The Indigos

Article by Sean Flack

A band’s name can have a myriad of meanings. Whereas one band might name itself after a particularly funny inside joke, another band might shrug and decide on something that sounds cool or would score chicks. Muncie-based band The Indigos is a different story. To them, their name is the key to the entire operation. It’s a philosophy, really. Add together the group’s theatrical performances, the endless positivity, and the eclecticism an 8-piece ensemble provides, and it becomes apparent why The Indigos are one of the area’s most interesting bands.

The origin story of The Indigos is one of serendipitous beginnings. In January 2014, vocalist Matt Mellen was asked by a friend to help record a song for a class project. Mellen—who also plays guitar, bass, and drums—said he’d come in and play all the parts. However, the friend stated that he already had a “stellar studio drummer” locked down. Mellen fought the decision for a bit before finally surrendering.

“So, I went into the studio, and that’s where I met [Matas Olsauskas]. When he came in, he laid down three takes—he had never heard the song before—and he just plowed through it and was perfect,” said Mellen.

Immediately following the session, Mellen asked Olsauskas the million dollar question: “Hey, man…you want to start a band?” Olsauskas said yes. Mellen then recruited his friend and guitarist Brandon Brookshear and the three slowly started putting a band together. After many tryouts, the band swelled to include five musicians. Snowballing from there, the band’s current iteration has eight members. Joining Mellen, Olsauskas, and Brookshear are Tyler Harris (saxophone), Josh Savage (keys, vocals), Andrew Cullison (bass), Travis Muller (guitar), and Derek Hutchinson (auxiliary percussion, background vocals).

“I always loved big bands. I love that huge indie folk sound and that’s what originally I was trying to tailor it toward. But it ended up being more of a rock style. Right now we’re at a good standstill point,” said Mellen.

While The Indigos currently has enough members for a good-sized sports team, they hope to expand still by including featured artists to embellish the band. The group’s sky-high ambitions don’t stop there. Dancers, actors, theatrical elements, and an orchestra are just some of the flourishes the band hopes to implement in their shows down the road. It might seem overly ambitious, but it bears mentioning that this is a band who opened a performance at Ball State University last year with a sword fight.

“The goal with this was I wanted The Indigos not just to be a band but a musical performance and experience. We try to break expectations every time. We want to enhance the experience,” said Mellen.


The group’s desire to break expectations goes hand-in-hand with the meaning behind its name. The name The Indigos comes from the term Indigo Children, which refers to children who are more in-tune with their inner selves and the world around them. Indigo Children are also known for following their dreams and passions. The idea of focusing on what you love—as opposed to what society tells you—is something the band takes as gospel. The Indigos also believe in the power of positive thought, an idea that informs almost every aspect of the band’s culture.

“That’s the difference between us and the other guys. The influence of positive thinking is critical to what we do. The fact that we’re eight best friends playing together comes across in our music. You can tell the people behind it are not negative people. That’s what people like—projecting a positive frequency,” said Harris.

For as young a band as The Indigos is, it’s remarkable how well they’ve been able to do in the area. On an average week, the band will play anywhere from one to three shows, half of which will be on Ball State University’s campus. While it might seem as if it’d be hard to break through and become an established act, The Indigos has been able to swan dive into it.

“I’ve done little to no booking of shows. Almost every show we’ve gotten, someone has asked us to play. We would play a show and then from that show, we would get two shows and so on,” said Mellen.

The Indigos’ genre isn’t rock. It isn’t pop or folk or glad-core. Instead, the band describes their music as indigroove—two parts bluesy rock with a smattering of groove undertones. The group likes what their offbeat name says about themselves. It says that they’re not going to follow prescribed routes but rather create their own. It’s a smart move—how else could one describe a band with influences that range from the Black Keys and Foo Fighters to the Bee Gees and Stevie Wonder?

“The Bee Gees had a shit-ton of people on stage. That’s what we’re doing but in 2015. We’re just louder and have more toys,” said Harris.

When the band came together to record its first official release, “Good Times in Hard Places,” the members applied the same passion to the recording process. This wasn’t a case of friends casually getting together on the weekend in someone’s basement for a couple hours. It took six months to record the six-track EP. Recording consisted of nine to 12 hour nights, lasting anywhere from 4 a.m. to 10 a.m. the next morning. Band members would be in the studio all night and then go straight to class sometimes.

