KZSM — Celebrating St. Patrick in Kissing Alley
KZSM.org streams worldwide directly from our downtown studio at 216 North Guadalupe, just off the square. Grounded in the heart of San Marcos, we express the city’s unique identity from its geographic center. We’re honored that our connection to downtown was recently recognized with the Partner of the Year Award for 2021 at the Love Downtown Awards ceremony.
Our Kissing Alley concert series forms a major part of that connection. This month, on Thursday March 17 from 7-9:30 p.m., we will celebrate San Marcos and St. Patrick’s Day with local performers— the SMTX Piper, Kenny Normal Band, and Elephant Ears.
Piper Robert Eby will begin the concert at 7. A veteran of the Capital City Highlanders Pipe Band, he formed SMTX Piper as a solo act when he moved here in 2017. His logo, a piper with a merman tail, proclaims his San Marcos identity. He plays for parades, parties, weddings, and funerals. “It’s a big honor to be selected as part of [the Kissing Alley] series,” he reflects. “I love being part of our town and culture and part of this historic venue.”
Elephant Ears--Zac Martin (guitar/vocals), Braven Smith (guitar/percussion), Andrew Medina (drums) and Creighton Coyne (bass/vocals)--will follow at 7:30. The band takes their inspiration from the San Marcos River and the plants that surround it. “We make all types of music but mostly groovy, psychedelic rock punk and funk,” Martin explains. “We are super excited to be part of the Kissing Alley show and play in the city for St. Patrick’s Day”
The Kenny Normal Band will perform from 8 p.m. until the concert closes around 9:30. Their band consists of Will Acosta (keys/vocals), Kolten Bippert (guitar/sax/vocals), Adrian Lamphier (bass) and Ben Slade (drums). The group formed in 2019 after playing together at Texas State in marching band and in the School of Music. They describe their music as “a blend between funk and jazz fusion, focusing on simple melodies and dense chordal structure.” San Marcos is their home base, so “to be able to play in one of the city’s most notable landmarks is a huge accomplishment for us; we’re very excited to share our music with the city.”
KZSM.org is also very excited to present all three of these local performers, through a grant from the San Marcos Arts Commission. Come out, appreciate downtown, and celebrate with us!
