Sofar Sounds was founded in 2010 by a group of musicians that felt that there’s a lack of respect for the music when you go to a live show and people are talking, texting, etc. during the acts. Here, you can take photos or use social media, but through each set, you have to stay silent and just enjoy the music. There are no headliners and it’s BYOB (Bring Your Own Bottle). Each of the three bands perform four songs. The event is a network of artists, music lovers, and community coming together to appreciate the music.

I happened to design the poster for this particular Sofar event with The Jayplayers, Bad Hounds, and HR3. It was a challenge trying to develop a poster for a show with such a wide range of genres. I think it ended up working out, but it was rough. The venue was revealed to be Rock Mill Climbing, a boulder climbing gym in the University Park area of Akron.

HR3 kicked off the night with experimental R&B/Hip-hop. Holbrook comes from the popular band Bluelight and his debut EP “Point of View” is a remix of their first self-titled EP. This merging of drums, beats, sax, and hip-hop creates a unique sound that stands out in the areas overwhelming folk scene. The EP is solid and takes me back to a time when I used to binge on R&B and old school Hip-Hop.

The Jayplayers is an Americana, roots rock band that came all the way from Hershey, PA. They have an album called Glittter & Wine out and do have a full band that they play with. They are very talented and their songs are good. Keeley McCue has such a large smile that’s so reflective in her voice that their sadder, slower songs even sound uplifting.

Bad Hounds, a four-piece indie rock band, wrapped up the night. They kind of reminded me and Trevor of The Stone Temple Pilots, but the vocals are delivered in a unique way. I like their recorded work a little better than the live stuff, but they’re a solid band.

I enjoyed how different each act was and wrapping up with rock left us on a high note.

Overall, this is a great way of getting introduced to bands and music that you don’t normally hear in the area. There’s always at least one band or singer/songwriter that I had no clue existed. So, those interested in the next show can request a ticket here.

I’ll be posting the February Sofar blog post very soon after this and you’ll likely see some familiar faces.

Thank for reading,