Ella Skye Heisel | Contributing Illustrator

In the city where blues found its rhythm, it’s not hard to find live music. Myriad venues populate downtown, and there are always shows scattered throughout St. Louis neighborhoods like Soulard and the Central West End on any given night. One Wednesday, I found myself at the Platypus, a bar in The Grove situated right next to the giant, flat-arched, neon sign bearing the name of the neighborhood. I was here to pull back the curtain on the opaque St. Louis music scene that had eluded me for three years. I was also here to support a friend, whose band, Mind of a Mango, I was watching perform for the first time.

After exchanging a $20 bill for two tickets, my roommate and I moved past the usher and through a set of curtains that led us into a cramped room where the band would play on a small stage. Colorful bulbs decorated the ceiling, and as I waited for the music, I surveyed the room of illuminated faces. The rest of the crowd was the punk type who looked prepared for the aggressive music to come. I wondered what I had gotten myself into. Then the explosion of noise began. First it was the bass, then the drums, and finally the vocals, the sonic shrapnel piercing my ears. This is Mind of a Mango, a psych-punk band formed by WashU senior Sebastian Dehnadi.

Mind of a Mango has been a project many years in the making for Dehnadi. As a witness to his musical evolution, I became curious about students taking music seriously at WashU. Committing to music can mean performing at bars; it can also mean releasing music on online platforms. What is certain about committing to music is that it transforms a personal pastime into a public performance — an audience of one becomes an audience of many, turning private musings into popular media.

“[Music] can really embed itself into the fabric of your identity and your personality. It can be helpful hearing music that expresses a feeling that you feel but you couldn’t quite describe it or put it into words, and because music transcends language, it really helps you get in touch with yourself in a lot of ways,” Dehnadi said.

As he views it, music is a form of personal communication that can serve as a language for one’s self and for others.

Dehnadi, a writer, bassist, and producer from Reno, Nevada, formed Mind of a Mango late last semester. The four-piece band produces and performs psych-punk-style music and released its debut album last year. 

Regan Sakai, a member of Reverb a capella from Pasadena, California, writes and sings her own songs as a solo artist. Her signature indie-pop sound suffuses her released singles, which can be found on all music platforms.

“[Music is] something I would be doing regardless of if people are listening or if it’s being taken seriously or not because it’s an outlet for me creatively and emotionally,” Sakai said.

For junior Julian Naiman, music offers a respite from his structured schedule. He enjoys improvising, especially in an academic environment that demands planning. 

Naiman, a producer from New York City and frequent collaborator with Sakai, has experimented with different genres, but his current music is recognizable for its lo-fi-pop sound and can be found on all music platforms.

Sakai, Naiman, and Dehnadi all began their musical journeys at the piano bench, mastering scales, among other basics.

Beyond the piano, Sakai had picked up singing as a kid, regularly taking voice lessons and performing at competitions both inside and outside of school.

For Naiman, classical guitar eventually took over piano, and he made his foray into the world of music production during the pandemic when his uncle gifted him Logic Pro, an Apple software for mixing and mastering tracks.

Dehnadi began experimenting with the Maschine, a MIDI controller, at age 12, which introduced him to the basics of original music production. It wasn’t until middle school that he started learning the bass, his primary instrument today. 

Because of their varied musical backgrounds and experience creating music, Sakai, Naiman, and Dehnadi’s musical goals looked different entering WashU.

As a first-year, Sakai’s musical ambition was to join an a capella group. She was unsure where she saw herself going with music beyond that. Even as she had developed her confidence as an artist, admitting her goals to herself and to others posed a formidable challenge.

“I honestly hadn’t told anyone that I liked writing music or that I had any interest in making my own, and I don’t know why I didn’t want to tell anyone. I think it was a personal activity because it’s about your feelings, and it’s also a self-confidence thing,” Sakai said.

Naiman’s vision for music at WashU was clearer at the start. His experience at an “artsy” high school introduced him to music production in a more formal setting and encouraged him to find collaborators at WashU who could complement his abilities.

“I think the main goal was to find people to collaborate with. Before coming here, I’d always been working by myself. I was always producing in my bedroom, working by myself, and I really wanted to find a vocalist,” Naiman said.

