In the early 1990s, five University of Mississippi students formed alternative rock band Maps and Legends, naming the group after the 1985 song by R.E.M. 32 years after disbanding, the group is reuniting for a show at Proud Larry’s this Saturday, Sept. 12.
Guitarists Will Smith and Clayton Bonjean formed the band while in college, recruiting fraternity brothers and friends to complete the act. Maps and Legends includes singer Jay Allen, drummer Ryan Pogue and bassist Rocky Wilkins.
Maps and Legends was a college circuit staple across the Southeast in the early 1990s, performing a mix of original songs and covers. The group played at popular venues in Oxford such as The Gin, Lafayette’s, J.W. Forrester’s and Ireland’s, frequenting bars across Mississippi and in Memphis, as well.
The band gained recognition for its single “Miles Away,” which earned Maps and Legends radio airplay on WUMS 92.1, the station now called Rebel Radio.
“Everybody on campus that listened to the radio was hearing our song two or three, four times in rotation a day,” Smith said. “So, when we would go play somewhere, it would really be crowded. … That just goes to show you how airplay was so vital.”
The alt-rock group adopted a sound reminiscent of Grammy-winning rock band R.E.M., which found its own start in Athens, Ga., and toured in Southeastern college towns in its early days.
“I’m more of a hard rock, Van Halen type. But when I listen to those tracks, we really did sound like a subtle alternative rock that … paralleled R.E.M.,” Smith said.
Maps and Legends disbanded as its members prepared for graduation and pursued different musical styles. However, their friendship never dwindled.
Wilkins reflected on his favorite memories travelling for concerts with Maps and Legends.
“Getting lost before GPS, playing music and getting paid for it — I saw parts of the South that I would have never seen and got to do with my friends, and it was really fun,” Wilkins said.
While many of the band’s members continued to play music after college, Wilkins pursued his career as an attorney and stopped performing. He said picking up bass again has been a welcome, but challenging, venture.
“Nobody stopped playing music after the band broke up but me,” Wilkins said. “Every one of these guys has a regular job and are very talented musicians, but I was the one who had to go back and learn all the songs.”
32 years after their last performance, the band’s members decided now was the perfect time to return to Oxford for a show, with the success of the Ole Miss football team driving alumni and fans back to where they started.
“We’ve been meaning to do this, Smith said. “I think it’s because we realize, you know, we don’t get unlimited chances to do things like this.”
Maps and Legends plans to put on a show similar to those they played in college, performing their original songs and a collection of covers.
“We’re not bringing anything new in. It’s going to be exactly what people heard 30 years ago, and I’m excited about that,” Smith said.
Smith appreciates that student bands from the University of Mississippi continue to prosper today, attracting fans across the region. He nodded with appreciation to Yazoo, an Oxford-based band started by UM students in 2024.
“The students like that still carry the torch,” Smith said. “You don’t have to put a headset on with your AirPods and listen to Apple Music. You can go to a venue, pay a cover and hear a real guitar and real acoustic drums playing with real musicians.”
Doors for the Maps and Legends reunion show at Proud Larry’s will open at 8 p.m. Saturday, with the show starting at 9 p.m. Americana songwriter Moon Pie Curtis will open the show.
Tickets are available online or at the door. Attendees under 21 must pay a $5 cover fee, and a parent or guardian must accompany those under 18.
