Songwriters Go Head-to-Head at Songwriting Competition

By Jennifer Boyd

            MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Twelve Murfreesboro songwriters turned out to compete at Match Records’ songwriting competition on Nov. 13, all vying for a spot to perform at a Match Records showcase to be held in January.

            The competition was held in the Mass Communications building at Middle Tennessee State University and was hosted by the student-run record label Match Records. A total of 12 songwriters competed, and approximately 60 other songwriters and members of the public attended the event. Three MTSU faculty members from the Recording Industry Department judged the competition: Dr. Matthew O’Brien, Dr. Jim Piekarski and Rick Carnes.

            The songwriters each played one song and were judged on aspects ranging from songwriting to showmanship. A variety of genres were represented including country, Christian, and R&B. The songwriters who performed were Katy Bishop, Keturah Brown, Joshua Michael Craig, Ivan LaFever, Charlie Garcia, AJ Gruenewald, Mary Elizabeth Howell, Stuart Montez, Jack Pugh, Caleb Shiver, Laura Short, and Juan Zelaya.

At the end of the night, MTSU senior Ivan LaFever took home first place with his song “Not Gonna Come Home.” LaFever performed the song on acoustic guitar and

wrote the song earlier this year. As he says, “The song is about cheating women.”

            “I felt like it was a good opportunity to showcase one of my original songs and network with other songwriters,” said LaFever. “It was a humbling experience to play with so many other talented writers, and I was amazed that I won.”

            LaFever is majoring in Music Business at MTSU and plans to graduate in the spring of 2014. A native of Cookeville, Tenn., LaFever began playing music at age 5 and hopes to have a career as a professional musician.

            “Playing music for a living is not something that is for everyone.” said LaFever. “It’s one thing to enjoy and play music, and another to eat, sleep, and breathe music. It is a lot of sacrifices and a lot of hard work.”

            LaFever won the opportunity to play at a showcase hosted by Match Records in January. Match Records is a student-run record label at MTSU that gives Recording Industry students the opportunity to work with real artists in a classroom environment. The showcase will take place at Douglas Corner in Nashville and will feature Match Records artists Ryan Kenney and Luke Caccetta, as well as several prominent Nashville songwriters. The showcase will be free and open to the public. For more information, go to www.matchrecordsmusic.com.

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‘Star Wars VII’ Casting Call Comes to Nashville

By Forrest Lindsay

        Nashville, Tenn. – “Star Wars VII” producers came to Nashville on Nov. 24 for a casting call to help fill two major roles in the film.

       The event took place at the Sheraton at 623 Union Street from noon to 5 p.m. A representative from Lucasfilm said that the studio was looking for a young man between the ages of 19 and 24 and a young woman between the ages 17 to 18. The company said that the actress must be beautiful, smart, and athletic, and could be of any ethnicity. The actor must be handsome, smart, and athletic.

         The casting call included a meet-and-greet with the film’s casting director, Maryellen Aviano, whose recent credits include “Man of Steel” and “Inception.” 

        “We got here pretty early, waited out in the cold, and the survivors were herded in like cattle,” said Jack Watts, a man who hitch-hiked from Chattanooga to Nashville for the audition. “There was a guy from Lucasfilm there, and a guy representing casting efforts for J.J. Abrams. There were a lot of people, at least 800 to 1,000 in the ballroom alone.”

       Auditioners were required to wait in a line that began at the side entrance of the Sheraton and stretched through the War Memorial Plaza. They eventually entered the ballroom and sat down to wait to meet the producers.

     “The opportunity to be in one of these films is a life-long dream,” Watts said. “They started taking people in for pre-processing an hour earlier because the group was so much larger than what they expected.”

       One of the representatives of the casting call said that she felt “optimistic” that they were most likely to find the two actors from Nashville because of its enthusiasm and being the final stop on the tour.

              Producers asked auditioners to create and send in videos of themselves to http://www.opencastingcall2013.com, which they will hand-select from to show to the film’s casting director, J.J. Abrams.

       Brandon Vess, a friend of Watts and an auditioner for the film, said that there is a “miniscule” chance that he could get a part in the film depending on his video submission.

       Watts said J.J. Abrams will bring an “edge” back to “Star Wars” that has been sorely lacking.

       Vess said that he believes Nashville will be more “versatile” in the future if it continues to do this.

      The casting call was part of a nationwide search that included stops in Chicago, St. Louis, and Austin, Texas.

           “Star Wars VII” will be the first “Star Wars” movie since Disney bought the rights to the film. Shooting is set to begin in spring 2014 at Pinewood Studios in London. The Film’s projected release date is Dec. 18, 2015.

