MUSIC
MUSIC
North Alabama Arts is proud to highlight the rhythms, melodies, and talents that make our region sing. From local bands and solo artists to composers and instrumentalists, we celebrate the diverse sounds of North Alabama.
COMMUNITY SPOTLIGHT
Nightl!fe Huntsville celebrates six months at Campus No. 805, continues to grow
Sasser introduces the next DJ at Lipz Lounge
By Sahana Parker
June 26, 2025
On the last Saturday of every month, Lipz Lounge at Campus No. 805 fills with the characteristic pulsing beats, eclectic vendors, and expressive dancing of a Nightl!fe Huntsville show. This Saturday’s show, themed “pride is out of of this world!” marks the six month anniversary of shows at Lipz Lounge and over a year of hosting dance parties for Nightl!fe founder and event coordinator Zoe Sasser.
“I started [Nightl!fe Huntsville] for the love of community and love of music all in one,” Sasser, originally from Harvest, AL said. “I really wanted to have a space where people felt like they could come and feel safe to exert their energy as well as knowing the resources that are around for them.”
Along with the regular house music shows at Lipz Lounge, Sasser also organizes monthly artist markets in the halls of Campus No. 5, litter clean-ups in partnership with the Huntsville Green Team, and pop-up shows at different local venues. “Grooves and Brews,” a daytime event in which a DJ sets up and spins at a local coffee shop, is Nightl!fe’s most recent addition to their lineup. In partnering with local DJs, artists, and nonprofits such as Thrive, First Stop, and Downtown Huntsville, Sasser works to cultivate a feeling of “community wellbeing” at each event.
“There’s different cultures in different music genres. I really strive in keeping Nightl!fe safe, drug free, open, just community-based space and safe space.” Sasser said.
In December 2023, inspired by personal experiences with shows in Nashville and Birmingham, Sasser pitched the Nightl!fe show concept to Nick Quinn, owner of Phat Sammy’s where she worked at the time. In a “nerve-wracking” but “beautiful success,” 130 people showed up to her first event, and Quinn suggested Sasser move the show to the bigger space of Mad Malts Brewing, which he also co-owned. Nightl!fe began hosting Saurday shows at Mad Malts in December 2023 and began monthly daytime art markets in the Mad Malts backyard in the spring of 2024.
Sasser has since held shows in venues ranging from Gold Sprint to The Orion Amphitheater and hosted a booth at the Birmingham music festival “Furnace Fest.” After the contract with Mad Malts ended in November 2024, Sasser signed with Straight to Ale to bring her monthly dance parties to Lipz Lounge and the monthly artist markets in between the lockers of Campus No. 805.
“Campus 805 is huge. I used to go there in high school and hang out. It’s a cool complete full circle. And Campus 805 is already pretty popular in the community...so it was perfect because guaranteed traffic and just an amazing venue opportunity.” Sasser said.
Sasser will be at Lipz Lounge through 2025 and continues to seek out new collaborations within the community. She solicits applications from new artists and vendors through the Nightl!fe Instagram and strives to keep vendor spots “affordable” for her markets.
“Music and energy, it all connects.” Sasser said. “Being able to speak life over people that maybe are having troubled times, we don’t know what people are going through especially in this political climate that we have right now, it’s very important to have community and that’s what Nightl!fe is.”
Follow Nightl!fe events:
Instagram: @nightlife.huntsville
Facebook: Night Life Huntsville
Sasser with residential vendor, Agape Elysian, at an outdoor artist market
Singer-songwriter showcase Rocket City Revue restarts after hiatus
By Sahana Parker
February 12, 2025
Local singer-songwriter showcase Rocket City Revue, a production of Plumb Line Events, is returning to a new location at Tangled Strings Studios on February 13. Started in February 2024 by Ethan Mitchell and Caleb Martin, the showcase is focused on highlighting the original music of up-and-coming local artists.
At each showcase, four artists are selected from emailed submissions to perform 20 minute sets. According to Mitchell and Martin, all styles of music and groups are welcome; the only submission requirements are a name and recordings of two original songs.
“Very often [submissions] will just be people filming themselves in their bedroom or living room with their phone.” Mitchell said. “This is a place where you can be practicing. We feel like you have enough talent that you deserve to be on whatever stage we’re at, but it’s a great opportunity for you to have that captive audience, sometimes for the first time ever.”
Mitchell, who has been involved in the Huntsville performing arts community for 15 years, runs local live events company Plumb Line Events. When developing the idea for a songwriting showcase, he reached out to Martin for his connections in the Huntsville music scene. They aim through Rocket City Revue to address a lack of mid-size “75-100 person” venues in the Huntsville area.
“I’ve been a part of [Huntsville] bands off and on since 2018.” Martin, who currently performs with local band Moontown, said. “The thing that excited me most about it was creating a safe space for artists to be able to share their music wherever they’re at in their musical journey.”
Martin and Mitchell held their first 12 showcases at Theatre Huntsville’s Studio Theatre at Lowe Mill. When that space became unavailable, the duo put the show on hiatus to determine next steps. In December 2024, they secured a spot at Tangled Strings Studios.
While also located at Lowe Mill, Martin said the new venue will be “a lot better,” with a space “made for intimate performances” and “easily accessible.” They will also start having professional videographers film each performer, free of charge, to offer artists something tangible to show for both themselves and the Huntsville music scene.
“We don’t have the backing where we can throw hundreds of dollars for artists to perform each show.” Mitchell said. “But we want to be able to provide them with something…worthy of some of the talent we get. If we can give them afterwards a 20 minute set, professionally recorded and filmed…it will set them up for as much future success as possible.”
Following the debut on February 13, shows will run the second Thursday of every month.
“We wanted to make sure that we were going to keep the show going and it wasn’t just limping along.” Mitchell said. “We were able to find a place where we felt like we were able to grow the show and make it a hopeful staple of the Huntsville music scene.”
Learn more about Rocket City Revue and Plumb Line Events:
Instagram: @rocketcityrevue
Website: Plumb Line Events
Community Events!
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Music Bingo
every Thursday 6:30pm
Athens, AL
111 W Washington St, Athens, AL
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Rocket City Revue
every second Thursday 7pm
original singer-songwriter showcase
Tangled Strings Studios
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Night L!fe by Zoe
last Saturday of every month 10pm-1am
community dance party with art vendors
Lipz Lounge
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Porch Festival
May 3, 2025 3-9pm
local musicians jamming on local porches
Pratt Ave NE
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Blues Jam
every Sunday night 9pm
Voodoo Lounge
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Open Mic Night
every Thursday 9pm
8pm sign-up for music open mic
Voodoo Lounge
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Concerts in the Park
every Monday starting June 2
6:30-8:30pm
free concert of different Huntsville artists
Big Spring Park
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Stovehouse Summer Concerts
Thursdays starting May 1 6-9pm
Stovehouse
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805 after 5
free concerts on second Thursdays 5pm
May-October
Campus 805 lawn
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Snacks Album Release
May 7, 2025 8pm
album release party
Gold Sprint
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Camp to Amp festival
May 17, 2025 12-6pm
open streets and music
Mid City District