At 14 years old, Dehnadi had composed and performed an original score for a school production, but his musical aspirations at WashU entailed loftier ambitions. Entering his first year, Dehnadi had nine recordings, some finalized and others unpolished, that he had started two years before. More than finishing his album, Dehnadi hoped to join a band and searched for anyone who needed a bassist. 

Dehnadi’s ventures to open jams proved a disappointing, but not fruitless, task. The mismatch of playing styles made musical connection difficult, and it ultimately led him to the realization that what he was really after was a creative project that was his own.

With musical goals in their nascent stage, Sakai, Naiman, and Dehnadi each independently turned to lecturer Chris Douthitt in the Department of Music for assistance in taking their music to the next level.

For Sakai, being open about her commitment to music helped to clarify her goals to herself and others. In her junior fall, Sakai signed up for Studio Songwriting with Douthitt. 

“To me, [being surrounded by] other people who were passionate about music and excited to talk about it was a big step for me and also encouraged me to work harder on it and take myself more seriously,” she said.

Through class, Naiman met Sakai, marking the beginning of a lasting collaboration for the two artists.

Douthitt’s classes inspired Dehnadi to make a professional push with his music. Through consistent writing and playing, Dehnadi recalls noticing the same patterns of expression and musical aesthetics cropping up, allowing him to find his musical identity.

During his second semester with Douthitt, Dehnadi considered his next step as an artist.

“[Douthitt] told me it’s very difficult. He’s made a career out of it, but it’s not something he can really tell anyone they should go for or not, but I think we both acknowledged that I had some kind of artistic something that I think if packaged and done the right way could be cool,” he said.

It was clear that Dehnadi had the talent, but ultimately, a professional push could only be up to him.

When taking music more seriously, Sakai, Naiman, and Dehnadi acknowledge the logistics that need to be managed.

Beyond managing your own schedule, there’s the schedule of collaborators, among other considerations. 

With a busy schedule, Sakai finds that making music as accessible as possible is key. Without a piano in her room, keeping a guitar close by allows her to still write music.

Naiman tells me it can be difficult to find time to write or produce, especially during exam weeks.

For Dehnadi, the work doesn’t stop once a show is booked. He needs to talk with other bands about sharing gear, confirm that flyers get made, and make sure that the venue knows his orders.

Dehnadi tells me that getting booked can actually be the easy part. As a musician performing in St. Louis, he feels a responsibility to show his respect for a music scene that started well before Mind of a Mango first graced the stage. By hanging out after shows and talking with people, many of his shows have been offered to him by other bands looking for an opener.

Professionalism has been an important takeaway for Dehnadi in his musical journey. To gain access to musical equipment at WashU, he says it’s a matter of introducing yourself to the right people and showing that you are responsible.

“If you are of the mindset that you’re doing this on a somewhat serious level and you’re responsible enough to use that equipment and really learn it, I think WashU’s actually an incredible sonic playground for you to work with. There’s some really cool stuff you can do,” Dehnadi said.

Naiman echoes the importance of introducing yourself to the right people and forming connections. His relationships with music teachers in high school and at WashU have been especially formative. His advice for musicians getting started is to meet as many people interested in music as possible and build connections with those people.

Even with the talent and logistics figured out, musicians still need to perform. This isn’t always easy.

Dehnadi urges new musicians to be kind to themselves when they’re not creative.

“The bad days lead to the good days, and the stressed days lead to the days where you actually write some really good stuff,” Dehnadi said. 

For him, activities outside of music, like tennis, have served as a welcome distraction when his creative spirit is dormant.

Today, Sakai, Naiman, and Dehnadi continue along their musical journeys.

As a member of Reverb, Sakai continues to sing and develop her confidence as an artist. She can be found on Spotify under her name, Regan. Naiman continues to produce when he has the time. His music can be found on Spotify under his name, Julian Naiman. Their collaborative singles “Keep Me in the Dark” and “Sink or Swim” are available on all music platforms.

Dehnadi manages his own band, Mind of a Mango, which can be found performing around St. Louis. Its debut album, “Death to Authority,” is available on all music platforms.