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SOU rock band to hold free concert Wednesday By Vickie Aldous Updated: Oct 17, 2022 01:04 PM A A 3 View all photos Singer, songwriter and Southern Oregon University student Katie Joos is one of the members of the Southern Oregon University rock band MUSIX, which will perform Wednesday evening in Lithia Park. [Photo courtesy SOU] Southern Oregon University rock band MUSIX has released its first full-length album and will premiere original songs during a free concert from 6:30-8 p.m. Wednesday in Ashland’s Lithia Park. The songs on the new album “Zombie in My Basement!” were created by students in SOU’s music program plus its new Music Industry & Production Studies program. The new program debuted this fall and aims to give students a solid grounding in everything from the business of music to using music editing and production software. Songs from the album “Zombie in My Basement!” by Southern Oregon University students are available on YouTube, Spotify and other media platforms. [Photo courtesy SOU] The concert will feature live performances of songs from different musical genres. “This band highlights a variety of styles of music. Everything from rock to pop, hip-hop to folk, and indie to metal is in the mix. It will be a fist-pumping event that you won’t want to miss,” SOU assistant professor of music and MUSIX Director Derek Keller said in a press release. Katie Joos, a senior majoring in music at SOU, said she watched her music composition come to life while collaborating with her peer Eric Sohnrey under Keller’s guidance. She’s one of the singers in the MUSIX band. “Being a part of the MUSIX band is such a different experience than anything I’ve done before. I was nervous about the first song I wrote because it was something I had never done before,” Joos said in the release. But she said the environment at SOU creates a safe space to create in a unique, collaborative and liberating way. “Music in general is so healing. Being able to write your own songs, and perform them with others in the band, is something really special,” Joos said. Students in the band and those in the Music Industry and Production Studies program at SOU compose, rehearse, produce and perform their own music. “Zombie in My Basement!” is available on YouTube, Spotify, Pandora, Bandcamp and other media outlets. MUSIX can be followed on social media via Twitter, Instagram and TikTok, according to SOU. Loading music to the media outlets and promoting the music through social media, concerts and other methods is part of the learning experience. SOU offers a Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science degree in the Music Industry and Production Studies program. Students in Southern Oregon University’s Music Industry & Production Studies program learn a range of skills for working in the music industry. [Photo courtesy of SOU] “This program is a unique blend of academics, specialization in music and entrepreneurial development,” Keller said. “I want our graduates to be ready to meet the industry with poise, critical thinking, cutting-edge audio tools, vocational skills and business acumen.” He said students learn about copyright protections, see how to manage performance venues, create a network of professional colleagues and learn how to write, produce, teach, arrange and compose music for film, video, radio, marketing and other uses. “The industry is vast,” Keller said.