A brainy band

For musicians, getting a record contract will always trump getting a college degree. But members of Austin band, Sounds Under Radio, have gotten both.

Take a late-night stroll along almost any street in downtown Austin, and you are sure to hear at least a few of the countless musicians who pour their hearts out in bars, coffee shops and on street corners each and every night. All of them are aware of the difficulty involved in making the leap out of the small venues and into worldwide touring and global distribution. Record deals are sought by many and granted to only a few.

After their song "Portrait of a Summer Thief" became one of the most downloaded tracks in America ­­­- appearing on the Spider Man 3 soundtrack - Sounds Under Radio signed with major label, Epic Records.

"Our appearance on the 'Spider Man 3' soundtrack was not what brought the record deal to us," said front man Lan Freeman. "Doors we were pushing open were just blown open after the release. More and more people began to come out to our shows throughout the tour."

The band, whose music has been compared to The Killers and Muse, received interest from several labels. They ultimately decided to go with Epic, a label known for distributing the work of well-known artists, including Cheap Trick, Tori Amos, Incubus and Franz Ferdinand. Their first album, "Cinematica," will be released by the new label on March 18 in the U.S. and Canada.

According to Freeman, the group encountered many setbacks along the way, including their practice space burning down halfway through the recording of their album. "Things come up everyday where I say, 'What more of a catastrophic thing could have happened?'" But the band has continued to soldier on.

Sounds Under Radio has pushed on and none of the members have ever given up on each other. If the record deal had fallen through, each had a good job to rely on.

In a time when many students drop out of school to pursue music, the members of Sounds Under Radio took a different route to musical success. Unwilling to work for minimum wage by day and play gigs by night, each of the members has achieved some degree of higher education. Freeman attended summer semesters at ACC while completing his English degree at the University of Texas at Austin. With nine out of the album's 10 songs written by Freeman, his English background has impacted his music tremendously.

"Our educational training has made it comfortable to travel, and helped us to afford the equipment we needed for the band," he said. "Getting a degree was a must for me."

For more information about Sounds Under Radio to visit www.myspace.com/soundsunderradio.