Local band Rain on the Rocks will perform a set of original music at 4:30 p.m. June 23 at People’s Park. The show will be free and open to the public as part of the People’s Park concert series.
The trio is made up of members Makenzie Snooks, Annie Stephens and Sydney Piercy. The band is new to the performing scene, having formed in March 2022, although its members have played together occasionally in past years.
Piercy, a recent Purdue University graduate, said she played solo gigs in high school, where she would invite Snooks to sit in for a couple of songs. The two kept performing together through high school, incorporating Stephens into the group through a church connection.
It was at one such solo gig that Piercy first learned of the People’s Park concert series, she said. An event organizer saw her perform in 2021 at Butler Winery and afterward invited her to play in the series.
The group typically plays more covers than originals, but for the People’s Park concert, Piercy said they’ll introduce more original material.
“Normally we’re probably about 80% covers and 20% originals, but I think for this show we’re going to try to be at about fifty-fifty,” Piercy said.
Rain on the Rocks does not currently have recorded music available, but they have plans to record and release their original music. Piercy said the band has a mellow, stripped down sound due in part to their size and instrumentation.
“Our music definitely has a very folk, indie rock feel,” Piercy said. “We’re an acoustic band with just a box drum, guitar and violin, so everything sounds a little bit folky. I would compare it a little bit to the Lumineers, maybe a little bit to Phoebe Bridgers.”
Piercy said their inspiration comes from a wide range of sounds, but that doesn’t obstruct the band’s creative flow. She said Taylor Swift, dodie, and Lucy Dacus are among the group’s influences, and their Instagram also cites Hozier, Radical Face and Jon Bellion.
Even with this wide-reaching list of role models, Piercy said the group’s closeness as friends and proficiency as musicians keeps the songwriting process moving smoothly.
“It definitely helps that I know them really well as people and have for a while,” Piercy said. “It takes a lot of the awkwardness out of making decisions."
