About two weeks ago, Michael "Myke" Iffrig plastered his apartment from ceiling to exit doors with posters that asked "Does it feel colder?" promoting something called Dry Ice. But don't worry if it doesn't make sense right away.

"It's a little bit of an inquiry," Iffrig (junior-secondary education and literature) said. "People wonder, 'is this guy a rock artist or a rapper?' "

Turns out it's the latter. Iffrig, a recent transfer from Penn State Berks, raps as C02.Dry Ice is his forthcoming EP, hitting iTunes on Oct. 22.

Iffrig said dry ice is the solid form of carbon dioxide, and the release marks the new focus in his sound.

"It's my way of saying 'I'm well rounded, I'm solid.' It's a solid effort," Iffrig said, adding that his previous efforts were one-sided.

Iffrig has been working on the songs for two years, but his growth as a rapper stretches back further. He began rapping when he lived in Philadelphia in eighth grade, which is also where he got his name.

"I used to get bullied so bad, and kids would say I'd never 'see '02,' " Iffrig said. "I guess they gave me two years to live."

He later noted that many of the kids who used to pick on him now listen to his music.
Iffrig started off with a "really crappy dollar store mic" in his cousin's basement, rapping over things like old Beastie Boys beats and earlier Eminem material.

After meeting two other rappers, he formed a group called Young Heat, which Iffrig described as "your common gangster group, except we were two white kids and a black kid." Like his solo efforts, Iffrig said some of the group's early material was rough.

"It was so bad, because we tried to do the chipmunk voice," he said. "We'd both sing and speed it up real quick and go 'Yo, this is a killer song!' "

The group was together until the past year, even after Iffrig moved to Reading in 2002, but they decided they weren't going to make it together and split off to do solo work.

Iffrig said the Young Heat material also hinted at some changes he would make: He was less concerned with dressing in rap fashions and was tired of trying to portray the gangster image.

"If I could sing, I'd be in a band," he said. His influences tend more toward rock than rap. He's covered the Bloodhound Gang in concert and cited Papa Roach's album Infest as one major influence, noting the group's changes in sound also made him want to move forward.

Iffrig has met several producers who provide original music for his songs, but has also done acoustic songs with a guitarist, including three acoustic shows over the summer. One song, "And Tonight the City Burns Alive," is especially atypical for a rap artist; it's an acoustic track about zombies. He said the song came about because "nobody rapping is doing zombie ballads."

Iffrig said the song came up from jamming with his guitarist, who sings on the hook and switches off with Iffrig for the verses, "like a Linkin' Park thing."

Other tracks feature a diversity of sounds. For one song, Iffrig got a techno artist to do the beat.

"The guy's never done a rap song in his life," Iffrig added.

For many songs, he gives his instructions to the producer.

"I'll say 'I want a bridge, violins, I want it really dark,' " Iffrig said. One song made "primarily on my instruction" like this was "Breathe," which Iffrig said he is pushing as the single.

He said it has received some airplay on stations in Reading, Pittsburgh and Philadelphia. One song that was -- ahem -- too original is no longer around: a song built entirely on fart noises.

"That was cut from the album," Iffrig said, noting it was not serious enough.

As for rap influences, Iffrig said most mainstream artists wouldn't sing a song like that "because they think they're doing what sells" and said some artists get listens because "it's so bad, it's good."

He noted indie artists like Tech N9ne and Reef the Lost Cauze as rappers he listens to. But Iffrig said he is primarily interested in trying new things and finding new sounds.

"You don't see anyone into disco anymore, unless it's your parents," Iffrig said. "I'm hoping to be the next new trend."