Vestavia resident organizes major concert series at The Birmingham Zoo
Photo by Erin Nelson.
Bradley Metrock, a Vestavia Hills resident, at the Vestavia Hills City Center. Metrock has organized Euphonious, a music celebration and socially-distanced concert series, coming to the Birmingham Zoo June 18-20.
Tickets
There are two types of tickets available at euphonious.ai:
► Standing-room-only tickets, at $99, allowing guests to find space around the lawn.
► Square tickets, at $500, 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 about 6 p.m. each night.
Square tickets reserve a square, but not a specific square. Masks will be required when not in the square but can be taken off in the square, he said.
After a year of dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic and the tension of a presidential election, people are ready to enjoy something together in person, Bradley Metrock said.
While the pandemic has been a shared experience, with everyone affected by it, it hasn’t been communal. Lockdowns, quarantines and social distancing have kept people apart.
But live music 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 was a regular attendee of Birmingham’s City Stages music festival, even going to the first 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 meet with regional CEOs and executives.
There will also be several big tech companies at Euphonious with demonstrations of games, cooking experiences and other products that involve voice and AI.
The name “Euphonious” is a real word, Metrock said. Unlike other music festivals that uses made-up names (Coachella, Bonnaroo), Euphonious means “pleasing to the ear,” he 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 will donate a portion of its proceeds to United Ability, which helps people 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.
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 will be three acts each night, with the event beginning at about 6 p.m., Metrock said.
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Photos courtesy of Bradley Metrock.
The headlining acts at Euphonious will be, from top, Drew and Ellie Holcomb on Friday, Moon Taxi on Saturday and Tonic on Sunday.
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Photos courtesy of Bradley Metrock.
The headlining acts at Euphonious will be, from top, Drew and Ellie Holcomb on Friday, Moon Taxi on Saturday and Tonic on Sunday.
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Photos courtesy of Bradley Metrock.
The headlining acts at Euphonious will be, from top, Drew and Ellie Holcomb on Friday, Moon Taxi on Saturday and Tonic on Sunday.
On Friday night, the opener is LaBoix, created by Hugh Mitchell, who’s from the Birmingham area, along with Berlin-based DJ Jeremy Black, who has worked with The National and Bon Iver.
Also performing will be Doyle Lawson and Quicksilver, a Grammy Award-nominated bluegrass band.
Headlining Friday is Drew and Ellie Holcomb, an award-winning husband and wife duo from Tennessee.
Soul Inscribed will open Saturday night. The Brooklyn collective is led by MC Baba Israel and features saxophonist Sean Nowell, who’s from the Birmingham area. The band received a Fulbright grant in 2017 to perform and lead musical workshops across the world.
Next up is Angie Aparo, a solo performer who got his start in the Magic City and has recorded his own music and has written songs for artists such as Tim McGraw and Faith Hill.
Headlining Saturday is Moon Taxi, which has headlined at Lollapalooza and Bonnaroo. Three members —Trevor Terndrup, Tommy Putnam, Tyler Ritter — are from the Birmingham area.
Sunday night, Birmingham band Hawthorn Street will open. The band released the album “Wrong Way Home” in 2020.
Following Hawthorn Street is Southern pop-rock band Sister Hazel, which had the hit song “All for You” and has made Birmingham a frequent tour stop.
The headliner Sunday is Tonic, a 90s rock band whose album “Lemon Parade” spent 57 weeks on the Billboard 200.
Having performers from Birmingham provides a great opportunity for the artists and 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.
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.”
