From IU popularity to worldwide recognition: South Jordan rises

You’ve seen the chalk.

Pastel blue-and-pink markings on the steps of Ballantine Hall, Herman B Wells Library, Jordan Hall and other concrete fixtures encourage students to give IU band South Jordan a listen.

“We apologize to anyone annoyed by our chalking campaign,” said junior Michael Hall, lead vocalist of South Jordan.

But Hall said such promotional tactics won’t be necessary anymore.

Since the pop-rock quintet comprised of Hall, seniors Bobby Campbell, Mike Chan, Greg Olsten and sophomore David Witucki formed a little more than a year ago, original songs such as “Fatal Flaw” and “Not the One” have been featured on airwaves around the world.

At 9 a.m. Thursday, local radio station 96.7 WBWB-FM – commonly known as B97 – will premiere the band’s newest single, Firefly, an emotional ballad about a woman in Hall’s past.

“The music is spreading itself,” he said. “We’re so excited about what’s going on for us – new songs, this school. We are lucky to be a band in Bloomington.”

Aside from being a great place for local music to flourish, Bloomington provides useful social connections for the band, Hall said.

He met radio show host Josh Dodds, a B97 DJ who made the band’s airtime on the station possible, in a business class. He met his best friends.

And most importantly, he met his bandmates.

“It was luck,” pianist and guitarist Campbell said. “I was in a recording arts program with Mike, and we had to record a song for a class.”

Campbell said he heard Hall’s voice in the Jacobs School of Music and invited him over for a jam session.

“Things clicked really well,” he said. “Shortly after, we recorded our first song.”

Campbell, Chan and Hall soon discovered palpable, musical chemistry when playing together. However, during live performances, the trio agreed something was missing.
“Recording is different than playing live,” Campbell said. “We needed a bigger sound, so we brought in George as a drummer. We meshed really well.”

Hall said the four Jacobs students shared musical talent, personal traits and residences on the same street – a combination that catalyzed South Jordan from playful fun into a serious venture.

“We get along so well because we are four silly, antisocial boys,” Hall said. “We don’t go out or party much.”

Hall said the band added bassist Witucki in July to complete the group’s sound.
After months of practice, the band drove 18 hours to perform at a music festival in Florida that would lead to career-advancing exposure. Alex Seif, a United Entertainment Group manager, said South Jordan impressed him and his colleagues.

“It was after that show and meeting that we knew we wanted to help the band reach their goals,” Seif said.

The entertainment group guidance company works with artists such as Nickelback, Hinder and Steven Tyler and added South Jordan to its roster in June.

“They have an extremely bright future ahead of them,” Seif said. “They write songs that people can relate to, and their music addresses real emotions and situations. We plan to bring their music to as many people as possible.”

As for “many people,” the band currently has nearly 6,000 fans on Facebook sending greetings and asking for local performances from Los Angeles to France to Vietnam.
Hall said the band plans on touring post-graduation.

“So many people are interested in coming to shows. It’s mind-blowing to have 60 fans from Australia,” he said. “We’re excited to see where this year takes us.”