Marble Falls High School duo raising money with song for crash victim’s family
CONNIE SWINNEY • PICAYUNE STAFF
MEADOWLAKES — Two Marble Falls High School students want to honor the life of a classmate who died in a crash by helping her family with proceeds from a song they wrote and produced.Miles Shepperd, 16, and Sean Evans, 17, are selling a song called “Buzzy” for 99 cents per download online at iTunes, Spotify, Amazon and Google Play.
The duo chose the song to memorialize 15-year-old Mylie Ferguson, who died Jan. 23. She was a passenger in a pickup that crashed on CR 340 just north of the Marble Falls city limits. Ferguson was one of six teenagers in the vehicle when it rolled over.
“It effected everyone around me. I wanted to hang out with friends, but they were all mourning her death. It was hard,” Evans said. “Everyone knew Mylie. I really didn’t know her or her family. The only way I could express myself is through music and trying to be able to help.”
Evans, a budding musician who plays the guitar and takes voice lessons, performed the rap portion of the tune. He and Shepperd, who also takes voice lessons, have written and produced three songs together using a home computer and Internet music programs. They recorded “Buzzy” in an Austin studio.
“We had the song already. It was a fun song about having a good time, having a good night, just being teenagers,” Shepperd said. “We decided we would send the revenue to Mylie’s family.”
Parts of the song features a so-called “Skrillex” or “dub step” baseline with techno-enhanced voice and synthesized sounds.
Lyrics include “Girl, I think you’re super cool” and “Girl, you’re beautiful. You know it, too.”
The rap portion includes lyrics like, “You can be my Cinderella if the shoe fits.”
The song “fit” the kind of person everyone perceived Ferguson to be.
“People who didn’t know her gained knowledge of what kind of person she was through Facebook and social networking,” Shepperd said. “This is something we could do to spread the message that you can help because of the good in people.”
At one point, “Buzzy” was No. 1 of 906 songs in its category on iTunes, Shepperd said.
The teens say they look forward to depositing the first check from proceeds into the Ferguson account.
“I hope (Mylie’s parents) know that she is missed,” Shepperd said. “She had a big impact on more than they will ever know.”
Donations can be made to the Ferguson family at First State Bank Central Texas branches care of “Julie Klammer FBO Mylie Ferguson.” Branch locations are 617 U.S. 281 in Marble Falls; 101 E. Polk in Burnet; 14550 RR 1431 in Kingsland; 907 Ford St. in Llano; and 215 Westmoreland St. in Mason.
connie@thepicayune.com