Living the lives of famous men

They sat by the phone, waiting for the good or bad news for three hours.

The Lives of Famous Men–a band comprised of two Portland State students and others from the area–had just played for about 5,000 people in an outdoor amphitheater in Philadelphia, Pa., for the finals of the mtvU Campus Invasion Tour Contest. It was May 3, they and two other bands were competing for the top prize–$10,000 and the opportunity to host the mtvU program, Dean’s List. After the show, fans began voting for their favorite.

The band was told to wait by the phone for word.

Then the phone rang, but something was wrong. The voice on the other end sounded disappointed. The man on the phone apologized–assured the band that they had played great-and the hearts of the five bandmates sunk.

But the voice was ribbing them. He was not calling with bad news-instead, they had won the contest.

“It was just kind of random,” said guitarist and PSU student Ari Katcher. “It was really cool.”

The Lives of Famous Men, comprised of Portland State students Katcher and frontman Daniel Hall, as well as drummer Dylan Mandel, bassist Andrew Totemoff and keyboardist Jason Wahto, had registered for the contest after their producer recommended it, never expecting much to come from it.

But a few months ago they got a call telling them they were the featured artist of the week on mtvU’s Best Music on Campus Web site. This eventually led to the Campus Invasion Tour Contest.

The band is on the rise, but say they still remain relatively unknown at PSU. They play every few months in Portland, but have never played on KPSU, at the radio station’s venue, The Modern Age, or as part of any on-campus event. Katcher said those are things they hope to do in the future. The Lives of Famous Men’s five members are all originally from Alaska. The friends initially planned on gathering in Seattle, but after touring through Portland, decided to opt for Oregon instead.

“It’s cheaper, it’s smaller, we got a friendlier vibe,” Hall explained.

Katcher calls their music pop, but said the band tries to work in a lot of different styles, from flamenco and jazz, to dance and electronic.

The band has been around for over a year and has seen many highlights. In March 2007 they recorded their debut EP, Rehearsal, showcasing their modern emo-pop sound. Later they became the No. 1 unsigned artist on www.purevolume.com, amassed 75,000 Myspace fans, and played many cross-country shows. But what was the high point of their as-of-yet brief, busy careers?

Members say it’s hard to pin down a single moment of their growth, but for Katcher, one key moment was the opportunity to work with producer James Paul Wisner on their sophomore EP, Modern Love, The Wooden Vehicle. Wisner has worked with the likes of Dashboard Confessional and New Found Glory.

“He’s one of my favorite producers,” Katcher said. “It was a pretty crazy experience.” For Hall, being able to live the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle has been a plus. Hall’s favorite night on tour began after a gig at New York City’s Knitting Factory. After the show, the band was taken to a bar in the back of what appeared to be a hotdog shop, entering through a nondescript phone booth. By 4 a.m., Hall and his bandmates found themselves in a private karaoke booth screaming along to “Enter Sandman” by Metallica.

It hasn’t been all high points for the band, and one moment stands out to Katcher. A few months ago the band was set to play an industry showcase in Los Angeles. They were excited until they started playing. Their set was plagued by technical difficulties and Katcher’s acoustic failed to come through the sound system at all. “It wasn’t the worst thing in the world,” Katcher said, recognizing that the band would likely have a chance to play for the same people again. “It’s all been pretty super positive.”

The Lives of Famous Men owe much of their success to the promotional powers of the Internet, Katcher said. “There’s nothing that could be more helpful than the Internet.”

The Web allows them to communicate with fans all over the world and release new songs with the click of a button. The band takes their online community of fans very seriously. “We all spend a good portion of each of our days interacting online with people who take the time to write us,” Katcher said. On top of touring the nation, recording and practicing in their friends’ basement, Hall and Katcher still remain students at PSU. Katcher makes time to work on his business degree when the band is not on tour, while Hall stays enrolled even when the band is on the road–taking classes online toward a degree in Spanish.

“I’m pretty used to treating our van like my classroom,” Hall said, who considers himself, “full-time band, part-time student.” From here, the band will continue touring, hitting the road again in June. Having just secured a booking agent out of Philadelphia, Pa,. the band has begun discussing the possibility of touring internationally. Beyond that, Hall said, the hope is to find a record label that is “something smaller and more family-ish.” He said he would prefer an independent label instead of a major label, as they would help push the band, “not just sign us, and get us off the market.”

There is one ultimate goal for the band as their fame continues to grow. “To live off what we’re doing,” Hall said.

LEARN MORE

-Visit The Lives of Famous Men on the Web at www.myspace.com/thelivesoffamousmen.

-See clips from their Dean’s List hosted episode at www.mtvu.com/video/?id=1587017&vid=231365.