Many SHS students were pleasantly surprised at the assembly last Monday when the Sandpoint local band Stone Cloud 4 played, wrapping the school day up and leaving it on a great note.

Being a relatively new band, Stone Cloud 4, comprised of members Sean Causey, Jake Smith, Riley Christman, and Liam McCoy is quickly growing a fan base in the Pacific Northwest area. Since they’ve gotten together, they have performed 6 times, in areas stretching from Hot Springs, Montana to last month’s performance at the high school that ended with students and staff dancing.

“[Our best show was played in] Hot Springs, Montana, in this dingy little hotel built in the 40s,” Smith said. “There were probably 25 people there, [but it was] the first real show we put on, and near the end of it we had everyone dancing and singing along and it was just a lot of fun.”

Looking to get put into the lineup at a blues festival put on in Montana, the band has been playing as many shows as they can. The band hopes their up-and-coming performance at the Bonner County Fairgrounds to support Sandpoint Community Hospice Kids Grief Camp will get their name on the map.  

“We wanted to set up some sort of charity gig just for publicity [and then] I was talking with my mom trying to come up with charities and I was like, why don’t we do it for Hospice because my grandpa does a lot with Hospice and so that was a really easy connection in,” McCoy said.

Having a personal relation with the fundraiser concert at the Fairgrounds is a big step in becoming a well known name in the area, but there is still competition to be faced with other local bands.

“There’s not another band like us [and I think] it’s just because … we’re something new, and it seems like the trend with people around here is that something new is a little bit scary and unfamiliar,” Smith said.

Though they are something different from the other bands around the area, they hope this upcoming performance will give them an edge on the competition and reach some new fans.

As time progresses, their fan base can look forward to the development of their sound and anticipate their rise to bigger and better shows.