By: Andrew Waner
The Perimeter Road Singles Series began in 2019 during the fall semester with three singles, each being recorded, mixed, mastered, and released by the students in charge of the record label within a one-month time frame. The idea for the series was to give the students and the label new content to release and promote on a regular basis with shorter deadlines. This series is an alternative to what the label has been doing for numerous years with full album projects that spanned multiple semesters.
The first single that was released in the series was “Fall from Grace” by Sonic Catharsis, which is the solo project of longtime record label member William Penne. The second single in the series was “Lost in Space” by The 11th Hour, the side project of Jason Hayes, who is the music director and production specialist at Parkland’s very own WPCD radio station. Hayes wrote and performed the song except for the drums which were performed by Tim Hehn.
The third single in the series that wrapped up the fall 2019 semester was “Hoping to Make it Back” by Grounded Children, a collaboration between numerous Parkland students including, Alex Jockusch, Will Frillman, Joey Kimbro, and Jacob Arie.
The 4th single in the Perimeter Road Singles Series will be by local singer-songwriter, Anika Emily. The song is called “The Finish Line.” Emily is an extremely talented musician who performs in the local Champaign-Urbana music community. Anika has performed live many times over the past year at venues around campus like Canopy Club, Exile on Main St., Blackbird, Iron Post, Sipyard, the IMC and many more.
Emily also hosts a monthly open mic night at Espresso Royale called, Espresso Yourself Café. The open mic nights are the first Thursdays of every month from 6-9 p.m. All styles are welcome, and more information can be found on the Espresso Yourself Café Facebook page.
“I hope that people will hear my music and be able to connect with my emotions, music has always been an outlet for me, and I hope my authentic lyrics might make people feel a little less alone,” Emily told the Prospectus.
Recording on her single started this week, and the students working at the record label plan to complete recording and release worldwide in mid-February via all music streaming services. Currently, there is no finalized date for the release of the music.
All the singles that have been released so far and all future releases can be streamed and downloaded at the label’s website which can be found at perimeterroad.bandcamp.com.
All of the songs are also available on music streaming services like Spotify and Apple Music.
The label does plan to continue to sign bands for EPs and larger projects again in the future, but this new approach has been a fun shift for the students and staff.
