Assoc. Opinion Editor
Senior Maggie Dwyer and her black and white tabby, Muffin, have the exact same personality. Moody, neurotic, and constantly out of the house, the two share both an inseparable bond and a mutual distaste for one another due to their similarities. However, while her cat could care less about most everything in the world, Dwyer is a self-described control-freak and perfectionist. Although it comes with its fair share of drawbacks, her controlling nature is actually a huge advantage for her newest project: her up-and-coming record label, Filthy.
The idea for Filthy was conceived on the night of Dwyer’s seventeenth birthday party, when a show she organized featuring multiple small Los Angeles bands was a great success. Frustrated by the poor quality of shows she had recently attended, and inspired by the turnout of her birthday event, Dwyer decided to utilize her “control freak” nature and try organizing her very own event. Since then, she has been working on her first official show under the new name, and searching for small bands to sign. Eventually she hopes to grow Filthy into an independent record label similar to the popular LA start-up, Burger Records.
Dwyer has been preparing for a mid-November show for the past few weeks. She has been spending time after school creating an interactive art piece, coordinating with vendors, and gathering volunteers to work the event. As the independent organizer of the project, Dwyer has the plus of complete authority and the struggle of a massive to-do list.
When she’s not preparing for the show, Dwyer can be found taking spontaneous trips to Joshua Tree with friends, attending punk shows in the LA area, or eating her daily dosage of ice cream. Though she ultimately enjoys the role of organizer and concert goer, Dwyer is also a song lyricist, skilled baby-piano player, and soon to be harmonica expert. She’s not currently part of any official band, but she has created and ended countless groups in the past four years.
“Magpie is a wild ride,” senior Maddie Lizzul said. “She is definitely the least boring person I know – she changes her hair every few weeks.”
From the ever-changing, rainbow pixie cut atop her head to her consistent flow in and out of bands, Dwyer is certainly far from dull. Her eclectic personality and taste derives much from her older sister and grandmother. At a young age, Dwyer became attracted to the LA music scene as she witnessed her older sister attend shows. Since freshman year, Dwyer herself has followed in her sister’s footsteps and is very involved in the scene today. But while her sister chose to pursue music, Dwyer plans to follow a different route, and hopes to eventually parlay her love for event organizing into a business degree from UC Berkeley.
As for now, Dwyer’s passion lies in the future of Filthy, and her upcoming show is sure to be a direct reflection of the organizer herself: lively, lovable, and loud.