Micah Wetzel

"My dream is to become famous … I don't think that will happen," says South Dakota State University student Micah Wetzel.

Many students would disagree with Wetzel, especially after his recent performance at the Cavorts talent show, which won him third place and roaring applause from the audience.

Despite his obvious humility, Wetzel plans to continue performing and writing music. Wetzel has a very original sound that grabs the attention of anyone who listens. He delivers his emotional lyrics with a smooth voice and mellow acoustic that makes for a style that is engaging, yet soothing.

Wetzel's favorite musicians and main influences are Dave Mathews Band and Howie Day.

"They make me want to perform," he says.

He even watches their music videos before going on stage.

"It gets me pumped up," he says.

Wetzel got his start in music by playing the trumpet in the high-school and middle-school bands at Rochester, Minn. Surprisingly, he didn't start playing the guitar and singing until his senior year. With the help of a few friends, Wetzel learned to play the guitar by listening to the radio for songs he liked, and then looking up the tabs on the Internet. The first thing he ever learned was a song by Metallica.

"I thought it was the coolest thing that I could play some song I enjoyed and heard on the radio," Wetzel says.

Now Wetzel creates his own songs, but he says the process he takes to write music is different from that of most musicians.

"I don't think I've spent literally more than 45 minutes on a song," says Wetzel.

As soon as a melody comes to him, Wetzel memorizes it on the spot and proceeds to write the lyrics until the song is finished.

His favorite tune that he has written so far is "A Story Told."

"It's about happy endings," says Wetzel.

More specifically, the song is about life and how everyone has an idea of what theirs should be like. Then they realize that life might not happen the way they planned. This is something that everyone, including Wetzel, can relate to.

"I had mine all set of what I wanted to be, and it didn't turn out," Wetzel says.

Wetzel originally came to SDSU as a wildlife and fisheries major, but soon switched to business economics. His plan right now is to manage a music store and play gigs on the side.

Wetzel doesn't believe that he will become famous, but it is still something he is willing to strive for.

"I play songs in my room and close my eyes and pretend that everyone is singing along to my songs. But regardless of what happens, I still just want to be able to enjoy it," says Wetzel.

He recently finished his EP (extended play album), and is now working on booking himself for more shows.

He will perform Dec. 1 at the Main Street Pub at 9 p.m. and Dec. 29 at 7 p.m. at the City Cafe in Rochester, Minn. For more information and show listings, go to Wetzel's Web site at www.micahwetzel.com.
- SDSU collegian

Wetzel began his career at SDSU as a wildlife and fisheries major, but started playing guitar shortly thereafter, which prompted him to switch to a business economics degree.

"I really want to pursue it as a career," he says, explaining plans of managing a music store and playing gigs nights and weekends.

He has a head start on the gig-playing end of it: this week he played shows at Skinners, Mad Jack's and Main Street Pub.

"This month I had eight (shows) but that was kind of lucky," Wetzel says. "Usually during the school year I have about three or four gigs a month, and in the summer more around 10."

The Rochester, Minn., native says he plays his one-man-and-guitar gigs in Brookings, Sioux Falls and Rochester locations, picking up between $50 and $100 a pop.

In addition, Wetzel has entered his act in SDSU events such as open mic night and Cavorts.

He'll be playing this Friday's open mic night, though he hasn't decided which song will be the key to his success yet.

"I'm either going to do one of my own or a Dave Matthews Band #41 cover," he says.

When the decision is made and the final chord strummed, Wetzel hopes to hear applause from the audience.

"My favorite part is the applause. That and being able to express my feelings and emotions with my music," he says.

He also has a passion for his music that makes playing it its own reward.

"I practice an hour to three hours every day," he says. "It's been a really long time since I've gone a day without playing."

Wetzel's guitar love even affects his downtime.

"I still go out and stuff, but I usually don't like to go over night places or travel because I don't like to miss playing," he says.

- SDSU Collegian