Surfer Blood and The Hails are coming to High Dive on Thursday night to play rock music and 2017 releases.
The downtown venue’s doors will open Thursday night at 8 p.m., and the show begins at 9 p.m. Tickets are available through Ticketfly for $13 in advance and $15 on the day of the show. Concertgoers under 21 must pay a $3 convenience fee, and minors must be accompanied by a guardian.
Surfer Blood, a West Palm Beach native indie rock quartet, released their fourth album, “Snowdonia,” in February. The Hails, on the other hand, are relatively new to the Gainesville music scene, but they’re on the rise.
In just two years as a band, The Hails have gone from playing at house parties and tailgates to performing on a local Miami television station and opening for the Plain White T’s this past weekend at Emory University. The five-piece alternative rock group began playing together in 2015 and played their first venue in January 2016, also at High Dive.
The Hails’ writing process isn’t overly structured. Lead singer Robbie Kingsley called it “spontaneous creativity.” When the guys are avoiding practice, one member may contribute an original arrangement that blossoms into The Hails’ next single, explained guitarist Dylan McCue. The group is always working on new music and currently has 20 new tracks in the works, according to drummer Zach Levy.
“We had to sort of graduate to a new level,” McCue said. “Once we had enough confidence in our original songs, that’s when we got serious.”
The Hails were originally known for covering their favorite artists, but in July the group released their first extended play, “Impel.” The offering features their fan-favorite single “Parking Lot,” which received much more attention than McCue expected. The single received over 2,000 views in less than 48 hours.
“I went to a concert (the night of the release),” McCue said. “When I looked at my phone after, I had tons of DMs and texts from people saying they loved the music.”
“Impel” was recorded with producer Bobby MacIntyre at his eccentric house studio, Studio 71, in Miami. Guitarist Franco Solari remembers the studio full of red and velvet with peacocks roaming around outside.
The band plans to continue their music far into the future. While Kingsley now has dreams of headlining festivals one day, he wasn’t always sure he wanted to pursue music.
“I thought it was a pipe dream until I met Zach,” Kingsley said. “I don’t ever want to feel like I’ve made it. I want to keep rising.”
If one thing is certain, The Hails are a tight-knit group with countless stories to back them up. Their personal relationships transfer into the energy of their performances. Kingsley remembers a show when a group of fans began to chant the famous tune of “Seven Nation Army,” and the band just went with it, despite not having played the song in months.
Levy warns fans to “expect the unexpected” at Thursday night’s show. Spontaneous moments like these are favorites for the band and what they call the magic of live shows.
“See live music wherever you are,” McCue said. “Support your local rock band. That’s our best ally — whoever reads this article.”
