Coming together: Vestavia resident organizes Euphonious concert series

After a long year of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and the tension of a presidential election, people are ready to come together and enjoy something in person, Bradley Metrock said.

While the pandemic has been a shared experience that has affected everybody, it has certainly not been communal. Lockdowns, quarantines and social distancing have kept people apart. But live music is communal and brings people together in shared joy, said Metrock, a Vestavia Hills resident.

That’s why he has organized Euphonious, a concert series set for Father’s Day weekend, June 18-20, at The Birmingham Zoo’s Henley Park.

“It’s an opportunity for people to relax and celebrate after a difficult period of time,” Metrock said.

Metrock grew up in Vestavia and was a regular attendee of Birmingham’s City Stages music festival, even going to the first iteration in 1989. His love and appreciation for music continues to be a part of his life as the CEO of Project Voice, which offers both tech consulting on using voice artificial intelligence, as well as offering content through their media and events arm. In addition to live music, Euphonious will bring together influential voice and AI companies to come and meet with regional CEOs and executives, and several big tech companies will have demonstrations of games, cooking experiences and more that involve voice and AI available at Euphonious.

The name “Euphonious” is a real word, Metrock said. Unlike other music festivals that uses made-up names, Euphonious means “pleasing to the ear,” Metrock said.

“It’s such a cool word,” Metrock said. “It evokes this mental image of what we aspire to create.”

In addition to providing live music for many residents for the first time in a long time, Euphonious also has chosen United Ability as its charity partner, with a portion of proceeds going to the organization that helps those with disabilities. The Birmingham Zoo will also benefit from the concert series, getting rent money for Henley Lawn and being the exclusive provider of food and drink. Metrock said the zoo has been a great partner and said he wanted to choose a location that wasn’t associated with past music events, which ruled out some locations in the city of Birmingham.

Metrock said this year’s event is a “seed,” with plans to grow in the future, and something he is particularly excited about.

Locating it at the zoo also gives concertgoers space to spread out and distance, Metrock said. The Birmingham area is fortunate to be able to have a large event like this because some other large cities in the Southeast are not allowing them, he said.

“It was critical to locate it in an environment that would be welcoming,” Metrock said. “It’s a strange environment to do events, but so far, we’ve managed to navigate it, mainly because we’ve just had good partners.”

There are two types of tickets to the event, both of which can be purchased at euphonious.ai. There are standing-room-only tickets, available for $99, allowing guests to find space around the lawn. There are also $500 tickets for a 10-by-10 square, which can be used by up to eight people. The squares are first come, first served, and the event will begin around 6 p.m. each night. Square tickets reserve a square, but not a specific square, Metrock said. Masks will be required when not in the square but can be taken off in the square, he said.

The musical lineup will consist of three acts each night, and they hail from both near and far, Metrock said.

On Friday night, the opener is LaBoix, created by Vestavia Hills High School alumnus Hugh Mitchell, along with Berlin-based DJ Jeremy Black, who has worked with The National, Bon Iver and more. Metrock compared their music to that of The Chainsmokers. Also performing on Friday night will be Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, a bluegrass band that has toured with the Gaithers, recorded with Paul Simon and been nominated for a Grammy Award. Headlining on Friday night is Drew and Ellie Holcomb, an award-winning husband and wife duo from Tennessee.

On Saturday night, Soul Inscribed will start things off. The Brooklyn collective is led by MC Baba Israel and features Vestavia Hills High School alumnus Sean Nowell on saxophone. The band received a Fulbright grant in 2017 to perform and lead musical workshops overseas. Next up on Saturday night is Angie Aparo, a solo performer who got his start in Birmingham and has found success both in recording music and in writing songs for artists such as Tim McGraw, Faith Hill and the Zac Brown Band. Headlining Saturday night is Moon Taxi, founded by Vestavia Hills High School alumni Trevor Terndrup and Tommy Putnam, with fellow graduate Tyler Ritter joining later. The band has headlined at Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo and has found worldwide success.

Another Birmingham-based band, Hawthorn Street, will open on Sunday night. The band released the album “Wrong Way Home” in late 2020 and followed it with several Birmingham-area performances. Following Hawthorn Street is Southern pop-rock band Sister Hazel, which rose to prominence after the hit song “All for You” and has made Birmingham a frequent stop on its tours. The headliner for Sunday night is Tonic, a successful ’90s rock band whose album “Lemon Parade” spent 57 weeks on the Billboard 200 charts. After each band member embarked on successful solo endeavors, the band has reunited, releasing brand new single “To Be Loved,” the band’s first song in years.

Having musical guests from the Birmingham area provides a great opportunity for both the artists and the fans, Metrock said.

“They’re really excited about the opportunity,” Metrock said. “It’s all so meaningful after the events of the past year, to have a homecoming.”

Tommy Putnam with Moon Taxi said the band is excited to come back home and play for their fans.

“Man, I love doing that [coming home], because I get to see my old friends and touch base with family,” Putnam said.

Coming back to Birmingham also allows him to see how the city has changed over the years, and also presents an opportunity to show off the area to his friends from Nashville.

Being one of the first live bands many people will see since the pandemic is meaningful, Putnam said.

“We’re just so excited to play again,” Putnam said. “We’re taking all the opportunities we can get.”

As the event draws nearer, Metrock is excited to see his plans come to fruition.

“Live music brings people together,” Metrock said. “I think … as we enter into the next chapter [of the pandemic], there’s an opportunity for Birmingham to showcase what it’s about. It’s about people coming together. It’s about showcasing talent and ultimately finding a way to move forward together in unity.”