My 10-year-old son and I heard the band before we reached the stage. Fiddle and guitar carried through Millcreek Common, permeating the vendor tents, restaurant patios and conversations of shoppers who strode through Market.
The market was its own form of entertainment. We wandered through an eclectic collection of carts, sampling homemade chocolate-and-cereal sweets and sipping virgin piña coladas. At one point, we encountered a man juggling swords amid the setups. My son stopped and gaped while I tried on rings from a homemade jewelry stand.
We eventually settled near the stage with an unconventional, but delectable grilled cheese: gooey cheddar pressed between two homestyle waffles. Around us, children danced alongside their parents while Sound Bites regulars unfolded lawn chairs and sipped fresh-squeezed lemonade.
Onstage, Woodrow Cole picked his guitar while crooning to a homegrown Americana sound. The frontman of the local group praised the unusually polished experience—particularly the work of sound engineer Matt Parrish—and the setting, with the market, restaurants and beer garden all within easy reach.
“The sound was incredible,” Cole said. “It was well above what you'd expect from an event at a market. I give it a 10 out of 10.”
For Cole, the evening also offered something many club and bar performances cannot: the chance to play for everyone.
“It gave us the opportunity to perform for family, loved ones and people of all ages,” he said. “There are neighbors and friends who don’t come out to venues, but they feel comfortable in that setting.”
Following Woodrow Cole was Strange Familia, another local band with a funky indie sound and an evident following. Younger listeners gathered near the stage, bobbing their heads to the upbeat tracks as evening settled over the Common.
Cole, meanwhile, found one final perk waiting offstage.
“I’d also like it on the record,” he said, “that after we played, I got that amazing soft serve ice cream from the truck. You can't go wrong with that."
Whether you attend Sound Bites to be enveloped in local music or enjoy a street taco, one thing's for certain: neither will disappoint.