Rasheed Thomas
Staff Writer

They say that music is one of the greatest forms of self-expression. Today, wherever you go you hear music; at school, at home, at work.

So why is it that individuals don’t support their local artists? With so much undiscovered talent in the Pacific Northwest it’s unbelievable that individuals prefer not to support people that they know and see every day.

There are a lot of people making and distributing music that put their sweat, blood, and heart into their work. Yet many continue to go unrecognized by the people they try so hard to please.

On campus, there are a lot of talented people who exhibit their artistry and creativity at a high level.

One student at Pierce, Monte (C.D. $ane) Washington, is an independent label owner, recording artist, producer, engineer and executive producer. R&B singer Christopher Johnston is another musician attending school on campus.

These two fellow students and local artists hope to gain the support of not only the student body but also the Pacific Northwest.

C.D. $ane, a native of Tacoma, has been rapping for at least twenty years and first recorded in the studio at the age of twelve.  Now a business major, he spends his time continuing to pursue his music and hopes, as he says, “to gain as much insight about business and audio engineering” as he possibly can.

He believes that growth and development is key, going on to say, “I learned more, studied more and that enhanced my versatility.” He adds, “I would also like to help to develop other artists.” Considering the years and hard work he has put into his grind, he might be the most capable of helping a young artist with his musical career.

C.D. $ane recently shot videos for his new singles “Back Doe Lil Joe” and “I Am Hip Hop.” These tracks will be on Youtube shortly and C.D. $ane’s music is available on soundcloud.com under the name Curtis Mayfield.

Another great talent is fellow student Christopher Johnston, from Spanaway, whose impressive crooning can be heard around campus.

Johnston is studying music here at pierce and hopes to make songs about love and life. He stated, ‘I want to make music that makes people feel good.”

Considering the stale and repetitive nature of R&B today, one must appreciate an artist who truly seeks to make great, timeless music.

Johnston is here at Pierce on a quest to learn how to perfect his vocal pitch, range, and tone in addition to learning the piano and guitar.  He would also like to incorporate campus life in his music and use the resources of fellow students to create his vision. This makes sense; why pay a crazy fee to film a video with a well-known local director when on-campus students can do the same and Pierce has an excellent studio.

Speaking like a true artist, Johnston said, “ before I begin recording music for people I want to have an educational background…I want to learn to read music, learn different styles, and also understand the history of it.”