Graduate students explore GarageBand

The next time iTunes seems alluring, imagine purchasing a CD that is not only a treat to the ears but also a benefit to a local charity.

Graduate students Bill Gillis, Michael Kapellas and IDS staff member Rishika Murthy have released a CD as the band “Shouting and Pointing” called “Incident on Dixie Street,” which 50 percent of the proceeds will go toward the Hoosier Hills Food Bank.

The CD was produced with their own label, called Get Your Dad and was released March 17.

The CD features tracks entirely generated by GarageBand music software, with the exception of one track featuring a friend of Gillis’ playing the guitar. The music can best be described as pop rock accentuated by computerized sound and the singing of Gillis, Kapellas and Murthy, Murthy said.

Gillis was playing around with the Apple computer program GarageBand and discovered that it was relatively simple to compile songs. By the start of this year, he had created 13 tracks, of which he chose 11 to create his first CD.

“Bill had been working on it for a while and asked me if I wanted to have a singing role on the record,” Kapellas said. “I decided that would be something I would be interested in.”

Get Your Dad began 10 years ago in New Jersey as “something fun” for Gillis to do. “Incident on Dixie Street” was the label’s first release.

When it came to deciding on a charity that would benefit from their CD sales, Gillis and Kapellas turned to the Hoosier Hills Food Bank, where they had both spent time volunteering.

“It’s just a great organization,” Gillis said. “Seeing all the good work they do, they are getting food to people who really need it all around the state, particularly the southern part of the state.”

Currently, “Incident on Dixie Street” can be purchased for $6 at Bloomington’s Landlocked Music, which Gillis describes as being great in supporting local music.

“We take in and design releases for local artists so people come in and purchase them,” said Heath Byers, co-owner of Landlocked Music.

When asked about future endeavors for the budding label, Gillis said he hopes to organize a record release party in May in which proceeds will once again benefit Hoosier Hills. As for another CD, all three of Get Your Dad’s founders hope it will happen.

“I would definitely be up for doing a reunion,” Murthy said.