The "Making the Band" CAS Contest

[PeregrineTook]

"Making the Band" --A CAS Contest

The goal of this competition is to create a band. The band can consist of 3-5 members. For those without the Showtime expansion, the guitar (at least) is available in the base game. Also, the inclusion of the violin/fiddle and/or a singer are also options. You may have additional members of the group such as a manager or a roadie so long as the total number in the group does not exceed five. Make sure your entry includes references to the musical styling of the band.

Your entry should include:
-Individual shots of each band member and a brief bio for each
-At least one shot of the group performing
-At least one staged shot (like a promo or poster sort of shot)

Voters should focus in on the originality and uniqueness of the band as well as the overall presentation as marketing is hugely significant in the music industry.
Entries will be accepted from Feb. 6th through Feb. 13th.  Voting will then run from Feb. 14th through Feb. 21st.

Edit--

Okay, kiddos. The time for posting has come to a close and we have two fantastic entrants.  Voting has now closed for this contest.

[PeregrineTook]

Here is a sample entry.  This one will not be available for the voting. 
I approached this as kind of a "behind the scenes" sort of feature on a musical group.  I also made sure to include a few bad puns.  Enjoy!


Cog Neato is a steampunk-themed quartet of talented musical visionaries. The group is led by founder, lead vocalist, bassist, and guitarist: Gemma Vienne.



When asked about what led her to form the band, Vienne said, "I was always so inspired by some of the groups from the past...when so much was new and musical exploration was so vibrant. I couldn't say that I really felt many bands from my generation were embracing that spirit, so I formed one that would. I'd say our sound is like what might happen if Vaudeville had a baby with blues-rock."

Vienne's first movement in forming this group was to bring in her best friend Ella Pherone, who happened to be a classically trained violinist. After joining the band, Ella also learned to play guitar to give the band more musical flexibility, and she added texture to the sound by providing harmonized backing vocals.



In an interview after the release of the band's second album, Pherone reflected back on her own experience of the band's early years. "I was scared, I'll admit. At first, it was just Gemma and I in an unfinished and mostly empty apartment just writing music and hoping our rent money wouldn't run out. I've always been more of the realist and the worrier. She's the passion and the drive. We balance each other, I suppose."

With two members in tow, things were shaping up, but it still wasn't complete. It was when Ella brought in Elric Danes, a pianist who had been her accompanist in several recitals and just happened to be her fiancé, that things really took off.



When asked about his initial decision to join the band, he said, "Well, it was steampunk-themed, so a guy with this mustache and a penchant for bowler hats does have that limited window of applicable genres. Also, when my lovely muse suggested it would be a chance to spend more time together, how could I say no?"
The band benefited greatly from Danes' ability to utilize unconventional counter melodies to punctuate Vienne's vocals as well as his ability to add flowing key changes into the pieces the girls had already written.

With a trio in place, the group still felt it was lacking one more element: a beat. To that end, they recruited drummer and percussionist, John McCalough.



In an interview, McCalough reflected back on how he ended up joining the band. "I had posted a few videos of my work to SimTube. As you can imagine, footage of a ridiculous fellow in a kilt knocking out crazy rhythms got mixed reviews. Why the kilt, you ask? Because I've got the legs for it."
The final step was having the quartet lock themselves into the loft apartment Vienne and Pherone had been sharing and working up their songs and sound to get it performance ready.





With the band finally fully formed, Cog Neato began hitting the local club scene of Bridgeport.



Their catchy melodies and unique sound quickly garnered local attention.





As they drew even more attention, Simchronicity Records decided they needed to jump on this new musical sensation. With a contract in hand, the quartet recorded their debut album, "Babbage's Computer."



The cover shot, shown here, was simply the group standing together, but clearly showing Vienne as the central figure. In later interviews, McCalough was asked about how the other band members felt about being in the background for that shot. His response was, "Well, she is prettier than I am."

However, Vienne was more than willing to share the spotlight. On the band's second release, "Binging and Busking," (cover art seen here)



Pherone, who was set off as the "busker" on the cover art, was featured as a lead vocalist on a number of the tracks. With the release of this album, the group set off on what ended up being a two-year long touring schedule.
The band finally stopped touring and Pherone and Danes were finally wed.



As the happy couple is expecting their first child, the band is currently on hiatus, though Vienne, McCalough, and his celebrity girlfriend, Lola Belle,



still perform occasionally around the Bridgeport area.
There is no timetable set for the release of the band's third album, though Vienne has hinted that the group might contribute a song to the soundtrack of Matthew Hamming's upcoming film, "Percy Jacksim and the Osimpians."

[Squirt]

Oh my God, that is simply and utterly amazing. I must begin right away because I feel an incredible need to "top that".

[PeregrineTook]

Looking forward to seeing you top my steampunk and bad puns entry :=)

[Squirt]

Yes. And also, Cog-Neato is the best thing I've ever heard.

[NotJustaBook]

Cog-Neato is quite the fabulous name for a band, yes. I think I need to get to work on my entry.

[PeregrineTook]

Thanks! I'm glad you enjoyed Cog Neato and I look forward to seeing your own versions of Sim bands.
Just a reminder, everyone, the cut off date for entries is Feb. 13th.

[NotJustaBook]

CMYK Model - Entry for NotJustaBook



CMYK Model is an indie rock/metal band who are way too weird and difficult for their own good. Despite being generally rock and metal, they love mixing in symphonic elements and with their new pianist, this is especially evident. The band consists (from left to right) of Sini Jarvi, pianist, Clancy Halder, vocalist, and Helva Malley, guitarist and secondary vocalist.



