What the *Heck* is Sok Hop Live?
- sokhoplive
- Jan 28, 2024
- 4 min read
Why you should care about a start-up concert series in Cedar City, Utah.
If you've made it to this blog post, chances are, you've heard about Sok Hop Live... But how much do you really know about the weekly concert series that's starting to take Southern Utah by storm?
Sok Hop was started in the fall of 2021 with a few goals in mind:
to create an affordable experience for Southern Utah University college students
to promote connection and cultivate a thriving music community in Southern Utah
to provide opportunities to local musicians and hopeful music industry professionals
So if you're wondering who we are and what exactly Sok Hop is:
Sok Hop is The Place to Be in Cedar City
"There's nothing to do in Cedar City."
It's not uncommon to hear people, particularly new SUU Students, say something with this sentiment. Moving to a small town can make these young adults feel limited in the amount of affordable events available to them.
I mean, if you've already gone bowling and watched a movie on discount Tuesday, what's left? Wandering around the Walmart? (Again?)
The truth is, there's a lot to do in Cedar City. But if you're on a budget, your list of possible activities gets significantly shorter.
There's also a shortage of accessible concerts in Cedar City. Especially considering the immense amount of musical talent we have in our community.
Because of this, we decided to create a weekly concert series to give students an affordable excursion and to give local musicians a chance to share their art.
2dollar2sday
When we started our weekly concert series, it began under the name "2dollar2sday." As the name implies, we put on a concert every Tuesday night for $2 a person.
As word began to spread, 2dollar2sday started to attract a community of music lovers and we began to make a name for ourselves, even pulling in bands from Salt Lake and Las Vegas to play at our events.
We love what we had created, but we knew that the $2 model wasn't sustainable for us and that if we ever wanted to grow, we'd have to undergo a rebrand. So we did.
Rest in Peace 2dollar2sday, you will be missed.
Transition to Sok Hop
The name "Sok Hop" refers to the Sock Hops of the 1950's. Sock hops were community events where young adults would come together to groove! If you're thinking that this sounds right up our alley, then you'd be right.
With the name Sok Hop Live! we are more free to do alternative events and more concerts that *gasp!* aren't on Tuesday. While we've still been keeping up with our weekly Tuesday concerts, we are no longer confined to them. You'll be seeing more alternative events (like our recent Y2K Nite) coming from us soon.
As for the $2 part... We did end up raising our ticket price to $5. We know that this rocked the boat with a lot of our audience, and we get it. Moving from $2 to $5 is a big jump. But ultimately, we had to do what we felt was right for the longevity of the business and community that we've been building.
Since the beginning of 2024, those extra few dollars paid go to compensating our artists and essential staff, and saving for venue improvements. To put it simply, those $3 go into making a better quality show for our audience. (And it's still the cheapest concert around!)
Read SUU News' article on the rebrand here!
Sok Hop is an Opportunity
For Music Industry Hopefuls
Our events give our team members real, hands-on concert production experience, and concert production takes a lot of hands. From event planning, coordination, and marketing to audio tech and photography, Sok Hop provides relevant experience for SUU students who are looking to work in the live music industry or other related fields.
This experience can be applied to resumes and job applications as these students move away from college, positioning them advantageously in a competitive field.
For Musicians
Sok Hop was founded by 2 musicians, so of course we want to provide opportunities to fellow local musicians!
There is so much talent in Cedar City and its surrounding areas, we've been blown away. Sok Hop is proud to provide performance experience and exposure to many of these small bands and artists who are getting their start.
For these artists, getting a chance to perform in front of an audience can be invaluable. When a band does a show with us, they get an audience, real show experience, and photos that they can use to find even more gigs.
For the Audience
Because we book small artists, a Sok Hop concert is basically an opportunity to find a new favorite band every week. Our audience is treated to a variety of new artists and bands, and this gives them the chance to discover new music on the weekly.
At a Sok Hop concert, the audience also gets a chance to talk to bands and artists after the show, creating a personal bond that is rare to find at other venues.
Sok Hop is a Community
In today's world, it can be easy to become sucked into a sort of digital loneliness. A decreasing amount of "third places" can tempt people to resort to the ease of spending time online, rather than putting in the effort required to meet up with people in real life. But it's human nature to crave connection. Real connection.
Studies have found that being a part of a community improves the wellbeing of individuals. Feeling as though they are a part of something bigger gives people a sense of identity and purpose. We want people to feel like they can be involved in our organization. After all, the quality of the audience determines the quality of a performance.
At Sok Hop, we don't want to be "just a business" or "just a concert," we want to be something more. We want to be the events that get you excited to leave the house for. We want to be the place you bring your friends for a good time, and the place you come to make some new ones. We want to be a place for you to escape your stress.
It's our firmest belief that music brings people together. Throughout any era of time, there is music. And where there is music, there's connection. Through our concerts, we want to be something that you can be a part of.
So if you haven't been to a show yet, come on out! And if you have, come on back! Come enjoy music and connect with the people around you. We can't wait to jam with you.
Comments