By: Ashton Newton
Entertainment Editor

For many students, music is a great hobby. Writing, playing and even listening to music is beneficial and rewarding. Western student Patrick Jaursch, sophomore psychology major, takes that one step further by pursuing music as a passion.

“My music is very freeing. For me, I write music to get away from the stresses of life. Music is a way for me to relieve and get things off my head while I express myself through a creative outlet which allows me to make something that I can enjoy doing and other people can enjoy hearing,” said Jaursch.

Jaursch goes by the name Patty MeLT for all his music, a name he carefully chose.

“I chose Patty MeLT as a name because I love music so much that I wanted to take the whole ‘rapper’ stereotype out of its box,” said Jaursch. “I’m Patty MeLT because it clicks in your head and makes you say ‘isn’t that a sandwich, that’s kind of weird.’ I just wanted to evoke an emotion that’s off-putting.”

Jaursch is actively writing and recording new music. In 2016, he released a 10-track album called “TIMBERLINE: A Comprehensive Journey” that featured rap, some folk and a skit. A new single, “T I D E S,” was released on April 10 and marks a shift in Patty MeLT’s music.

“I’m moving onto bigger and better things, making music that actually comes from my heart. I’m doing things because it’s what other people do, I’m on my own path now.”

Patty MeLT’s next big project, which doesn’t have a release date yet, comes straight from the ideas that he begins to work with in “T I D E S.”

He says the album “is about saving the world. It’s a story, an audiobook. It’s not actually an album, I can say that much. While there’s music in it, more than anything I want to convey a message, so I’m trying to tell a story. I wrote a book and I’m having somebody, who if people listen to my music they’ll know who they are very well, narrate the album.”

When he’s not making music, Jaursch enjoys hanging out with friends, writing poetry and doing anything creative.

“I just like to be creative, I’m a very creative person. I’ll just draw, I’ll make music— anything that entertains me.”

Western has helped Jaursch follow his passions of music with their music program and services on campus.

“Western does a great job of being sure that students have access to resources. For example, our music program has studios on campus and drum labs that are both useful, and students who are music majors and minors have access to them. Western has been great at accompanying me with a studio that I can work with,” said Jaursch.

To anyone else wanting to follow their passions in music or any other field, Jaursch made sure to point out that it’s important to do what’ll make you happy.

“Follow your dreams, follow your passions. Do what makes you happy in life more than anything,” expressed Jaursch.

Patty MeLT’s music is available for streaming right now on Bandcamp and Soundcloud.

Contact the author at journalentertainment@wou.edu