OLIVIA RICHMAN — General Assignment Reporter
He has been playing instruments since elementary school and was in a rock band by the time he was 16.
He is in the Blues and Latin Jazz ensembles at Southern Connecticut State University, playing guitar in both.
He is Andrew Mushin, a music production major, who is on the lookout for musicians to join him in his latest endeavor, starting a heavy metal band.
“He was born for metal,” said his friend, Jahkeem Ohizep, a music theory major at SCSU. “He lives through his music and has the flare for it.”
Ohizep and Mushin met in a music improvisation class and Ohizep’s first impression of Mushin was that he was like the “rad” guitar he often carries around: loud and outspoken.
“He’s not going to hold anything back,” Ohizep said of Mushin. “He really plays through his instrument, as well.”
Mushin, who started playing guitar almost six years ago, said he is different from most metal guitarists.
“A lot of guitarists measure their talent by how fast they get the notes out in a short amount of time,” he said, “but whenever I play guitar I like to display a lot of emotion in my guitar solos.
Whenever I’m stressed I play guitar. My emotion goes through my body and out of my instrument. I play with a lot of emotion—that’s my style.”
Mushin began his musical career with the trumpet in elementary school.
It was in 10th grade when he said he realized he wanted to play the guitar and he says he has never looked back since.
He heard the “Crazy Train” guitar riff for the first time sophomore year of high school and wanted to learn to play it on the guitar.
Ever since then, he’s continued to improve his skills.
“I was in my first rock band at sixteen after a year and a half of playing (guitar),” said Mushin. “We did pretty well we had a four-track demo released. We got in third in a Battle of the Bands. But ‘creative differences’ split us up.”
Now Mushin wants to do something louder, faster and heavier: metal.
“I love metal,” he said. “I’ve tried to start my own band since then. It’s hard to find dedicated musicians and find people that want to do what I want to do as well. I’ve been looking on Craigslist every day trying to find musicians.”
According to Ohizep, metal has a certain attitude that he believes Mushin can pull off.
“Metal artist are skilled musicians; they have to play very fast,” he said.
“They have to internalize it and express it with their presence. I think metal has a sort of dark theme, which I don’t know why, but that’s cool. I think of images such as fire, skeletons on motorcycles and skulls eating a unicorn,” Ohizep said with a laugh. “But Andrew has the talent and style for metal. His sound is honest and intense. Confrontational. In a good way, of course.”
Mushin said he misses being on stage playing shows with his old band, Abssyrd.
“We played at Osiris Café a few times in Ansonia. Once a week, every Tuesday night for about two months,” he said.
“Playing live is when I feel most alive. It’s my favorite thing. I live for playing onstage. Right now the only time I play shows is with the school’s ensembles, but I would love to play live with my own band.”
Mushin is currently in the Blues ensemble and Latin Jazz ensemble at SCSU.
He plays the guitar in both.
He started playing in Blues last semester and Latin Jazz this semester.
“Since I started playing (music), my main goal is to be a musician,” said Musin. “Hopefully I’ll be headlining Ozz Fest in my future. As long as I’m playing music in front of an audience, I’ll be happy.”