“Basically you throw a puzzle box at 4,000 miles an hour against a wall. Then you look down and there’s a thousand puzzle pieces. That was basically the recording process—flipping over all these little tiles and finding out what sounds cool and what doesn’t,” said Savage.

While the band’s lyrical themes stay consistent—girls, friends, Big Brother, fear, the idea of breaking free—its music is constantly evolving. In fact, many times the music that The Indigos recorded isn’t what ends up being played on stage. It’s always something different, which is a point of pride for the band.

“I think it’s a big reason for why our fan base keeps coming back to our shows. They can feel that there is a building going on and that we’re really starting to vibe,” said Savage.

The band has stayed busy the past month, alternating between playing shows and promoting “Good Times in Hard Places.” As for where they go from here, the group plans to start touring more this summer and to start recording their second effort sometime in the late fall or early winter. In April 2016, the group hopes to expand and turn their musical outfit into a multinational act. As long as The Indigos continue to take their band name to heart, then that dream is very much a possibility.

You can find The Indigos online at their website or on Facebook. - Sean Flack

Matt Mellen starts moving his body side to side with his arms bent in front of his face. He looks up, smiles and says, “The music we write is the music that gets people to do this -- getting into the groove." His band mate, Brandon Brookshear nods his head in silent agreement.

Though both wearing hues of indigo, Mellen, a senior business and leadership communication leader, and Brookshear didn't plan their color coordination. These two are the founders of the eight-member band, The Indigos, which officially formed last February. This Friday, The Indigos plan on releasing their first EP, “Good Times in Hard Places.”

The Indigos utilize many instruments including rhythm and acoustic guitars, saxophone, percussion, keyboard and bass.

They based their name off of the term "Indigo Children." Nancy Ann Tappe, the creator of the term, described Indigo Children as individuals tasked with uniting mankind by using their ability to accept others for who they are.

"Indigo Children manifest in a physical reality of what they truly enjoy, dream and inspire to do," Mellen said. "We are Indigo Children because we are doing what we love."

Mellen and Brookshear describe their sound and genre as "Indiegroove," a collaboration of Indie pop and rock. They said it includes 70s dance music, 80s rock, modern pop and indie music all collaborated into one sound.

Their upcoming EP consists of six songs written by Mellen and created with the intention of capturing the interest of others.

Mellen said "Good Times in Hard Places" has a wide array of genre influences, and that anyone, if not everyone, can identify with at least one song on the EP.

"It's very genuine," Mellen said. "I didn't write any of those songs because somebody told me I had to. The meaning behind them are still very genuine and rings very true to a lot of people. Not just myself."

The Indigos produced and recorded the entire album at Ball State. Their goal is to break into the Top 40 market and compete with national and international artists. Mellen said he does not plan to make much money from the EP.

Mellen just wants people to listen to The Indigos' music and say, "Damn, that was good."

Brookshear’s favorite song is “The Groove.” Mellen and Brookshear said they think it will be the most popular song on the EP.


Find "Good Times in Hard Places"

On Friday, The Indigos EP drops everywhere music is sold including Spotify, iTunes and stores.

The Indigos play at Be Here Now on February 13 for their CD release show. Doors open at 8 p.m. and the Indigos perform at 11:15 p.m..

Source: Matt Melen

The Indigos started producing "Good Times in Hard Places" in September. Mellen had formed the skeletons of the songs and the band came together and wrote most of the instrumentation. The guitars were written during their time in the recording studio.

Mellen said it took the band three months for tracking, and another three months of 12-hour, late night and early morning post-production sessions.

Brookshear enjoyed the experience of the recording and the creative process.

"Creating things is what people are meant to do," Brookshear said. "Music is what we like to do so it's just an awesome process for us even though it can be strenuous and stressful sometimes."

Mellen’s journey with the EP ended in a visit to the hospital after too little sleep and too many energy drinks.

Mellen said he only slept a couple of hours a day while making the EP. He obsessed over the recording process and the desire to make the EP exactly how he envisioned it. On top of that, he juggled classes during the production process.

"It was physically straining on me, but it was worth it," he said.

As for future endeavors, Mellen and Brookshear plan to pursue music. Brookshear intends to sustain himself with music until he can start a small business.

