Behind the scenes with three Umich student artists from Empty Mug Records

On January 14, the University of Michigan’s student record label, Empty Mug Records, hosted a showcase for their artists at the Blind Pig, a small concert venue in downtown Ann Arbor. Performers spanned across multiple genres, ranging from solo acts to full-on bands, but on that night they ignored their differences and shared the stage in a joint effort to impress their peers.

The show began with Mocha, a Michigan-raised rapper who’s currently enjoying some local buzz. He opened the event with a set that consistently switched between intimate and rowdy, rapping quietly through personal songs like ‘True Colors’, but riding the crowd’s heightened energy during his bigger hits.

After a thirty-minute set, Mocha was relieved by Rella, a solo singer-songwriter with soulful deliveries. In a hushed tone, he performed a series of his original songs to starry-eyed listeners, and at the end of his set, fans warmheartedly lined up to make his acquaintance.

Rella playing at the Blind Pig

When he finally cleared the stage, he was followed Bonzo, a melodic alternative rock band that served as the evenings headliner. They offered the most polished performance of the night, but to an audience that had obviously slimmed down as hours passed and Thursday night’s bar scene took full flight.

Before the show, The Tab spoke with each artist about their expectations for the evening, as well as their goals for the approaching future. 

How does it feel to have your peers acknowledging you as a professional artist? Whether it’s representing you at the label, or just coming out to see you perform? 

Mocha: It’s a humbling feeling to be honest, because these kids don’t have to do that… They’re paying money to come see me, which means a lot. They’re taking time out of their day.

Rella: I think it’s awesome… It’s great to have someone there who really knows that this is a passion, it’s not just some hobby… this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.

Bonzo: It’s great to have people come out. We’re not professional artists. I want that to be on record. We really appreciate when our friends come out. People willing to pay money to go out to see bands just in general is really important.

Mocha performing at the Blind Pig

The Blind Pig has been played by names like A$AP Rocky, Odesza & Earl Sweatshirt on their way to the top. Is this a special night for you?

Mocha: I saw Earl here my freshman year at the University, and I was telling one of my friends that I came with, “Man I’m gonna perform here.” So I’m here now and it’s crazy, I’m not gonna lie.

Rella: It feels great. This is like my second or third time playing… I just like reaching out to people and sharing what I have, so it’s great playing anywhere.

Bonzo: Nirvana’s played here which is like, a really big deal… That might not necessarily say anything about what the venue is now though. We prefer to play non-professional venues in general. People are more willing to come up and talk to you.

What are we going to hear you play?

Mocha: A lot of shit off 95 Til’ Infinity, cause that mixtape’s kind of what propelled my success in Ann Arbor, but you’re going to hear some new stuff also… True Colors.

Rella: They’re all originals. One is called Lurk, it’s kind of like, ‘I want a good girl but also a bad girl’ type song. People really like that one.

Bonzo: Songs off of our new album 88.3, but they all sound very different in our live set. There’s one song from our first album, Summer in Japan… There’s also a secret track that hasn’t been released yet.

What are we going to hear from you in the near future? Is there new music coming soon?

Mocha: True Colors is coming really soon, it’s my best project to date. Just be excited, because I’m getting better.

Rella: Right now I’m writing a project, actually two. One is called ‘Air Up There’ — I want that to come out first. The other is called Nimbus, it’s a longer project. I’m still trying to figure out what I want my sound to be, production-wise.

Bonzo: We’re going to do a Spring Break tour in March, and then we’ll see what happens — from Michigan to Boston and down to Jersey, Philly and New York.

Bonzo preparing for their set