Hungry and passionate, 21-year-old photography student Adam Dillon has a full plate on his hands.

Dillon is the frontman and a guitarist for the band The Standout State. He also attends school full-time, operates his own photography business, works full-time on campus in the AIRC and participates in Sac State’s drum line.

Time management skills are a valuable asset to have, especially when one has multiple extracurricular activities happening at once.

“It’s really just having a schedule locked in and consistent,” Dillon said. “I’m tired and stuff like that, but as long as it’s consistent – and I’m used to it – it’s like that work flow. It’s exhausting but I can’t give up on [the band] like [it] don’t give up on me.”

Other members of Dillon’s band have noticed his level of dedication.

“I’ve known Adam for three years and he works really hard,” said Paris Thomas current bassist for The Stand Out State. “He’s really dedicated and once he puts his foot in something, he’s really committed.”

Dillon became the frontman for the band after previous singer Grayson Gerstenkorn decided to leave the group. Before singing, Dillon was the band’s bassist.

“He has a real passion while also being a good frontman,” Thomas said.

The Stand Out State has gained a lot of steam recently and is starting to become known around Sacramento. Its most recent show was at The Naked Lounge Oct. 10th. Although the show was the band’s first in four months, it was nearly sold out with a little over 100 people in attendance.

“We just want to have a consistent following in Sacramento and put out good music,” Dillon said.

During the Oct. 10 show, the band played two new songs, which were written by Dillon, in addition to playing music that the previous singer wrote.

While Dillon performs, he said he draws inspiration from John Mayer, Chris Martin of Coldplay and Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie.

The band sounds like a mixture of indie, alternative and pop music, but Dillon described it as “something you would hear on the radio,” but “very inspirational.”

“We want to make music you can dance to, but still listen to in your car,” Dillon said.

Dillon’s ability to manage multiple task at once has made it easier to contribute to the band through song writing, which takes the pressure off of other members.

“He makes everything very simple so that it’s more enjoyable,” Thomas said.

Although The Stand Out State has never performed on campus, Dillon has plans of one day playing at Sac State.

The Stand Out State is in the process of recording an EP and writing new music, but the band is unsure of when it will be available.

“We want to bring a smile to people’s faces,” Thomas said.

Briana Swain can be reached at [email protected]