UIC grad chases his passion

Chasing Mars: Sam Brown, Sean Goes, Neven Armic and Evan West

Being a college student is challenging — there’s homework, projects, internships and jobs. It’s hard to find free time for those hobbies collecting dust but with some major dedication, it all pays off.

When Neven Armic was a student at UIC, he had a lot on his plate, too. What made it all worth it was putting his passion in his greatest project yet: making Chasing Mars, a Chicago synth-pop band.

His band is releasing their single “Take You for Granted” Tuesday and donating all of the proceeds next week to the Ronald McDonald House charity. People who buy the music on their website through Oct. 7 will also snag a T-shirt designed by artists selected by the band. Cost for the T-shirt single is $20.

“We raised some money, we got a hold of some artists we really admired to make unique T-shirt designs to be released with the single,” said Neven, who graduated in 2010 with a bachelor’s in English. “The shirts themselves will be pressed only once, and after that, no one will be able to get them.

“It’s a way to release the single in an interesting way while doing things for the community. We’re helping kids and their families. It’s really good.”

The single is the band’s first to be released in more than two years. The band released its debut full-length album “Chasing Mars” in 2011.

“If you love music and if it’s something you have to do, make sure your heart’s in it,” Neven said. “Being a musician is hard work and a lot of time and money is invested in it. But it’s much more worth it to know your hard work is getting put into a good cause.”