Meet Mike Wallace. You may have seen him representing No. 14 during our beloved football Saturdays in the early fall. You may have seen him decked out in navy blue and white, with a Nike swoosh on his shoulder. You may have seen him shine on his stage—the turf of Beaver Stadium. But it doesn’t stop there.
Mike has another stage, one that also puts him in front of his fellow classmates, but in a different setting. He performs, but instead of a football, he holds a microphone. Along with two of his high school classmates, Mike balances school, football, and his truest passion—his music group, Primary Element.
HC: What motivated the start of Primary Element?
Mike: There was really no motivation to start Primary Element, it was something that just kind of happened my senior year in high school. The only real motivation was the love of music and the fun of making it.
HC: Who are your fellow members and what are each of your roles within the group?
Mike: Stan and Steve Spottswood (twin brothers) are the other members in Primary Element. We are all responsible for cooking up clever and witty lines for respective verses, but Stan has somewhat of a greater role, being responsible for making all the beats and developing the [PE] sound. I run the social media, PR, and merchandise, while Steve handles song writing and Digital Graphic Art.
HC: When and where do you usually perform?
Mike: We all go to school so preferably on the weekends. But we perform anywhere from clubs to day-longs; pretty much anywhere that we can pack a bunch of people in.
HC: Do you find it difficult juggling sports, school, and a music group?
Mike: This really isn’t as difficult as a lot of people think. In my day there is a time for football, there is a time for school, and everyone has their down time; well I dedicate that time to music. The hardest part is trying to get to shows and create new projects and shoot new music videos while we aren’t all in the same location.
HC: If you could describe your music in whole, what would you say?
Mike: Innovative. People think the cool thing is doing what is cool now but the key is working to develop what is cool to you, and in doing that you create not what is but what will be.
HC: What role does music play in your life?
Mike: Music is my muse, music is my passion, music is the tool I use to understand the world and myself. If you took away music from my life it would be bland and colorless.