A night of free fun and music will be available less than two blocks from Memphis campus when local, self-proclaimed “Science Rock” act Hundred Year Dash becomes the first non-acoustic band to plug up and perform live at Avenue Coffee, located at 786 Echels St. on Sept. 7th.
Hundred Year Dash’s frontman Jaron Weidner explained why he was excited for the event.
“There’s been a lot of music at Avenue and generally the performers have all been singer-songwriters,” Weidner said. “This will be the first event that’s a full-on rock show.”
It comes as no surprise that “The Dash” would receive such an honor, given that Weidner is Avenue Coffee’s general manager. Even so, Weidner wasn’t alone in his enthusiasm for the band’s performance.
“I’m stoked on it,” fellow co-founder Nick Griffin said. “Hundred Year Dash is as much fun for the band as it is for the audience.”
Since the band’s inception in 2011, Hundred Year Dash has claimed to “combine the energy and live performance of a rock band with the driving dance beats of electronic music. They’ve brought their local brand of “Science Rock” to such Memphis venues as The Abbey, The Brass Door, East Win Church, The 1884 lounge, Refuge Church and the Smith7 House.
Usually, the climax of their synth-laden performance incorporates releasing hundreds of rubber bouncy-balls into the audience, but Weidner plans to up the ante of the band’s live show even further.
“I have a friend bringing lighting and a video crew coming,” Weidner said, “I also try to have some kind of surprise each time we play!”
The performance will be captured on video by Choose 901.
“Choose 901 have made a bunch of different videos featuring individuals and why they each enjoy living in Memphis,” Weidner said. “Since they have used Hundred Year Dash’s music in those videos we thought why not come up with a show to get some footage of the band, and why not have that show at Avenue Coffee?”
Avenue prides themselves on their support of local music. The shop plays a Spotify playlist of Memphis artists over the shops’ speakers. The shop’s support of local music is a boon to Nick Griffin.
“One of my favorite things about working here in that it has allowed me to expand my interest in local music,” Griffin said. “The hope for this show is to pack it out!”
Weidner believes that the performance will be beneficial for University students.
“Before everyone gets too bogged down with homework they should have fun and hang out at Avenue Coffee,” Weidner said.
The price and proximity can’t hurt either.
The band’s latest release, the “Symmetry EP,” was released in summer 2013 and is available for purchase on Bandcamp, Amazon and Itunes.
