Pugmire to perform Tunes at Noon

One man is all it takes to make a song. A beat, a melody and vocals are the basics of what that man would need. A recording studio can usually help just one man do this, but for Preston Pugmire, creating a complete song happens in front of a live audience.

A quick view of one of Pugmire's numerous YouTube videos will show his creative capacity. Pugmire talks to his audience while he records a beat using his bass guitar. While playing the newly created beat on a loop, Pugmire records one piece of the melody of his song. He continues to create pieces of his prewritten music and plays them on a loop until he is ready to start singing his lyrics.

Southeast Missouri State University will get the chance to see this remarkable act for free when Pugmire performs at noon on Oct. 11 in the University Center Lounge.

The Student Activities Council is responsible for bringing Pugmire to Southeast.

Trevor Mulholland, a Southeast sophomore and music coordinator for SAC, began the booking process when he and other members of SAC saw Pugmire perform at the National Association for Campus Activities national conference, which was held in St. Louis in February.

"He is a fantastic performer and the group voted a unanimous yes," Mullholland said. "So we booked him later that day."

Elizabeth Vinson, a Southeast graduate student and SAC president, was also in attendance at the NACA national conference.

"He is very genuine in his love for music and he shared this with the audience," she said. "He got the crowd involved and he is just a lot of fun to watch and listen to."

Students provided a mixed opinion on Pugmire's work after listening to him on YouTube.

"I was in awe. It made me want to start dancing," freshman Andrea Bueter said.

Southeast senior Melanie Hendricks thought Pugmire's song "My Headphones" was cute, but she found it "hard to get into the rest of the songs."

"Maybe I'm just picky," she said.

Vinson just hopes that students will enjoy Pugmire's talent and enjoy listening as he performs his set.

Pugmire's performance is part of a series sponsored by SAC called Tunes at Noon. The event occurs once a semester and features a musical artist to perform during common hour a Wednesday afternoon. Pugmire is this semester's featured artist, and Mulholland said he will be on the lookout for next semester's performer during NACA's regional conference this fall.