Connor was asked to be on the Silver Creek High School newspaper staff this year. Sophomores can only be on the staff by invitation. This years first issue of the Talon Tribune came out October 14 and featured two of articles by Connor.
MR. Ottem, straight up G?
SC's new assistant principal
Connor Magyar - The Talon Tribune
You’ve all seen him. The guy with the glasses, bowtie, and a trumpet at football games. . Who is he though? He’s the new assistant principal, Mr. Ottem. This is not only his first year at Silver Creek, but also his first job as an administrator. Before coming to Raptor Territory, he was an English teacher at Niwot for five years. He was also the graduation speaker for four straight years. Before that he was an adjunct for 18 years. He enjoys writing, and has written two books, and a musical. One of his books, “Tinker’s Links” is about building a golf course on an Indian Reservation. His other book, “Treehouse” is about building a treehouse with his dad. He attended Brown University in Rhode Island, was the President of the Jazz Band. After college he moved to Washington state, and formed a jazz quartet and played regularly at a brew pub. After going to college on the east coast, and living on the east coast, he decided to move closer to where he grew up, Ogallala, Nebraska.
He has two sons, Gordon and Conrad. Gordon is nineteen years old and is attending Colorado Mountain College in Leadville. Conrad is 16, and a student at Silver Creek. He has two dogs, Dizzy and Miles, named after famous jazz musicians. His wife is a psychotherapist and has a private practice in Boulder. I asked him what his least favorite part of his job was, and he said it was punishing people, but he liked to give them limits. He enjoys going from class to class, and “hanging” with students. I asked if there was anything he wanted students to know about him, he said, “I’m not as cool as I seem, I’m not a thug, not a straight up G, but I’m not afraid to tap some bad boys out.” He says he plans to start a dating service for students, “…Bring in five bucks and I’ll set you up.” He plans to donate all money to Silver Creek, and make the “Mt. Ottem Memorial Storage Shed”. So now that you know who he is, why not say hello everyone once in a while. Maybe he’ll set you up with a cheerleader, or a football player.
Denver, the Next Musical Mecca
A look at the uprising talent in Denver and the front range.
Connor Magyar - The Talon Tribune
Detroit, Memphis, New York, Nashville, Los Angeles, all of them thought of as a place for aspiring musicians to come from. What about Denver? Denver has never been thought of as a Musical Mecca. In the past two or three years, however, a considerable amount of bands from the Front Range and Denver have been signed to record deals, or have at least built up a large fan base in the surrounding area. Why does Colorado now offer such a talented and diversified music scene? The demographic certainly adds to the equation. In Colorado, we are split almost even 3 ways between Democrats, Republicans, and Independents. The demographic of ethnicity is also factor. In Denver, the minority reached 31% in 2006. In Longmont, 40% of the population is Hispanic. This adds in a different taste and style of music to the mix. I’ve selected a few of the new, scene stealing bands to familiarize you with the new spot light.
Flobots
“I can ride my bike with no handlebars, no handlebars, no handle bars, I can ride my bike with no handlebars, no handlebars…” Most of you have heard this catchy, and popular song. If any of you attended the Channel 93.3 Big Gig you probably saw them live. They come out of Denver. This band is made up of 6 talented musicians, and they include a classically trained violinist, Mackenzie Roberts, and a jazz trumpet player, Joe Ferrone. The band also features two emcees, Jonny 5 and Brer Rabbit. Along with bassist Jesse Walker, Guitarist Andy Guerrero, and Drummer Kenny “Kenny O” Ortiz, Flobots bring a new type of music to people. Their music is very political, and they criticize those who are going through life without thinking of what is wrong. They congratulate those who are thinking, for they are winning.
3OH!3
“Black dress, with the tights underneath, I got the breath of a last cigarette on my teeth…” Coming from Boulder, 3OH!3 is an hip-hop/electronica band. While their music, and a gang of the same name are controversial, this band has still become fairly popular in northern Colorado. This band consists of Sean Foreman, and Nathaniel Motte. This April, 3OH!3 signed a record contract to Photo Finish Records. The two met in a physics class at CU, and decided to get together to mix beats. They realized they could work well together, and formed 3OH!3, named after the area code. They appeared at the 2008 Van’s Warped Tour this summer.
Tickle Me Pink
“She struts up to me, she whispers my name as if I knew her, but I never knew her…” Tickle Me Pink is a band based out of Fort Collins. They are a fairly mainstream Rock/Alternative band. One of their most popular songs is Typical. The band consists of singer Sean Kennedy, guitarist Tyler Callihan, drummer Stefan Runstrom, and Bassist Johnny Schou. Unfortunately, on July 1, 2008, Johnny Schou was found dead of a heroine overdose. The band was to celebrate the release of their debut album titled Madeline that same day. The last show that Tickle Me Pink played as they were was at the Van’s Warped Tour in Denver.
These three are some of the most recent to make it. Others include Rose Hill Drive, Rise Against, The Fray, and Single File. I had the opportunity to get in contact with Jonny 5 from Flobots, and asked him what he thought about the bands, and why they were making it big. He said, “Most of the bands are only following in the footsteps of bands before them. I don’t think that many of them are really doing anything original, and are using the popularity of other bands in the area to get big.” Whether this be true or not, a unique music is coming out of Colorado, and I for one, am excited to see where it goes.
