Star is on the rise for local musicians
By Annette Dunlap
Special to The Courier-Tribune
ASHEBORO - Life has gotten a lot busier for the members of Cynder, the
Asheboro band that was ranked second by MTV viewers on "The Ozzie and
Sharon Osbourne Show."
The band's five members, Brandon Alford, Ryan Camp, Robert Jones, John
Ward and Mike Yow, are "trying to get on top of our game," said
Camp, the group's vocalist. Although not selected as the top group to perform
at Ozzfest, Sharon Osbourne's company, Divine Records, has retained its
option to manage Cynder.
Camp was the member selected to represent the group on the weekly series
from the time Cynder was named as one of eight semi-finalists. Cynder began
its climb towards national recognition with an audition in New York City
in June 2004. At the end of October, the final selection of eight was made.
From then, through December, Camp appeared weekly on the show.
"The last two shows, the band flew out from North Carolina to meet
with me," said Camp. "Sharon decided to keep me and Mark,"
the representative from the winning group, Manntis. The two bands performed
at the Roxie Theater on Sunset Strip in Los Angeles before Sharon and Ozzie
Osbourne, and a group of 250 selected fans.
Cynder performed three songs for the live audience. Its song, "Endless
Struggle," was the one broadcast nationally. The same song won the
group its semi-finalist slot. MTV viewers voted for their favorite. Cynder
won 43 percent of the two million votes cast.
Camp believes that Manntis definitely had an edge over Cynder in the
voting.
"They're from Dallas, a big city, and they have more people pulling
for them," he said. "They've also toured more and have a larger
fan base."
Developing its own good-sized fan base is part of Cynder's goal for the
coming year.
"We're working on a tour, looking for sponsors and finding ways
to get everything paid for," Camp explained. The band needs funding
to purchase a tour bus and cover its traveling expenses.
"We are also looking at a couple of record companies that are interested
in us," said Camp. Although Divine Records manages the band, it must
negotiate directly with record companies. "Record companies basically
lend you the money to produce and market the CD, and you need to have enough
sales to pay them back for the loan."
Camp stresses that the band is dedicated to making the right business
decisions. "Everybody is on edge right now, and we hope something will
happen soon. We just don't want anything to fall through the cracks. We
need to be on point, and make sure that every aspect of the business side
is taken care of."
The band will be performing this week in the region. A gig is scheduled
at Jester's Pub in Fayetteville on Friday and another is on tap at Somewhere
Else Tavern in Greensboro on Saturday.
More information about the band and its schedule are available at the
group's website, <www.cyndermusic.com>.
Copyright 2002, Stephens Media Group
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