Senior Riggs Bean’s debut EP album “Open Up Your Mind” has been a long time coming. The album contains a wide breadth of musical variety, from the slow ‘Don’t Stay Away’ to the upbeat and jumpy ‘Staring At The View.’ The EP was released on Oct. 10, but the concept for it came much earlier. In his freshman year, he learned that his uncle made music as part of a band, and the idea of making music interested Bean. While he did write lyrics, he never went about the process of creating the sound behind it until now.
“Freshman year was my first year at St. Mark’s, and that’s when I started writing,” Bean said. “I didn’t know many people, but now that it’s senior year and I’ve spent three years with my friends and this very supportive community, I definitely felt like I could put it out there.”
While he did begin his journey towards the EP with writing his lyrics, Bean primarily wanted to focus on the instrumental portion of the songs to practice and experiment his production skills, which he felt shined through on the EP.
“I was more invested in the music and instruments behind it than the lyrics at first,” Bean said. “But as I got more comfortable, I started to focus on lyrics more. My favorite song is ‘Staring At The View.’ It’s one of the more hyper songs on there; it has a good beat and rhythm to it. I like changing my views and how I make the music.”
For Bean, the hardest part of the process was getting over the hill and actually beginning to make the music. He often found it difficult to produce the music without having some form of inspiration to guide him or an idea that was stuck in his head that could also translate to something that sounds good.
“The first part of finding something that is actually catchy is the hardest part,” Bean said. “There are so many chords and melodies that just do not click, but once you find something, it’s very smooth. Once I get the inspiration to do it, it’s a quick process. Usually I get inspiration by listening to other songs, and thinking ‘I should do something like that.’”
Bean produces his songs on the app Garage Band, and while it doesn’t rival his uncle’s Chicago studio, Bean has been looking for college campuses with recording studios and instruments so that he can continue with his passion.
“I don’t think I will major in music,” Bean said. “But as for hobbies, I definitely do want to continue it. The colleges I’ve researched so far all have recording studios and a lot of tools for me to use and instruments for me to play. I think I will definitely continue with it in college and maybe even after.”