Magnet’s Hidden Rockstar
The year is 2020. Andrew de Arellano has finished his four years at the mentally strenuous Academic Magnet High School. As he displays his hard-earned diploma and looks ahead to his college days with glassy eyes, he understands that his future is only beginning.
Andrew is a member of a two person band called Scumbag Monday (check them out on Spotify and the other platforms linked below). I recently got a chance to interview Andrew, just as he did with me in 2020. First and foremost, I wanted to get an idea of how Scumbag Monday began. Andrew and his band-mate, Marc Olson, started attending the University of South Carolina together as roommates. With an endeavor as massive as starting a band, I wondered who presented who with the idea. Andrew explained that it was “very mutual” and it began with casual jamming on their guitars. “First semester, we played together a lot…second semester we started covering songs we liked and I tried singing them.” Andrew explained creating music of their own as the next “natural” step. A truly beautiful relationship, started from the flow of creativity.
Many members of AMHS may have never heard any Scumbag Monday songs, so I asked Andrew to describe them. “Honestly all of our songs have different sounds right now, especially in the album coming out next week.” Andrew explained that the songs sound different due to the fact that he and Marc are still trying to discover their sound. He did, however, say that he generally tells people they create alternative rock.
Scumbag Monday fans may not know this, but Andrew attends the USC honors college as a premed student. As a student in a school full of academically gifted students that often spend time on passions outside of school, I asked Andrew what advice he would give to someone struggling to find a healthy balance between the two. He told me that it’s important to remember that “it’s not a matter of time” and “you can always find the time to make both work.” Andrew explained that the real struggle is “having the energy to study and create.” He went on to describe college as the perfect time to find that balance due to the increased control over one’s life and schedule. Andrew said it’s “really important to reflect on your work habits because it can be really easy to burn out, especially for people like me who get really sucked into their work.” He goes on to describe he and Marc’s completion of their 11 track album, Finally Loud Enough, in 4 months, and how they’ve had to back off from writing and recording. The band is now focussing on playing live and promoting their album.
Andrew also offered some advice to anyone hoping to become a successful artist: “You have to be completely delusional.” He explained that he and Marc have both fully adopted the belief that they will “one day ‘make it’ as a band…playing at music festivals or any large crowd.” Andrew says that he and Marc derive a lot of their passion and work-ethic from this thought process, using their “completely outlandish dreams” as fuel. Andre concludes saying, “you have to be totally crazy, but one day it’ll pay off.”
Incredible! Wise words from the hippest rockstar to come out of Academic Magnet! As a Scumbag Monday enjoyer, I urge all of you to listen to their music. Let’s help make Andrew and Marc’s “outlandish dreams” become reality!
