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Ian Anderson '07, squeaky clean

By Lauren Fischer '08
October 2, 2006

When it comes to multi-tasking St. Olaf senior Ian Anderson is a master at it. This Ole English major co-founded Afternoon Records, a local record label, manages the label's bands, edits a handful of Internet publications and small newspapers, including St. Olaf's The Manitou Messenger, plays guitar, writes songs and sings lead vocals in his own band, One for the Team. What's his secret? "I guess I just work hard and stay up late," says Anderson. "If I can't sleep, I'll get up at three in the morning and put together promo packets for a band. I just work on everything slow and steady."

Returning from a two-week New York tour just before Labor Day and fall semester, Anderson and One for the Team, which also includes John Krueger (bass), Elliot Manthey (drums), Sam Gerard (synth), Bryan Sonday (guitar) and Grace Fiddler (backup vocals), have yet to slow down. They received rave reviews in Manhattan, with The Village Voice calling One for the Team a "squeaky clean indie-rock outfit." This fall they are planning local tours as well, "playing with half a dozen big names that are coming through town and working on a new album," says Anderson. St. Olaf is not on their schedule yet, but the band "would love to play here sometime."

Not only is One for the Team taking off, but Anderson's record label, Afternoon Records, has just signed a new band: Ela. The label also includes other bands, including an Ole favorite, The Plagiarists. The Pulse notes "local label Afternoon Records' increasingly diverse roster of hot young bands ought to earn it the title of Best Local Buzzmakers for 2006." When asked why he started the label, Anderson explains that during his senior year in high school, "a lot of my friends had bands and we felt we deserved to be heard so we banded together to get more attention. It really took off." Anderson will most likely work full time for the label when he graduates next May.

Although St. Olaf College is known for its outstanding music programs, Anderson has pursued an English major because "my primary academic interest is journalism," he says, "and therefore I pursued an English major in hopes of nurturing that interest. Also, lyrical content is central to what I do, so bolstering my literary muscle always seemed like the better thing to do."

Read what Rift Magazine reporter Kristen Mueller learned about Ian Anderson and One for the Team, and find out why the band made City Page's annual list of 10 promising new bands.

Contact Carole Engblom at 507-786-3271 or leigh@stolaf.edu.