Story by Jake Williams / Inform Muncie
Editor's Note: This story was originally published in November, 2022
Famous musician Louis Armstrong once said “Music is life itself. What would this world be without music? No matter what kind it is.”
Music brings people together and is a way to bond and help the community. Throughout Muncie, there are many musicians that try to get people together through their art form. While some may make different types and forms of music, they all look to positively impact the community.
The Golden Alley is a Muncie-based band. They began to play together in 2020 and have performed in several shows together. The group estimated that they’ve played in at least 15-20 in the past few years.
“Muncie has a great music scene,” bass guitarist Nick Taylor said. “We’ve performed at several shows and have been able to connect with other bands in Muncie too.”
The Golden Alley plays 1990s heavy metal-style music. Drummer Tyler Bogard said that he grew up loving heavy metal music and adapted this style into his drumming. Bogard said that in the time they’ve been playing together, their music has been able to evolve.
“Our music has been able to evolve towards this mix of styles the more we’ve played together,” Bogard said. “It’s not just metal or funk.”
Another unique thing about the Golden Alley is their band name.
“We just wanted to put an image that people can be their best selves,” guitarist Everett Cripe said. “Instead of just being this dark alley, it’s clean and tidy. It’s this image of hope that people can be their best.”
All the band members have a common goal; to be able to play music for a living. The Golden Alley has an album coming out towards the beginning of the summer in 2023.
“It’s been a lot of work,” Taylor said. “A lot of the money that we’ve earned from shows has been going towards the album.”
The Golden Alley has been able to record their album from their band house. They have made a studio in the house that they’ve used to record the album. The group has a lot of goals for themselves for their future as a band and musicians.
Muncie also has the Sight and Sound Music Center located within the city. They are a store that not only sell and rents out musical instruments, but also to offer to help with instrument repairs.
The Music Center also offers lessons for beginning musicians. They offer lessons for acoustic and electric guitar, drums and piano. Lessons can be done privately or semi-privately and are offered in half an hour and hour sessions. They also offer one free trial session.
According to their website, the Music Center also helps set up events. This includes a rental service for sound, lightning, lasers, atmospheric effects, video and staging among other things. Their normal business hours are on Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. On Saturdays, they are open from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m.
Hip hop is a genre that has grown a great amount over the years. Jordan McClung, also known by his stage name Sparrxw, is a producer and a rapper that has performed in Muncie for several years now.
“I used to be just a producer,” McClung said. “I would be in the studio with artists making beats for them and I would help them write songs. I just decided one day to try rapping on a beat I just made one day, and it felt good, and I just kept going at it.”
As soon as McClung began rapping, opportunities began to open for him, and he would perform at worship night events within Muncie. He said that the more he saw opportunities open for him, the more he knew he should do it.
“Sometimes, people don’t get too excited for Christian rap,” McClung said. “I want to be able to make music that sounds good and is able to reach people and make an impact on people who listen.”
McClung would be invited by a fellow producer known as BlueGiraffeKid to a show in Muncie called Hyphy and Holy and would become acquainted with many rappers through the show. Hyphy and Holy is a Christian Rap event that first took place in Muncie.
BlueGiraffeKid, whose real name is Kieran Simmer, helped begin the event known as Hyphy and Holy with other Muncie rappers that he had networked with since coming to Ball State.
“What that looked like was finding a group of people who believe in the mission that I was trying to do with it,” Simmer said. “We were designing flyers, taking them around campus, talking to people about the event and inviting them.”
Both McClung and Simmer both were involved in Muncie rap duo Sanctified’s song, “Somewhere in the Midwest”. This song was done with several rappers throughout Muncie and the entire state of Indiana. McClung rapped on the song and Simmer produced it.
Sparrxw has performed in multiple shows in Muncie in the last few years, including performing at Cru events as well as others around Muncie. He also worked at the Boys and Girls Club, and he said he was able to reach the youth through his music.
“I want to show that I’m much more than an artist,” McClung said. “It’s not just music that I do, it’s also fellowship and helping the community.”
Simmer also wants his music to bring people together. Like McClung, he wants his music to have a positive message.
“I love being able to go into a community that reaches out and is family-friendly,” Simmer said. “I want to use music in a way that is impactful.”
Muncie has many people involved in music that is helping the community. From live performances to making new friends through the art form, music has had a significant influence on the city of Muncie.
For a quick synopsis of the story click this video.
Images by: Photos taken from sources with courtesy.
All Inform Muncie articles are written by students in the School of Journalism and Strategic Communication in a classroom environment with a faculty advisor.
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