James Gardner wants to do more than just make music. He wants to promote social change through his beats and lyrics.

Gardner, a freshman in the Bandier Program for Music and the Entertainment Industries, goes by the stage name Special McKinley. He grew up on the Cattaraugus Reservation in New York and is a member of the Seneca Nation of Indians. He is part of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, also known as the Iroquois Confederacy.

“I’m one of the first musicians from my reservation that came out to record music, and I just want to honor that throughout,” Gardner said. “I want my music to be something that I can be proud of, be the face of. Hopefully someday I’ll be able to be the face of Native American music.”

Gardner hopes to eventually advocate for Native American politics and “advocate for a more positive image socially.” He has been influenced by an EDM group, A Tribe Called Red, whose members are all Canadian aboriginal musicians.

“I’d like to identify myself with Native American culture in music,” Gardner said. “I just want to start a trend of Native American musicians coming out and doing good things. I want to publish other Native American artists’ music, too.”

Gardner chose the name Special McKinley because he said he found it memorable. He described his sound as influenced by alternative rock and pop punk, but added that he likes to experiment with different genres.

“I don’t stick with one particular genre. I love experimenting,” Gardner said. “I want to be fresh and not be bored, and I want to experiment and learn more as I go on.”

Gardner released his debut album, “Insignificant” last month. He recorded the entire album by himself in his dorm room using his laptop. His music is available on Soundcloud, Bandcamp and his Facebook page.

For Gardner, recording the album in his dorm room was sometimes difficult because he didn’t want to disrupt other students living on his floor. But he said recording the album as a solo artist was a positive experience, and that although he has enjoyed recording on his own, he hopes to add new members to Special McKinley.

“Being the only member of Special McKinley has been great creative-wise — I get my own chance to make music I like, and it’s a faster process for me to make music,” Gardner said. “But on the other hand, I want to find some more people to play with.”

Gardner writes original music and has performed covers, including music by bands Brand New, Blink 182 and Modern Baseball. He said the environment in the Bandier program has influenced him musically.

“Being in the Bandier program, some of the people have a lot of energy and a lot of focus, and I’m influenced by them to write music that I really care about,” Gardner said.

Freshman Bandier student Stephen Smith said that Gardner’s work ethic sets him apart from most students.

“He’s incredibly hardworking, and a lot of people, especially in a college environment, don’t work that hard to do what they want,” Smith said. “He has a clear vision and really works hard to make sure that it happens how he wants it too.”

Gardner performs almost every Wednesday night at the open mic night at Funk ’n Waffles. He said he hopes to perform more often in the future.

“My favorite part about performing would have to be getting up there, and realizing that people are there for you — you’re engaged with the audience,” Gardner said. “Performing for an audience has always been a blessing. It’s nice to have that feedback. People are smiling, people are nodding and it’s a wonderful feeling.”

Gardner said he plans to continue making music, and that he cannot imagine a college experience without it.

“It’s definitely great for me to put my foot in the door. It’s been a blessing to make music and I can’t see myself doing anything else in college,” Gardner said. “I’m just thankful to make something that I actually enjoy having out there.”

Published on March 30, 2015 at 10:02 pm

Contact Isha: idamle@syr.edu