Sounds in the Round: Local songwriter creates showcase for other local musical artists

You won’t want to miss the Sounds in the Round event coming to town! A group of talented local songwriters will be performing their music at the event which will take place at the Gentle Giant Brewing Company in Pearl River on Monday May 16th from 7:00-9:00 PM. Rockland County is home to many creative residents, a number of whom can be seen playing your favorite covers of popular music at local venues on any given day. 

Rockland County Times spoke with Allison Cipris, creator of the event and member of Country Fresh band. “As a singer/songwriter myself with ties to Nashville, I noticed that there really weren’t many opportunities for local songwriters to perform their music in front of a live audience in our area,” said Cipris. 

Cipris came up with the event with the hopes of creating a sense of community and support for local musicians who live far from big music cities like Nashville and Austin, where their craft is celebrated.

Country Fresh has been going on for seven years. “We had the idea of creating a country band after noticing that there weren’t really that many country bands around here in this area,” said Cipris. During COVID in 2020, a lot of musicians lost a lot of work. However, they were able to perform through livestream which helped combat the issues of getting their craft out to the public. Fast forward to now, live performances are coming back around, including Sounds in the Round.

Cipris was able to provide some advice for those who are having a hard time returning back into the performing world. “Tap into your musician friends as a resource, go to open mics and keep

reaching out.” She also explained that she noticed that there are venues looking for new acts, and they want performers back as much as they want to return. 

Cipris stresses the importance of supporting the arts in Rockland County. “People need art in our lives, it makes our lives easier and puts our minds in a better place whenever we’re immersed in art of any form.” Cipris is hoping with the support of Rockland residents, that Sounds in the Round won’t just be a one-time event. She and other musical artists believe that our community coming together as a unit will help support the arts tremendously.

The featured songwriters at the event will be local favorites, which includes Alice Leon (The Al’s), Allison Cipris (Country Fresh), Rory D’Lasnow, and Dave Kopec (Franklin Turnpike).

To learn more about Sounds in the Round’s showcase, follow their Instagram @soundsintheround.

  Pearl River, showcase, songwriters