Novas Effect

When you put University of Kentucky and stars in the same article you think of: Pat Riley, Louie Dampier, Jamal Mashburn or more recently John Wall, DeMarcus Cousins, or Brandon Knight. Although those guys are great stars we are not here to talk about them. We are here to talk about Landry Feilds and Matt Pugh the “founders” if you will of NovasEffect, though you may not have heard of them yet I assure you their names will ring high atop the “Stars of UK”.

School, Work and a Many Splendid thing…

Landry and Matt first met while attending UK and working together at a Chick-fil-a in Lexington, KY. Through college the 2 dabbled in music but never really went full-bore. Landry graduated from UK and did the typical things people do after leaving college; get a job, live on your own, and get engaged. While Matt on the other hand opted to join the military and become a Marine. The two just sort of lost touch. With Landry’s impending wedding he decided to give music, as more than a hobby, one more shot so he posted on Facebook to check interest in starting a band. As life would have it Matt had just been discharged from boot camp due to injury and had just returned home to Lexington the very day Landry posted on Facebook. “It’s just amazing,” Landry said when asked about how the band was formed“how God works in crazy ways.” Matt responded to the post by Landry thus forming Novas Effect. At this point Novas Effect has Landry for Vocals and Matt as the Drummer and are in need of some members to complete the band. After a couple months of revolving door band members the two decided Matt should move from drums to guitar his main instrument and the band would find a new drummer. In mid 2010 Landry and Matt met Adam and immediately christened him the drummer. Adam then led them to Kevin who serves as DJ and “the music really started taking off from there”. Novas Effect is now made up of Landry Fields (Vocals, Synth, Programming), Matt Pugh (Guitar), Adam Spradling (Drums) and Kevin Thompson (DJ).

Novas Effect, the sky’s the limit

Novas Effect has been playing together for a little over a year now since early to mid 2010. I was intrigued by the name of the band and wouldn’t be a very good journalist if I didn’t ask how the band decided on the name. So I asked and this is what they had to say:

At the Underground

“Well, when Matt and I started the group” Landry began, “we wanted to come up with a name that would stand out and say something about the band. Our sound is so different, so we needed something equally as interesting. A nova is basically a star that begins to shine brighter than it did before. So, we built off of that. Basically, our name is talking about how we all long to shine brighter than we ever have before. Whether that is in your faith, school, parenthood, job, or whatever. We all want to be an example to others and to influence them to be better.”
Although Novas Effect has only been playing for a little over a year they are talented performers and have had the ability to play some big stages. Novas Effect has been touring around the region almost since inception. Aside from doing mostly full band shows Novas Effect does DJ sets and also collaborates with other DJ’s on their projects. Novas Effect has opened for some regionally known bands such as:

Twenty One Pilots out of Columbus, who will be playing at The Newport Hall on November 19th

The Protest formerly known as Protest for Pluto out of New Castle, IN

Fear Me Dear out of Maysville, KY

Those are just a few of the bands with which Novas Effect has had the pleasure to share the stage. Possibly one of the biggest stages the band has played is the Ichthus Music Festival. Landry described the show as “…an amazing experience”. Novas Effect plans on playing the show again in June 2012. With all of the shows these guys have been playing they felt the need to put out an EP for their fans, “Controlled Chaos” which dropped in February, 2010. Along with “Controlled Chaos” Novas Effect is releasing a Free Remix EP on November 11th, 2011 and is currently in the studio working on their next EP to be released in March “To Shine Brighter Than Before”. With the release of EP 1.5 this week I asked Landry to talk about the struggles of producing and releasing an EP.

“Honestly, this time around, it’s been oddly easy. For the first EP (called Controlled Chaos) we were still trying to figure out our sound. For the new EP, it just sort of happened. All of the sudden we had 5 songs that we, not only thought were our best, but really sounded like what we wanted the band to be. So, we got in touch with the producer, Grady Martinie, who’s an old friend of mine…and it just took off from there. I’ve been amazed at how this new project has come together, and I’m really excited to get it out. As for the remix EP, it was an idea we had as a way to say thank you to our fans and to give them something new as they wait for the new EP. We had toyed around with the idea for awhile, and thought that right now was the perfect time.”
Novas Effect has a non-traditional writing process for new music. To be honest there is no set ‘writing process’ for them. Sometimes a song will begin with a lyric idea or a set of lyrics; then other times it will start with music or a chord structure and take off from there. Writing this way keeps Novas Effect from falling into the monotony of a traditional ‘writing session’. “Somebody gets an idea, throws it out there, and if we like it we immediately get to work.” recounts Landry “It’s always exciting that way, and really allows us to work more creatively in my opinion.” Novas Effect look to many artists for inspiration when writing their songs, from Mozart to David Crowder, Pendulum to Avenged Sevenfold and even dance music. The band welcomes the opportunity to write music that helps people get through difficult times, and offer hope in the darkest moments of their life. You can hear Novas Effect and their inspired lyrics on November 19,2011 at The 86 Club with The Waking Point for The Driving Rain‘s CD Release party.
- Black Hole Media

