Oxford’s newest DIY music venue will host Austin, Texas, band Hovvdy tonight starting at 6:30 p.m.
Much like other do-it-yourself venues that have popped up around Oxford, Rose Room shows take place in a living room. The Rose Room broke a lull in the Oxford DIY scene that spread like a dark blanket over Oxford after the Cats Purring Dude Ranch’s closure last summer. The Rose Room sets itself apart from other DIY spots with a complementary zine for each show made up of content— photos, poems, illustrations— sourced from Oxonians. Patrick McKee, one of the tenants at the Rose Room, said DIY venues create a space for art and music that offers a unique experience compared to established venues.
“Venues are great, but house shows can be a lot more fun for completely different reasons,” he said. “We just wanted to have something in place where we could say ‘yes’ to bands playing and know it would be a good environment that everyone feels comfortable with. We hope it encourages people to collaborate with shows, little art projects and fun events too. It’s just a lot of fun.”
Hovvdy, made up of Charlie Martin and Will Taylor, who sing and play guitar (and who both started out as drummers), as well as the rest of their live band, will join local artist Kate Teague and her band and Cleveland’s Seen/Read in McKee’s house on the south side of the Square.
Hovvdy’s bedroom-pop sound is melancholy and dreamy, and true to Martin and Taylor’s roots, embraces rhythm in pace and melody. Martin and Taylor adopted iPhone voice memo as a means of recording some of their songs and sounds, like “Problem” off their third and most recent full-length, “Taster.” In a time where some artists seek a more lo-fi sound, the method only seems fitting.
“We even have drums recorded with an iPhone at times. I really love the way iPhone compresses sound. So we kind of use it all over our songs,” Taylor said in an interview with Noisey last year.
McKee said he’s been obsessed with Hovvdy since he first heard them in their “baby stages.”
Last December, Hovvdy played at Proud Larry’s with Bonus, who performed at the most recent Rose Room show, and they’re excited to get in on Oxford’s recuperated DIY scene.
“It’s always great to see people excited about music and DIY,” Taylor said. “Since our first time at the Dude Ranch, we have met Bonus and some other sweet people in town that seem to be doing great things for Oxford.”
“Taster” was released last year and will be re-released on vinyl April 28. Lucky for those who visit the Rose Room, Hovvdy has some early copies for sale. Taylor said the band also has a new album in the works.
The Rose Room is located at 1220 Pierce Ave. Entry is free, but a $5 donation for touring bands is encouraged. The show starts promptly at 6:30 p.m.
