By JAMES BELL
Hays Post
Launched at the beginning of 2023, 7eight5.com looks to put a spotlight on local musicians, bands and performances.
Co-founded by Harrison Brent and Chelsea Kaundart, the website features written news, photos, and podcasts in an effort to provide an immersive dive into the local music scene.
Giving a voice to the local music community, he said, helps the bands get the exposure the bigger names acts receive as they perform in the area.
“I would love to get those people that go to those shows then come to the local shows, come to the smaller shows, especially like the ones with the Rose Garden or Bad Times, the Sip and Spin, the Brass Rail or whenever they have it,” Brent said. “See what you might like. You never know who the next artist is that's going to get big.”
And while the website began focusing on Hays, it has quickly expanded to cover a larger geographic area.
“In the last couple of months, we've really kind of expanded into Dodge City, Wichita, Lawrence in Kansas City,” Brent said.
“Wherever there's music, we'd like to be there.”
Those efforts are thanks to contributions from people in those cities.
“I think that's really helping to expand not just the smaller shows, but also like bigger shows as well,” Brent said. “And we've also got some added some writers that are specifically writing content.”
Along with written content, the site also recently added The Connoisseur Provocateur Podcast, in addition to their own Lot 25 Podcast.
As the website has developed, Brent also said they had completed a transition to an online magazine format but continue to offer an ongoing calendar of music events.
“They're not all there, unfortunately, right now,” Brent said. “That's something that's going to take some time and some buffing out to do. But we'll get there, and hopefully, the audiences that enjoy music will be able to come to 7eight5 for any local music content to be informed and to see what's going on.”
Moving forward, he hopes to bring on more collaborators in an effort to expand their coverage.
“We're not going to be able to cover everything,” Brent said. “When we started the original concept, the original idea was to be kind of a collective for anybody that has some interest in music, be it journalism, podcast or photography, to be able to submit stuff and get it published with a focus on the local community and local music scene.”
Already the website has been creating a buzz across the industry that has driven others to reach out to contribute.
“Which is really cool because I feel a lot better about people that want to actually help and be a part of it, as opposed to me coming to them and saying, ‘Oh, hey, can you help with this?’” Brent said.
While everyone currently contributes without pay, he hopes one day, the website will generate revenue and give the group the ability to offer compensation for their offerings.
“The current goal is just build up and build up a community of people who want to give back to this music to the community and to the music scene,” Brent said.
And so far, he said feedback from the efforts has been encouraging.
“Everybody that has been (on the website) has been very positive and excited for what we have to offer,” Brent said.
For those interested in contributing to the website, email [email protected].
Cover image courtesy Pixabay.