Did you know Dayton’s nickname was the Gem City? Some believe the nickname is a result of several local businesses that had the name in their title. Others believe Dayton was given the nickname due to the number of inventions, inventors and artist located in the city.
Speaking of artists, are you an artist looking for an outlet? Have you wondered what talent we have in Dayton?
Here in Dayton, we have various locations that host open mic nights. Such as Therapy Café, Yellow Cab Tavern and 3rd Perk Café. Another open mic night is held at the Taste, where I was able to see performances ranging from spoken word to instrument solos.
There were singers, dancers, rappers and bands from different genres.
I learned that a handful of Sinclair students regularly attend these events. I had the experience to interview one Sinclair student and Dayton native, Demetrius Oglesby, a communication major and musical artist of Gem City Collective.
Gem City Collective is a group of musical artists that have been active in Dayton’s local art scene with several performances throughout the Dayton and Columbus area.
The group has eight members which include six musical artists and two graphic designers in charge of designs and music videos. Oglesby goes by the stage name Me3ch and works alongside the lyricist Soulucien, King Kells and Shakur.
When asked how the group originated Me3ch said:
“Gem City Collective started before we even knew it would exist. We were all close, like…brothers, and we decided we [could] make [more] moves as a group than as individual artists. We came up with our name just by stating who we are while making sure it’s known where we’re from.”
Gem City Collective has worked with many other local artists such as JXVE (Jive) and local music groups such as Famous Family Entertainment (FFE).
GCC has a performance later this week, so I asked how the group prepares for a gig, Me3ch states “…we just practice over and over until we [are] satisfied with how we are. We also give each other feedback on how we can do better.”
The group has been working and practicing together for some time therefore I asked has there been any noticeable growth.
Me3ch states “over this year alone, it’s crazy how much growth I’ve had. My mixing is better, my writing is better, and I just feel like overall, I’m a better ME3CH than I was last year.”
Performances, practices, scheduled meetings, self-marketing and networking could make one wonder how school fits into the greater scheme of things. To that Me3hs states, “school is the hardest part to manage while making music, but I’m not one to quit so I’ll get through it.”
This year, Gem City Collective has made a short-term goal of expanding and traveling with their music. Their long-term goal includes working with more artist outside of Ohio, having a fan base and creating a name for themselves throughout the country.
Outside of performing, Me3ch states “[we] have mainly been working on networking with different artists in different states through the internet…” to reach their goals. Samples of their music can be located on social media such as Facebook and Soundcloud.
However, Gem City Collective plans to perform their unreleased content this Friday, the 5th, starting at 10 p.m. The event will be held at Therapy Café on 452 East 3rd street and there will have several performances from other acts such as Invader Gang and Smokey Smooth as a going away party for the artist JXVE.
Angel Hopson
Reporter