Think 15 credit hours is time consuming? Try being in and managing a band of your own while balancing school full-time. Enter the life of sophomore UCF student, Niko Costas. Majoring in Event Management, he has been able to apply what he learns to manage his reggae-rock band, Sidereal, as well a fledgling management company called Real Time Entertainment & Management.
Since the formation of Sidereal in 2009, Costas has been drummer and manager, preferring to keep the business within the band. Having already made a name for himself (and Sidereal) in his hometown of Jacksonville, he is now conquering the Orlando music scene as well, and this is why he is our Campus Celebrity.
I had a chance to witness Sidereal in action at downtown Orlando’s Backbooth music venue on Friday. After talking to some of the members of the band, it was apparent how grateful they are to have Costas as a band member and manager.
His brother, Lukas Costas, who plays the saxophone and sings in the band, said, “He is the backbone of our band. He sets everything up and works harder than anyone I know.”
Fans of the band occasionally interjected in the interview with Costas and other band members, who were actually welcomed interruptions. A man greeted Costas with multiple thank yous and an offer of one of the many drinks in his arms for helping them out. Costas kindly declined and said he would talk to him when he was done with the interview, but the man jumped in, with his arm around Costas, and delved into the situation that had occurred earlier that night.
His name was Carlos Framil, and he explained he was the manager for one of the bands playing that night, Artofficial. Their bus had broken down and Sidereal covered for them, agreeing to play their set early so Artofficial could make it to the venue.
“In the years I’ve been managing this band, we’ve never been late. Not once. You guys saved us,” said Framil to Costas.
This is just one of many situations that Costas must deal with as manager, but he seems to stay calm and collected under pressure.
Between organizing shows, studio time, touring, building a business, and going to school… there really is no time in between, actually. He says, “I try to manage my time wisely. I just put in a lot of hours [laughs]… a lot of hours.”
The days of playing shows limited to their home base of Jacksonville, Florida ended after the release of Sidereal’s self-titled debut album in September of last year. Since then, they have received national recognition in the reggae-rock community and toured around the Southeast, playing alongside big name bands such as The Supervillans, The Expendables, Pepper, and Iration, to name a few. The Pier magazine named Sidereal their “Artist on Radar,” and they were recently on the lineup with Girl Talk and The Flaming Lips at Blackwater Music Festival. Basically, 2011 has been busy for them, to say the least.
These small steps towards stardom can be attributed to the immense time and effort Costas has committed for his band. He talks about how music is the one thing he truly enjoys and is passionate about. Dreaming of playing for a full arena is what keeps him motivated to work as hard as he does every day. Costas says, “I’m just pursuing a dream and trying to make small steps to eventually make it happen.”
You can check out (and download for free) a single off their debut album called “Dry Eye.” Be sure to watch out for their new single “Before I Go,” which is set to release early in 2012.