Music has surrounded our lives for centuries. From Beethoven to Rhianna and everything in between, music has evolved and changed quite a bit. Personally, I have never been musically inclined. Learning to play “Hot Cross Buns” on a recorder is the extent of my musical career. Upon interviewing Neffex, an up and coming electronic-rap genre based band created by two best friends. Meeting up with Neffex’s creators, Cameron Wales and Brandon Horth, was an absolute honor. The music intelligence they both possessed was admirable.
Asking both of them out to dinner at Olive Garden was a success. After all, who could resist those breadsticks? Before showering them with questions, we engaged in a casual conversation and devoured the pasta dishes in front of us. I decided to begin the interview with the simple question of, “why music?” They both laughed and jokingly responded, “why not?” According to Jeremy Wade Morris, the music industry is a competitive and difficult business to prosper in. In fact, approximately 91 percent of musical artists are completely undiscovered. Even though it is not easy to be successful in the music industry, Cameron expressed that music is something that has always been held near and dear to both of them and it is a risk they are willing to take. “It is something that [we] have always truly enjoyed doing. I have been creating music since I can remember and it helps me get through my day, so why not start a music project and try to build it into something?” They currently have over 45 thousand followers on Instagram alone. Their songs are beginning to spread to people through other means of social media and famous YouTubers are showcasing their music in videos. Although Neffex has only just begun their music career, the popularity that is already building can make this project a success.
Brandon Horth, Neffex’s vocals and songwriter, was extremely enjoyable to talk to. Full of energy, the passion he has for Neffex beamed all over him. Being the “face” of the band is a great deal of pressure. Brandon confirmed that sometimes it is overwhelming, but the more he performs the less anxiety he gets. “I have been in bands since I can remember and I was always the vocalist. It was nerve-wracking when I started doing it, but now I am used to it.” Brandon expressed that since he is an extrovert, having all eyes on him does not affect him too much. When he began performing he explained that only focusing on one person helped him overcome the fear of the crowd. No one ever wants to embarrass themselves in front of a crowd, but sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself.
Once dinner was over, I talked to Cameron one-on-one. He was extremely nice and willing to answer all of my questions. Unlike Brandon, Cameron creates the instrumental of Neffex’s songs and edits what they produce. Wanting to know a little more about how the music is produced, I asked him what the hardest part of mixing and editing was. Cameron confirmed that the time commitment was the most difficult part. Both Cameron and Brandon work other full-time jobs on top of producing music, so time is short and every hour is important. When it comes to mixing, it takes many hours as well as a lot of patience in order to perfect a mix and make it sound clean. Cameron claimed that he would sometimes work on one part of a song for three hours in order to make it flawless. All the work put in is worth it once he and Brandon are satisfied with the edit.
Although the music industry is a tough business to grow in, it is not impossible to become successful. If the passion and talent is there, then that is half the battle. Neffex is ready to rock and will not let anything get in the way of their success. Dropping a new song every week and having an ever-growing fan base, things are only looking up for Neffex.
Empty Belly 