New music, New experiences

By: Summer Tyler

A huge part of producing and performing music is being able to connect with an audience. Ethan Famodu strives to create and explore the aspects of funk and soul music. He has performed both solo and with his band, Aplo. He is from Upstate NY.

Ethan Famodu plays guitar and does vocals for the band Aplo. The band came together at SUNY Purchase College. Ethan recalls enjoying frequent jam sessions while being a Studio Production major at Purchase, where he met his bandmates and was able to focus on music both academically and personally. The music programs at Purchase offer opportunities for students to collaborate on their mutual passion for making music.

Photo by: Tyler Thompson

"It all came together here. We used to do these jams at the freshman quad. This was during Covid, so we wanted to get out and play music. This guy TJ, I call him our mascot. He says, "I want to start a band with you guys; it's gonna be called Apollo spelled *Aplo*, like a license plate, and we're gonna play indie/soul, funk music." Ethan fondly reflects on how the band was formed.

Aplo includes members TJ Mcmaster on Sax/vocals, June Greenwell on guitar/vocals, Billy Buono on keys/vocals, Lowell Chamberlain on bass/vocals, and Brandon Vassallo on drums. Almost all members are from the Albany area and still play together.

Ethan has been playing guitar since he was 9 years old, though he was begging to play for longer. He began taking private lessons at age 10 and joined a music school named School of Rock, which helped him connect with other young musicians. The Disney movie Country Bears inspired him as a child and got him thinking about music and the opportunities and experiences that come with creating and performing. "I saw that movie and was like, that's cool. I wanna do that," Ethan says with a big grin on his face. Music has always been a driving force in Ethan's life.

Famodu remembers being influenced and inspired by artists such as Bob Dylan and bands like Pine Grove and Blue Ranger. "I wasn't the biggest funk or soul fan before joining the band. I grew up listening to a lot of Bob Marley and Prince, so I guess it seeped in," says Ethan. Through playing, he grew more interested in and connected with the genre.

Ethan reflects on his favorite performance so far in his career: his first performance as a solo artist at SUNY Purchase College. "It was my first performance at the Purchase Free Store. 3 bands performed. It was my first time hearing these bands, and I came to love them," says Ethan.

Ethan has named two of his projects, an EP titled Summer '24 and his album Spring '23, depending on the season at which the project is created or released. When asked about this creative choice, Famodu replied, "Because it's easy," with a laugh. He also added, "Whenever I've finished an album, I have all these songs that represent this period of time for me, so I just name it after the season and year. I might break away from that on this next one, maybe come back to it so it's a little different. I saw that Adele does that. I thought maybe I'd keep that going, so I did."

Many artists strive to put out their best work, creating something that can be seen as unique or that clearly represents the artist's intentions and love for their preferred genre. Ethan was asked about what makes his music stand out and how he views his own work. "I like to think that it's unique. It's the truest representation of myself as a person. I don't feel like I use anything to make my music different from anyone else's. I think it's the small decisions that I make and how they conjoin in different areas of the song that make them unique," Ethan says as he reflects on his own work. His favorite song that he has written is off of his Summer '24 EP titled While Sat Upon A Fence. Ethan explains his passion for writing love songs as it is something he finds himself gravitating towards. He says, "I've always been partial to love songs. I think that's the best and most pure love song that I've written."

Ethan Famodu claims to take pride in the lyrics he writes, as his songwriting abilities are one of his many strengths as a musician. "Lyrics are a strong point, it's one of the things I'm most proud of in my songwriting. I'm also a pretty good imitator on the guitar. I'm proud of myself for being able to recreate sounds from records and mixing certain styles. It helps when playing with other artists, I find myself being able to use those types of flourishes in my own music," Ethan says. He reflects on the best advice he's received from another artist was to "keep going." He explains how "hearing that someone that you admire, admires your music the same way you admire them" elevates his drive to keep pursuing music.

Ethan's main priority right now is focusing on the production of his solo music as well as Aplo's new album. They are working on recording and perfecting their original songs. The band wants to go out and play more live shows. On the topic of releasing music, Ethan excitedly says, "It's all happening at once!" Ethan is focusing on going out and playing shows as much as possible for his solo career. Eventually, he hopes to be able to make a living by going out and playing shows as well as releasing music. The band hopes the album will be released in the summer or early fall of 2025.

Ethan's passion for music is electric, and he feels driven to keep making music, no matter what. "It's like I have a bug. I just want to make something. Sometimes, I don't care if anyone else hears it, it's just for me when it's created…I like it, so I'll put it out there, and hopefully everyone else likes it too," says Ethan. His newest EP, Summer '24, was released in October 2024, and his latest single, Headlights, was released in January 2025.

Check out Ethan Famodu and his band Aplo on Apple Music and Spotify.

Link to Ethan's Music

Ethan Famodu

New music, New experiences

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