MARCI VON SAVOY
Provo based “punk rap” band, Chump will enter the lottery of fame in November when they submit a music video to MTV.
According to the owner of Invictus Productions in Provo, Thor Wixom, MTV has been known to play videos of bands who have not been signed to large record labels. MTV screens about 500 videos in a month, but only a select few are played.
“Anyone can send in a video, but it has to be presented in the d2 professional video broadcast format,” said Wixom.
Top 40 music receives first priority on MTV, but Wixom said if MTV decides to play Chump’s video, it will probably be during the feature, 120 Minutes when MTV plays primarily alternative music. If the video receives a good public response, then MTV will most likely air it during prime time.
According to Wixom, a band about four years ago called the Boingo Boys followed the same pathway to national exposure that Chump will soon embark on. Their video, “Show Me How to Dance,” was played as a MTV Buzz Clip and two weeks later the band was signed to a major record label.
Though Chump has been around since 1992, Wixom didn’t stumble upon their talent until last August.
“I was riding my mountain bike around BYU and I heard some really loud music at Mama’s Cafe. I was so impressed with their music and their energy that I told them that I’d produce a video for them free of charge,” Wixom said.
The video is for the song “123 Boom,” the first track off of their CD muthahardinyourface,jack. Wixom is shooting random shots at Chump’s shows to compile the video.
“So far what I shot was at a concert at The Soul Kitchen. I got some shots of Mike (Farr, guitar and vocals) actually jumping on the camera,” Wixom said.
Chump began during the members’ freshmen year at BYU. Farr, a junior from Cincinnati joined with Gavin McPhie, a sophomore psychology major from Granite Bay, Calif. Farr rented a drum set and played with McPhie in the basement of their dormitory.
“Me and Gavin went down to the basement of Taylor Hall everyday and played; whoever showed up was our singer,” Farr said.
Farr and McPhie were soon joined by drummer Dan Benedict, a junior design major from southern California, bass guitarist Jim Gamett a junior business major from Las Vegas, and vocalist Cedro Toro, a junior pre-dental student from Cheyenne, Wyo. Toro will soon leave the band in order to fulfill academic obligations.
Chump’s music is intended to be a satirical form of gansta’ rap. Their sound is loud, but their lyrics are light.
“My friend said our music is like Rage Against the Machine, except he can play it in front of his mother,” Farr said.
Chump has attracted large audiences since they’ve been together. Gamett assumed that because Chump’s sound is so heavy the band would attract a motley crowd, but instead Chump has a variety of followers.
“We’ll get a guy in a Polo shirt jumping off the stage,” Gamett said.
“I just think they’re very talented. They’ve got a fresh musical style that appeals to the younger generation. They’ve got this hard guitar riff with lyrics that make you want to laugh out loud,” Wixom said.
