Like many bands, the members of Envy have one goal in mind: to make it to the big time and play music for a living. Unlike many bands, however, they've actually got a chance.

Two weeks ago, the band received word that they had been chosen as one of the 12 contestants in MTV U's "Best Band On Campus" competition. The first round of voting begin's Monday, where the field will be narrowed down to five acts. The final five will then be narrowed down to one winner on April 17, who will receive a $25,000 record deal with Universal Records.

"Applying for the contest was really stressful," said bassist Paul Pachniak, 20, a sophomore in the College of Engineering. "We found out about it through MTV's newsletter 'The Procrastinator,' and we ended up getting everything together sending in all our paperwork on the day it was due. It was the busiest four hours of my life."

Envy, originally based out of Plattville, formed in 2000 featuring Paul's brother Jaek, 22, an alumnus from the College of Engineering, along with guitarist Dan Faherty and vocalist Amanda Tvedt. After numerous shifts and turns in the band's rhythm section, the band settled on bassist Paul and drummer Nick Fugate, rounding out the five-piece line up. With members working and attending school in the city, the band recently relocated to Milwaukee, and have since been trying to carve a name for themselves on both a local and national level. Winning the competition, said Pachniak, would be a great opportunity to get the exposure they need.

"It's a great opportunity," he said. "No doubt about it. To finish in the top 12 is really overwhelming in itself. We just want to see where it takes us."

The band finished its second record, "Message For the Blind," in November. A mysterious yet catchy pop rock record, the band maneuvers swiftly between styles as wide ranging as mainstream top 40 rock to toe-tapping acoustic folk. The album opener "Burning Again," the track which won them their spot in the MTV U contest, is a solid rock cut that brings to mind such contemporary acts as AFI and Evanescence. Pachniak credits Envy's sprawling sound to the band's eclectic tastes and musical interests.

"We get a lot of comparisons to Evanescence, especially with Amanda as our singer," he said of the parallels between Envy and the multi-platinum rock outfit. "But the truth is we all have a lot of different influences and types of music that inspire us, and I think that shows on the record. It's very diverse."

While they wait for the results of the first round of competition, the band is trying to gather support in and around the Marquette and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee campuses. Fans can show their support and vote for the band by logging on to www.mtvu.com or checking out their homepage at www.envyband.com. Along with securing a recording contract, Pachniak looks at the contest as a way of representing the Marquette community.

"Marquette doesn't really have a band they can call their own. A lot of them come and go, but we want to take that honor of being the best band on our campus."

This article appeared in The Marquette Tribune on April 7 2005.