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Blacksmith Celebrates 17 Years on "Art Studio Tour"

By Keaton Stump

            MURFREESBORO, Tenn – Local artist and blacksmith Joe Brown opened his studio to the public for Murfreesboro’s annual “Art Studio Tour” on Nov. 23, 2013 to showcase his work and old traditions in the blacksmith industry.

            Brown, who has participated in the “Art Studio Tour” for 17 years, has worked out of his shop located at 3538 Cripple Creek Road since 1998, forging custom iron works for his clients. Brown strives to create works that are functional and aesthetically pleasing using only a forge, hammer and anvil. Brown has never relied on automated machines, and all his work is handmade.

            Brown had been employed by Nissan for 16 years working as a spot wielder when he decided to leave the company to pursue work as a blacksmith. Brown attended several blacksmith seminars, and immediately fell in love with the art. After only one year of practice, Brown opened shop and began selling his work to the public.

            “Working for Nissan helped me to develop the skills I needed to start work as a blacksmith” Brown said, “I am a handyman, mechanic and a full-time blacksmith because of that job.”

            Brown was also taught to work safe at Nissan, and has never been hurt on the job.

            Brown finds most of his inspiration in nature, and models his work after organic forms such as plants, animals and water life.

            “I have always had a love for nature and the outdoors.” Brown said, “Even as a kid, I would find myself sitting in the grass drawing trees and other wildlife.”

            Brown forges light fixtures, railings, entrance ways and home décor, but will also take requests for personalized forgings. Brown loves to exceed his client’s expectations.

            “There is nothing better than to see the gleam of excitement in my client’s eyes when I present their order. Brown said, “That feeling is why I love my job.”

            Brown’s work can be viewed and purchased online at http://www.brownviewforge.com or at his studio from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Commissions may also be requested by sending an email to joebrownblacksmith.@gmail.com

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Six Middle Tennessee State University Seniors Host Art Show

By Emily Ford

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Six Middle Tennessee State University Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art degree candidates hosted the opening of their senior show with their exhibit “Inertia” on Nov. 18 at the Todd Art Gallery.

The students have worked on their artworks in the exhibit for nearly four months. They have explored numerous mediums and techniques in classes in the MTSU Art Department, but each chose one medium for their work in the exhibit. “Inertia” showcased diverse artworks from the graduating students. It occurred through Nov. 27. The gallery is located in Todd Hall on MTSU’s campus.

The works showcased in the exhibit were by Brian Bailey, sculpture; Carissa Gay, sculpture; Laney Humphrey, sculpture; Mariela Poptoleva-Clause, sculpture; Sheila Smotherman, painting; and Michael Stem, printmaking.

Bailey explored themes of control, balance and the transformation of form and space in his nonrepresentational sculptures. He utilized both nontraditional and traditional materials in his works.

Stasis by Brian Bailey

Gay chose sculpture as her focus because of her struggles with dyslexia as a child. She learned at a young age to sculpt letters to help her learn to read. For her sculptures in the exhibit, she chose to explore the use of the sacred torus form.

Diffeomorphic Revolution by Carissa Gay

Humphrey sculpted grotesque human forms to explore the effects of emotions. She accompanied these forms with ceramic birds to represent demons such as thoughts, obsessions and memories.

Bird Feeder by Laney Humphrey

Poptoleva-Clause used life around her, photographs and past works as inspiration for her sculptures. She experimented with color, structure and surface qualities in her ceramic vessels.

Glitter II by Mariela Poptoleva-Clause

Smotherman’s oil paintings depicted glass bottles hanging from strings. The bottles represent ideas and the strings represent the way we make connections between these ideas.

Brain Wave by Sheila Smotherman

            “The theme of my body of work is internal and external communication,” said Stem. “My prints illustrate the masks we wear and fronts we put on in front of others. I explored the notion that even when we are around others, we are isolated in our minds.”

First, Now by Michael Stem

“The name ‘Inertia’ was chosen after a long debate between the artists,” said Stem. “We wanted something sounding positive but that was not too long. We wanted the name to punctuate the ending of school. I suggested we use ‘Inertia’ because it means something in motion stays in motion, like us as artists.”

When asked how he thought the show turned out, Stem responded, “Beautifully. I think it was one of the better openings in the gallery in a long time.”

A senior exhibit is held every semester by students graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in the Fine Arts with a Studio Art focus. The students are responsible for organizing and curating the event.

When asked how he felt about the exhibit being a requirement, Stem said, “It should absolutely be a requirement. It is stressful and awkward but shows you how something like that would work in the real world. It is a group effort, so you learn to

compromise and deal with the different personalities of the artists. In the end, it is extremely rewarding.”

Dates for the Spring 2014 senior exhibit have yet to be announced. Visit the Todd Art Gallery page on MTSU’s website (http://www.mtsu.edu/art/barngallery/index.php) for updates on upcoming gallery showings.

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