Our Story
Tilted Fuzz Collective was born from a simple belief: music and art belong to everyone. Not only to the people who can afford a ticket or already know someone in the scene, but to every neighbor, every kid with a secondhand guitar, and every artist who has something to say and nowhere yet to say it.
Founders Evan Beran and Sarah Magee built the Collective out of Tilted Fuzz Records, the studio and live-production company they started in Bryan. Together they bring more than 20 years of combined experience in music and sound. As working songwriters and performers themselves (Evan on guitar and vocals, Sarah on drums and vocals), they know what it feels like to step on a stage for the first time, and how much it matters when someone hands you a mic and believes in you.
For the past two years, that belief has come alive at our free open mic, held every fourth Friday (this month it’s Friday, October 16th, moved for the festival) at Blackwater Draw Brewing Co. in Bryan. We bring all the sound gear and instruments, so anyone can walk in and play. Seasoned players share the stage with people who have never performed in their lives, and everyone leaves with a room full of new friends cheering them on. Now we are carrying that same spirit into classrooms, festivals, and neighborhoods across the Brazos Valley, because the next great songwriter or painter might just be waiting for someone to say: you belong here.
Our Mission
Tilted Fuzz Collective believes music and art belong to everyone. In Bryan and the Brazos Valley, we open the doors to live music with free and low-cost, all-ages shows where neighbors gather; we bring musicians and artists into local classrooms so young people discover the arts early; and we give local musicians and artists, from first-timers at our free open mic nights to rising talent, a stage, a welcome, and a community that helps them grow. Through real music made by real people, we bring our community together and make it a more connected, creative, and joyful place to live.
Our Vision
A Brazos Valley where anyone, regardless of age, neighborhood, or income, can hear live music and see local art close to home; where every young person gets to meet a real artist and imagine becoming one; and where local musicians and artists can build a sustainable creative life right here.
Our Values
Access for all. Cost, age, and neighborhood should never keep anyone from live music and art. We keep a set share of our events free or low-cost, always.
Start young. Young people who meet real artists early become the audiences, makers, and supporters of tomorrow.
Real artists, real art. We champion music and art made by people. We program, book, and showcase human-made work, and we teach why it matters.
Local first, paid fairly. We put Brazos Valley musicians and artists on our stages and in our booths, and we pay performers fairly, on time, and in writing.
Fair and open. Anyone can sign up for open mic or apply to showcase. Selection is by published criteria, never by connections.
Safe, all-ages spaces. Every event has the permits, insurance, and safety plan it needs, so families and first-timers can feel at home.
Community-built. Neighbors, schools, venues, and volunteers shape what we do. This collective belongs to all of us.
Open books. We track every dollar and every event, and we share how we are doing.
Becoming a Nonprofit
Tilted Fuzz Collective is in the process of becoming a Texas nonprofit corporation and plans to apply for 501(c)(3) status. Until that status is approved, contributions are not tax-deductible. We’ll share updates here as we go.
Join Us
Every free show, every first song at the open mic, and every kid who meets a working artist happens because people like you decided it mattered. Come to a show. Sign up to play. Volunteer for a night. Help us bring artists into classrooms. Chip in so the next show costs nothing. However you show up, there is a place for you here. Together, we can Keep Live Music Free.
Meet the Sound
Engineer
Evan Beran has lived and breathed music for more than 20 years, and that lifelong devotion is the heartbeat of everything Tilted Fuzz Collective does. As founder and lead sound engineer, Evan pairs technical skill with a musician's ear, making sure every project, from a single track to a full festival stage, sounds exactly the way the artist imagined it.
Evan's work is rooted in collaboration. After two decades as a working musician, he understands the creative process from the inside, and he brings that understanding to every session, mix, and live show he engineers. His goal is simple: give every musician the best sound possible, so their music can reach the people who need to hear it.
Alongside co-founder Sarah Magee, Evan built Tilted Fuzz Collective to be far more than a studio. It is a home base for the local music community, dedicated to helping artists sound their best, get heard, and keep creating.
Meet Our Co-Founder
Sarah Magee co-founded Tilted Fuzz Collective because she believes local musicians and artists deserve real support and a real stage. She drives the vision behind the Collective's shows, open mics, community events, and growing school programs, pouring the same love for music that first brought her and Evan together into something that belongs to the whole community.
A songwriter and performer herself, Sarah plays drums and sings original music. That hands-on perspective shapes how she meets every artist the Collective works with: with empathy, encouragement, and a real understanding of what it takes to get on stage.
Together with Evan, Sarah co-hosts the free monthly open mic, creating a welcoming space where musicians of every skill level, from first-timers to seasoned performers, can plug in, play, and be celebrated.