The founder of the band is Helva Malley, guitarist, secondary vocalist and songwriter. She's a former graphics designer and the name for the band was her idea, inspired by the skintones of the members at the time of the founding. Lucky for her, their newest pianist has the right skintone as well. She's known for being extremely musically gifted, according to Sini Jarvi: "She's the only one of us with something ressembling actual genius - the rest of  us just play music, she breathes it." She's also known as a notoriously hard worker, pressing the other members to do their absolute best. While this has resulted in very high quality, it has also meant that she has alienated former members of the band. Their first pianist left because he couldn't handle the pressure. They have yet to find a steady drummer.
"That is unfortunate, of course," Malley says. "Few people can handle our schedule and few people live up to our standards. We have a great lead vocalist and a fantastic pianist now, though, so I'm not going to complain."



Lead vocalist, Clancy Halder, is the strong, silent type, a great balance for Helva's energy and ambition. He's known for a powerful, yet calming voice. He has been in the band since day one and is usually the one to keep Helva grounded. "She tends to forget that music isn't just for us, it's for the fans, too. She's a wonderful person, but she does forget to show others the energetic and kind side that drew me to her to begin with."
Another band member, the pretty pianist Sini, has drawn in Halder in a different way. The two are an item and so it seems the new pianist is a fixture with the band.



Pianist and songwriter Sini Jarvi is the newest addition to the band and so far the only pianist to have lasted for more than a year and she couldn't be more pleased to be part of the band. "I was a bit of a fan before I joined, I have to admit. Helva and Clancy are so talented - it's a real privilege to work with them." Jarvi fits right into the line-up of eccentric personalities. She always performs barefoot, is fond of cats, and is a vegetarian. According to her current boyfriend, Clancy, she's the only one he's met, other than himself, who doesn't get bummed out with Malley's perfectionism.
"I adore Helva, she's a great friend," Jarvi comments. "But she's way out there sometimes. Such a perfectionist. Clancy and I aren't afraid to call her out on it and I think she needs that."



Among their many eccentricities, the band is known for performing without big lightshows, only three lights and in completely dark rooms. This is Malley's vision.



She says: "Colours stand out more in the dark and I want us to be front and center of the show, to be what gives the show its colour and power. We don't need a light show or big, flashy screens. The music matters, and we matter. Simple as that."



After the success of their most recent album, simply titled 'CMYK Model' the band is working on their next single. "It's a hard schedule we're on," Clancy Halder says. "But so far what Helva and Sini have written is absolutely stunning."
Jarvi agrees: "It's going to be even more like us, even more powerful and colourful and also hard."
The band is still looking for a steady drummer, and Malley is optimistic: "We've worked with some good drummers and in time we're bound to find the person who's right for our line-up. We were lucky with Sini and surely there will be a drummer out there for us. He or she can be the K to our CMY. I can't wait for what's to come."

---

And there we are! I obviously had WAY too much fun with this. Staging and editing these shots was incredibly rewarding. I've become so fond of these guys, I almost want to write a story with them.
Anyway, hope you find it to your liking. In case you want to know, I have used (huge amounts of) CC for this entry.

[Jane.Eyre.Force]

These bands are flippin' awesome and I wish they were real!

[Squirt]

Just going to perfect my rag-tag team. Maybe it'll get posted tonight. (Also I think my "b" key is a little usted.)

[Squirt]

Yes, it's Cow Rumpus. Featuring Fabienne Humble, Lycia Shaula, and Amias Anderson, 3 young people who decided to be famous.



Fabienne Humble
Although she's anything but. She's founder and vocalist of Cow Rumpus, the least serious about music, and the most serious about getting big. She's not exactly nice, but she's irresistible. We asked her about the sound of her band, "No one has exactly been able to capture it in words yet. But everyone seems to agree that we are like no other," After listening to the band, they seem very discordant and country. The fiddle and guitar didn't quite agree, but the vocals danced atop, tying it all together.



Lycia Shaula
Lycia is very quiet, but she loves to talk about music. She is violinist and songwriter for Cow Rumpus. We inquired as to what she thought of the band's image and she coldly informed us that it paid the bills. "I've been friends with Fabienne forever, I feel an obligation to help her succeed."



Amias Anderson
"It's all been quite a whirl-wind At first we were fooling around in front of my garage, and then we were busking at the park, and Mick from the Rodeo Bar took us up weekly, and we were at the stadium, and wow, I'm not 16 anymore," Socially awkward, emotional, and plays the guitar, the girls are bound to be after him. People are already suspecting a love triangle in the band.



In high school the band loved playing ping pong in front of Amias's garage. They'd been good friends since middle school, an unlikely combination, likely triggered from the small town. Fabienne was inspired by the band name one day riding home from school, she heard kids talking about a pair of cows "getting it on", i.e. Cow Rumpus. We hear at Music Monthly feel like the name suits the music.


The band tends to stand very close together while performing, displaying their close bonds.

Performances for the coming week:
Tuesday: Bridgeport Stadium 9pm-11pm
Thursday: Sunset Valley Park Midnight-1am
Friday: Lucky Palms Casino 8pm-Midnight
Saturday: Lucky Palms Stadium Noon-1pm

[PeregrineTook]

Nice entries, ladies! Loving the creativity in both groups.
The explanation for why they're called Cow Rumpus was rather amusing.
I must agree, Louise, that the band project was so much fun that I also almost decided to work up a story with them.

[NotJustaBook]

Ha, what a neat entry, Squirt The name certainly is amusing!
Yes, I think that might be what I do after I finished one of the stories I'm working on.

[Jane.Eyre.Force]

Haha, Cow Rumpus! Brilliant. Great entry, Squirt!

[Squirt]

Thanks guys! I was very proud of the name too!