Mellen hopes music will bring him a solid source of income after May. He plans to take his music to the national level at festivals like Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza, and then proceed to the television and radio sectors.

To listen to The Indigos check out their Facebook page. - Ball State Daily News

The Indigos (formally know as I, The Indigo)


I, The Indigo performs The Groove at the Talent Search on Oct. 7 at John R. Emens Auditorium. DN PHOTO ALAINA JAYE HALSEY - Ball State Daily News

The Indigos (formally know as I, The Indigo)

I, The Indigo begin their performance of The Groove with a pirate fight at the Talent Search on Oct. 7 at John R. Emens Auditorium. DN PHOTO ALISON CARROLL - Ball State Daily News

The Indigos (formally know as I, The Indigo)

I, The Indigo perform The Groove at the talent Search on Oct. 7 at John R. Emens Auditorium. DN PHOTO ALISON CARROLL - Ball State Daily News

The trust that owns Be Here Now’s building has put the building up for sale, leaving the future of the Village's only music venue in the air.

Chris Karamesines, trustee of Karamesines Credit Shelter Trust, said the building has been up for sale for about three to six months. If the building were to be sold, the new owner could force Be Here Now out of the building.

“[The owner of Be Here Now] has a lease that has the option of me canceling at any time I want… more or less a month-to-month type lease,” Karamesines said. “Somebody could buy it and choose to keep renting it to the owner of Be Here Now, or they could say, hey I’ve got another use for it.”

Whitney Lewis, owner of Be Here Now, declined to comment.

Karamesines said his selling the business doesn’t have anything to do with Be Here Now, but that the trust is trying to get rid of some of its real estate.

Matt Mellen, lead singer for the band The Indigos, said if Be Here Now closed the local music scene would suffer due to the lack of venues for both live music and drinking in Muncie. Mellen is a senior business and leadership communication major.


Upcoming Events for Be Here Now:

Mike Jones, of "Who is Mike Jones" fame
Thursday, Feb. 12, 9 p.m. - 2 a.m.
$15 in advance, $20 at door, $40 VIP and Meet and Greet

The Indigos CD Release Show
Friday, Feb. 13
8 p.m. - 2 a.m., perfoming at 11:15 p.m.

Valentine's Day Drag Show
Saturday, Feb. 14, 9 p.m. - 1 a.m.
$5 cover

“Late Nite and [University Program Board] have live music but it’s more affiliated with the Late Nite and on-campus stuff that they have,” Mellen said. “Be Here Now is also a bar, so the whole demographic that UPB and Late Nite is bringing in is completely different than the bar scene… [there’s] an entire demographic of people who want to drink and watch live music.”

Keyboardist and vocalist for The Indigos Josh Savage, a senior marketing major, said Be Here Now has helped his band become successful through its environment. The bar provides the “perfect combo” for people to enjoy while listening to music, said Savage.

“I think [Be Here Now] has provided an environment that our fanbase has become very comfortable in, and not only in the fact that they can drink and fun there, but in the fact that they can express themselves in a way that they one, feel free to express themselves, and second they see their friends there,” Savage said. “You can dance, you can listen to music, you can get drunk… that sounds like the college triumvirate right there.”

For some, the music that Be Here Now offers is a bridge to the Muncie community.

But Brian Burk, an owner of Greek’s Pizzeria, which shares the block with Be Here Now, said he didn’t see his business being affected very much if Be Here Now closed.

“It might affect our late night booth a little bit, just because of the draw down here, but I think also with Brothers [across the street] I don’t think it would have too much to do for us,” Burk said. “At the end of the day it wouldn’t really affect our business.” - Ball State Daily News

Along with some help from our All-Stars, venues, and musicians; we've compiled a list of the Top 100 Indianapolis local bands, DJs, and producers in Indianapolis. You can toggle between their upcoming events and the artist list. To see the full list simply select "Artists" from your menu. Artists are ranked in order of popularity based on how many people on Do317 follow them. Now, follow some bands and go see some live local music! Special thanks to Kolman Dental and his support for the local music scene. - Do317

"...when some is Indigo it is someone who is following their passion"

For the full video story click here. - Connections Live

This is our special Valentine's Day episode a tad late. We have the Ball State Belly Dance Team and local band, The Indigos, on as our guests. - BSU Tonight

Live Acoustic Performance by The Indigos

www.indigoarmy.com - Connections Live