Rock Eupora is the Nashville-based indie rock project of Eupora, Mississippi native Clayton Waller. The band plays a mix of indie pop and rock, and they recently released a new extended play called “Twirlin” last month. The band’s website describes their music as “gritty rock and shimmery pop.” Waller gave some insights into what went into the making of the EP and his upcoming show at Nine-Twentynine Coffee Bar this Thursday.
According to Waller, “Twirlin'” was inspired by his brief venture into licensing his unique brand of music for use in television and movies. The deal did not work out after there was too much interference from the executives within his licensing deal, but Waller was left with something entirely new during the process. All of the EP’s songs are short in comparison to the rest of Rock Eupora’s discography—each song lasts around two minutes for a total of about 10 minutes of music on the EP.
“The songs started snowballing into some kind of Rock Eupora alternative universe, and I was left with some really short and vibey songs that I thought were really cool,” Waller said.
With the EP’s outlandish nature and brisk runtime of just 10 minutes, Waller hopes it will add something fresh to the live shows as well. Along with the licensing deal, the EP was guided by the energy of recent Rock Eupora live shows where Waller and the band move at a breakneck pace and zip through their set.
“The one word I’d use to describe this tour is fun. I think ‘Twirlin’ will make more sense after seeing it live,” Waller said.
Rock Eupora are currently on tour, and the band has an upcoming show in Starkville at Nine-Twentynine Coffee Bar. Waller and the band are planning to play the new EP in the basement of the coffee shop with the local Starkville band, Undergrad and the Conditions, performing an opening set.
“After putting out three full length albums, ‘Twirlin’ sorta feels like a welcome bit of comedic relief or perhaps a recess period in the normally scheduled programming of the Rock-E universe,” Waller said.
Rock Eupora’s discography consists of three studio longer length vinyls: “Blanks”from 2014, “Soon the Sun Will Come” from 2016 and their self-titled release, “Rock Eupora” from last year. Their style has evolved over the years, but Waller is still completely independent and self-releases his records. Aside from the tour, Rock Eupora is all Waller’s project where he writes, performs and produces his music all by himself.
Rock Eupora has gained a cult following over the years with a devoted fanbase and a number of articles written about the band in the magazines Nashville Sceneand NATIVE Magazine, with their single “Love Won’t Last Forever” from “Soon the Sun Will Come” achieving 170,000 streams on Spotify recently.
“Nashville Scene” describes Rock Eupora’s sound.
“Bright and infectious, ‘Soon the Sun Will Come’ is so easy on the ears that it takes a while to notice the depth of Waller’s craftsmanship. His songs are redolent of an optimism that slips over the personal challenges he sings about like a comfortable glove.”
At their show this coming Thursday, opening for Rock Eupora is Undergrad and the Conditions, a new, rock band based out of Starkville. Undergrad and the Conditions released their first project, a three-song EP titled “An Extended Play” earlier this year. All three of these songs have over 1,000 plays on Spotify, and the band has been getting more buzz since their January debut.
Nine-Twentynine Coffee Bar is located in downtown Starkville, next to Restaurant Tyler and the Starkville Community Theater. The show will take place in the basement of the coffee bar. Collins Davis is a barista at Nine-Twentynine Coffee Bar.
“We’re going to be doing a $5 presale, the show starts at 6:30, and we’re super excited to have Rock Eupora back in Starkville,” Davis said.
The Rock Eupora and Undergrad and the Conditions concert will be on Oct. 24 at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are available currently at the counter of the business for $5, but on the day of the show they will be increased to $10.