When Josh Ballard recommends a band, it's usually worth a listen. As the University of Kentucky's student activities board promotions chair and the associate director/director-in-waiting of concerts, Ballard has seen his fair share of bands, and I tend to trust his musical opinion. This is why, when he recommended I attend a show for the rising Christian band called Novas Effect, I took his advice.

I met up with the band during one of their bi-weekly practices first, to find out what exactly I was getting into. "These guys practice like it's a concert," Ballard had told me, and after hearing their practice, I could not wait for the real deal.

I arrived at Broadway Christian Church with plenty of time—too early, even, for the doors were not yet open. In fact, my friends had to wait outside as I discussed with the band where I would be able to take pictures during the show. Soon the doors were open, however, and we settled in a pew towards the front of the auditorium and watched the opening act finish their warm-up. The auditorium filled slowly, as at first a few and then more people filed into pews around us. There was a techincal problem with the opening act, so the show, originally billed to start at 9 p.m., did not begin on time. 9:30 came before the opening act took the stage with the first of many cover songs—a version of the Star-Spangled Banner not quite worthy of Hendrix. Coldplay's "Yellow" and Stevie Wonder's "Superstition" were among the next few songs played, as was Phil Wickham's "Cannons."

A lack of original material was not the only perplexing aspect of this band, however. Although I think the band name was the Atomists, I cannot be sure because I cannot remember them ever introducing themselves; if they did, it was undoubtedly lost upon the crowd's restless ears. The end of their lineup was just as awkward; I looked away for a moment only to realize that the bass player and the drummer were nowhere to be found. The guitarist continued to sing a slow song I did not recognize, and then he too walked off the stage without a further word. Two uncomfortable minutes passed before the bass player returned to the stage and sheepishly announced a short intermission as Novas Effect set up.

Novas Effect took the stage in style, and I had quite possibly the best seat in the house—right on the stage. With access to the stage, the floor seating and the balcony, I was able to enjoy the show from a variety of angles. The band opened with a high-energy song called "Beyond the Stars," (available for download at http://www.purevolume.com/NovasEffect). With an impressive light show choreographed by hand, Novas Effect performed their seven-song set with few noticeable flaws; the drums, keys and guitar demanded attention from the previously passive crowd. From fast-paced tunes to slower, more serious songs, Novas Effect presented all original songs in a synthetic rock-style they self-titled "Industrial Electronica Core." When the band had played its entire repetoire, the crowd was so pleased with the performance that they begged for an encore. However, Novas Effect did not disappoint its fans; a second performance of the opening song, with just as much energy and perhaps better reception than the first time.


Overall, the concert was enjoyable, but it was the story behind Novas Effect that was the most interesting. Vocalist/key player Landry Fields had tried to form bands before, with little success. When Fields was about to give up on his dream, however, God showed that He had other plans, he said. "All of the sudden, I was reminded of the story of Peter and the disciples out all night without catching anything," Fields said, adding that he felt like God was telling him to "go back in and cast your nets in the water."

From that point, things began to fall into place for the creation of a new band. Drummer Matt Pugh was supposed to be in Afghanistan, but by an accidental fall during boot camp, Pugh was unable to complete his training and returned home to find a Facebook status posted by Fields, describing his vision for the band. "It feels like this is what is supposed to be happening," Pugh said. This vision carries over into the band's name; nova is the scientific term for when a star gets brighter for no apparent reason, said Fields, adding that this is "what we felt God does with us."

Josh had been right in recommending this concert, and I could not help but to look back on it all with a feeling of an evening well spent. Novas Effect made two things blatantly clear this weekend: their distinct sound and their strong passion for Christ. In the time of a decreasingly creative Christian music industry, Novas Effect resonates with a uniqueness that I hope is here to stay.
- Asbury Collegian