Author: Nick Nam, Michael Ursu
Tysteria
While sitting in the Cooler one evening, Sean Embrey-Stine (first-year) and Mike Ursu (first-year) pondered the meaning of the word “tryst” while coming up with a band name.
“It means a pact between lovers to meet at an appointed place, and then we added the -eria to make it sound cool,” Embrey-Stine says.
Shortly after, keyboardist and vocalist Embrey-Stine and guitarist and vocalist Ursu were joined by Ugly Sweaters drummer Seth Hansen (junior) and bassist Margaret Winterkorn (first-year) to form pop-rock band Trysteria.
They are influenced by the likes of CSNY, The Beatles, Justice and Led Zeppelin, among others. They’ve performed at local Casa Princesa in Eagle Rock, Neomeze in Pasadena and Tribal Café in Echo Park, but they most fondly recount performing at Venice Beach a few months ago.
The band has recorded some live performances and made them available on their Facebook (facebook.com/pages/Trysteria) and MySpace (myspace.com/trysteria) pages. Expect an EP from Trysteria by the end of this semester and a joint performance with the Ugly Sweaters soon.
Nick Nam, Staff Writer
SweetFA
DJ SweetFa, otherwise known to Oxy students as Freddie Allen (junior), is an exchange student from London, England. He likes to spin dub-step and electro at clubs. A friend of his gave him the name Sweet, and he decided to attach his initials F.A. at the end. Freddie’s influences are vast – he was classically trained at an early age, and is into West African music. He’s played with Rusko, Wolfgang Gartner, Hot Chip and Felix Cartal.
Allen has been DJing for nearly four years, and started producing mixtapes and tracks in the past year. Last semester, he had a residency at the Avalon, and continues to spin there. He describes last week’s show at the Avalon – with Classixx and Alan Braxe in Hollywood – as one of his best. To top it all off, he got to shake hands with Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk.
Allen performs for pay now, and he earned enough money performing in the U.K. to finance his time abroad. He’s set to graduate in 2011 and hinted he may find himself back in Los Angeles.
DJ SweetFa played in Norris Hall with DJ Avedon this weekend, and is going to be spinning with DJ Toddler Tee at the Avalon on March 19. Allen has also been in talks with a few festivals in Europe. He hopes to get his EP out by early summer.
Nick Nam, Staff Writer
Doug Rosenburg
Doug Rosenburg (junior) gives off a cool, nonchalant East Coast vibe in his argyle V-neck sweaters and a few days worth of stubble. A music major, he hails from Northhampton, MA.
“I know [music]. It’s my main activity in life and the thing I’m best at,” Rosenberg says.
Though he doesn’t believe that music will fully support him, it remains his most beloved pastime. Influenced by Brian Wilson, Animal Collective, Flying Lotus and D’angelo to name a few, Rosenberg categorizes his music as “psychedelic electronica.” He mainly uses synthetic electronic beats and sounds accompanied by his ambient vocals, often reminiscent of the hymns and chants of monks. Catch Rosenberg on Feb. 13 as he plays in Stearns Hall. He will have an album completed by then, but samples of his songs can be found on his MySpace page at myspace.com/rosenbergdoug.
Michael Ursu, Staff Writer
DJ Avedon
Miles Sherman (junior), a.k.a. DJ Avedon, hails from Manhattan, New York. His stage name comes out of Sherman’s respect for photographer Richard Avedon. He’s been influenced a lot by the style of Amsterdam DJ’s Laidback Luke, Afrojack and Clark B. Sherman. He is currently in the process of recording his first track, which should be done by the end of this week. His best live experience was during a New Year’s show at a club in San Diego, where he played for over 300 people.
Sherman has only been DJing for about nine months, but is already booking paid gigs. He played for his Oxy fans last weekend and will be at the Loft on York Blvd. on Feb. 26.
Michael Ursu, Staff Writer
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