups,” at Norman’s Opolis late last month. Part-Time Savants — Keaton Klepper on drums, Woodward on guitar, Sam Shields on bass, and Vesper on keyboard and vocals — formed in 2012 and developed a blues-rock sound with a contemporary twist in a church basement, a bedroom and a garage. It includes Arctic Monkeys, The Black Keys and Led Zeppelin among its musical influences. “That isn’t to discourage anyone from getting creative with genre titles,” said Vesper, now a management information systems junior at OU. “As long as you enjoy our music, we really don’t care what category we’re placed in.” The band’s debut album consists of some of its hit songs from years past and newer songs that were written for the record. The name of this LP can even be traced back to

their high school days, Shields said. “There used to be this guy in high school that was dubbed ‘latest pickups guy,’ or at least some people referred to him by that name,” Shields said. “He would always show people the latest music that he had bought from the record store, and so this title is an homage to him.” One of the group’s first performances outside of school was at Sauced on Paseo, a local pizza restaurant in Oklahoma City with a small outdoor venue that caters to local talent. “I had asked the manager how we could schedule a performance, and sure enough they had a band cancel that very same night and needed a backup. After showing them our talent show video, they agreed to let us perform,” Vesper said. “The problem was that Sam and I had a baseball game that evening. Somehow we managed to play the game, grab our instruments and make it to the venue on time. “Connections are crucial to becoming a successful band,” Vesper said. “If it weren’t for making friends with other bands, contacting venues and taking every performance opportunity we have been offered, we wouldn’t be where we’re at today.” The band slowly found more success, releasing an EP entitled “Weird Color-ado” in 2014, opening for Puddle of Mudd at the Diamond Ballroom and winning a battle of the bands competition judged by Scott Booker, manager of the Flaming Lips. After graduating from Bishop McGuiness Catholic High School in Oklahoma City, the band members scattered to three different schools: OU, Oklahoma State and UCO. For many people, being a fulltime student is enough work every

OU student found dead OKC police looking into suspicious death STAFF REPORTS

An OU student died in Oklahoma City Friday night, according to a statement from OU President David Boren. “The university family is deeply saddened by this tragic death,” Boren said in the

statement. “ The university and Oklahoma City authorities are both working to obtain information about all of the circumstances. The safety of our students is a top priority of the university. Our sympathy and prayers go out to the parents, family and friends of the student who lost his life.” Oklahoma City Police are investigating a suspicious death in which a body of a man in his

20s was found at the base of a parking garage. OKCPD Sgt. Robbie Robertson said the department found the body of a male in his late 20s at 9:50 p.m. Friday at the base of a garage on Robert S. Kerr Avenue and North Hudson Avenue. Staff Reports

dailynews@ou.edu

day to let the weekend consist of rest and relaxation. For Part-Time Savants, this free-time is a window of opportunity its members use to hone their musical abilities by carving out time to practice and record at Tulsa’s Studio Two Recording company. “People often ask us if it is difficult to juggle being in a band while being in college, and the simple answer is that you can make time for anything as long as you’re passionate about it,” Vesper said. “For anyone trying to kickstart a hobby, the simple advice is to just do it without any excuse or hesitation. There might be a time sacrifice, but the end result is worth it.” It took many weekends of traveling to and from Tulsa, Oklahoma, but the group finally finished its recording late last year. “Back in high school, practice was mainly about learning to become a rock band, which included learning our instruments, the way we play together and discussing some of our favorite musicians,” Klepper said. “Now that we have that down, our main goal each time we get together is to create an awesome performance that really connects to a live audience. Planning and scheduling can be tough with all of us being on different schedules with school, but we find the time on weekends and breaks in the semesters.” After five years of being together, the band shows no signs of slowing down. “We don’t know what the future holds,” Vesper said. “Hopefully this new record will introduce more people to us, and the next step from that is to make another one.” Kaelan Deese

kaelan.a.deese-1@ou.edu

MEET THE BAND

JACK VESPER

KEYBOARD AND VOCALS

KEATON KLEPPER DRUMS

SAM SHIELDS BASS

MASON WOODWARD

INSIDE THIS ISSUE NEWS: The effect of budget cuts on faculty and staff in the College of Education • 2 SPORTS: OU women’s basketball aims to keep up its winning streak • 5 A&E: Students bringing hip-hop dance to the OU community • 6

GUITAR


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.