Student band explores mind through music

By Katherine Kaye

Eccentric, edgy and electric are words that describe the sound of Fluid Minds, a Columbia student band that will be featured at this year’s Manifest celebration on May 15.

The band is comprised of three Chicago natives, Frank Clayton (bass, saxophone, flute, keys and vocals), Christian Rogala (drums, organ, percussion and vocals) and John Gray (guitar and vocals). All of the members, however, are well versed in many instruments.

The band formed four years ago when Clayton and Rogala met at a show in Barrington, Ill. Clayton’s band, which Gray, a longtime friend, was also a part of, and Rogala’s band were both scheduled to play.  After the show, they scheduled a jam session and agreed to keep in touch, as Rogala was attending Berklee College of Music in Boston at the time.

After Rogala graduated, they became a permanent band, calling themselves Cosmic Haze at first, the name of Clayton and Gray’s former band. They later decided on Fluid Minds, the name of an old Cosmic Haze song. The band recently added another member, Mike Deguzman, a few months ago.

“We’re writing and playing and doing all different types of styles, just pretty much playing what we love and what we’re inspired by,” Rogala said. “You can really hear it in our music, it’s a very

eclectic sound.”

Along with releasing two records in four years, the band has opened for The Killers, had songs featured on Fox Sports Net, Fuel TV, Cartoon Network’s “Adult Swim” and a in a few films.

In addition, the band has their own production company, called Mother Brain, which encompasses all genres of music. Rogala also teaches with Striding Lion, an interdisciplinary arts workshop group that works with children on the South Side. The band is currently working on a new album, which is not yet scheduled for release.

Though they have been a success, the band struggled at first to find their sound.

“People are afraid to get on our train because of how different our music is,” Rogala said.

The band didn’t let this interfere with their efforts for success, making their main message optimism and positivity, as well as helping people get through the rough times.

“To eventually get back to Fluid Minds is being fluid, to be able to create, understand and be open, and that’s really what we preach … there’s dark times, and there’s also the light,” Rogala said.

They are thankful to have been so successful and are humbled by fans’ responses to their music.

“[We’ve] already accomplished a lot, we always look ahead and we want to accomplish more, we want to keep having fun and just creating,” Rogala said. “We’re humbled by the whole thing.”

Though the band is keeping busy with a full schedule, they remain focused on Manifest

“[It’s] 15 minutes we gotta pull

off, so those 15 minutes at Manifest will be high quality and our top notch tracks,” Rogala said.

After the festival, the band plans to do a live show off-campus, but a venue has not been picked.

“We’ll probably do a whole set, like an hour-and-a-half,” Clayton said.

Rogala agreed, adding, “Just to get people amped up.”

Fluid Minds is scheduled to perform at 9 p.m. at Manifest on May 15 at 640 S. Wabash Ave. For more information about the band, visit FluidMindsMusic.com.