Represent: In concert and on the road

On Saturday, April 18, I hopped in the passenger seat of a van with local singer/songwriter Jared Kocka.  We headed north toward the upper peninsula of Michigan for a show in the small town of Ironwood.  Kocka is the sole member of Represent, a pop rock musical endeavor that started in Minneapolis, MN two years ago.

Represent performed live at Gogebic Community College for their "RAM Fest," which stands for "random acts of music."  It was an all day event and Represent went on at 5 pm in the gym.  However, at 5 pm there were only a handful of students at the event.  Kocka still played really well despite the not-so-good crowd.  After his set the promoter asked if Represent would perhaps play later in the evening when more people showed up.  Clearly his performance was very well accepted by the small crowd.  

Kocka got hooked up with the show through the band Cities Never Sleep, which is based out of Duluth, MN.  Represent and Cities Never Sleep will be touring together starting on April 30th.  It was my first time hearing Cities Never Sleep and I thoroughly enjoyed their music.  Following Cities Never Sleep, a local hip-hop duo performed and then Represent was back on stage, but this time with a much bigger crowd.  

If you like pop rock mixed with a little electronica and some feel good beats, you should check out Represent on Myspace.  Also, check out Cities Never Sleep as well, and you can find their tour dates on the site.