The Daily Campus

Issue date: 5/6/07 Section: Focus

Every year, thousands of students graduate from the University of Connecticut, moving into the next phase of life. Most will move into the working world. A few might be going into the Peace Corps and some will continue their education to obtain that illustrious Master's degree.

But what about those other students, those women and men who aren't doing the oh-so-ordinary? What about our future politicians, movie stars and world renowned authors?

What about Mike Horn?

On the surface, Horn may seem like any regular UConn student. Transferring to UConn prior to his sophomore year, the past three years have been spent attending classes, studying for countless hours in the library and pulling all nighters to finish that paper, all in pursuit of a degree in communication sciences, working campus jobs like at the local Starbucks to occupy time and make some money on the side, and being an active member in school-wide organizations.

So what's the difference? Well for starters, he can play the guitar and play it well. In fact he plays it so well that he was this year's featured artist on UConn's Husky Entertainment, the school's student-run, independent record label. Signed in mid-December, Horn began living a double life. Along with his new recording contract came countless rehearsals, meetings, studio sessions, an instant campus-wide fan base, plenty of sore throats and soon enough, a full band to play with - The Method.

Horn began playing his guitar and singing while he was still attending Benjamin Cardozo High School in his hometown of Queens, N.Y. After arriving in Storrs, he continued his work and began practicing and playing with roommate Adam Rosenfeld, a drummer who is graduating with a Bachelor's in communications, and friend Adam Pennarola, a keyboardist who is entering his seventh semester, pursuing a pre-med degree. The final component of The Method is Horn's cousin, Spencer Gallop, a graduating senior at SUNY New Paltz who plays guitar.

But did Horn ever seeing himself coming this far with his music?

"Definitely not," he said. "Although I always imagined myself doing something with music, I never took it as seriously as I do now. I think all of that comes with age and taking your dreams more seriously. I also think that if I wasn't getting the feedback that I look for from my music then I'd give it up and get a day job."

Now, after plenty of hard work, Mike Horn and The Method have something to show for it - their very first album, "Between the Borders" - something most young musicians could only hope for.

Continued...

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