A Lazy 4/20: Window Shop Live at Lazydaze Coffeeshop

By Avery Viers
Music Journalist

With the surplus of *activities* that were available to the residents of San Marcos this past Wednesday, you may have missed some of the live shows planned to celebrate the happy, hazy holiday. With just a $7 cover fee, Lazydaze Coffeeshop hosted their “Lazy 4/20” event in their backyard lounge area, complete with an outdoor stage and other local vendors joining in the celebration.

Forming in August of 2020, some could say Window Shop is still in the early stages of their career- with the severity of the pandemic and the inaccessibility of performing live shows, being new to the music scene does have its challenges. Hannah Walls, Local Music Journalist for KTSW, had a chance to sit down with the band earlier this year to dissect their journey, sound, and hopes for the future in a wonderfully written interview that you can read here.

Anticipating somewhat of a crowd with limited parking space, my friends and I made sure to show up relatively soon after the event started; once we received our wristbands for entry, our group made a beeline for the single, remaining picnic table to watch the show. Kickstarting the night of live music was local musician Happy Davis, playing a mix of original tracks and covers.

Throughout the entirety of the first set, the once comfortably spacious area around the outdoor stage became more and more tightly packed. By the middle of the second set, performed by local San Marcos punk group Distorted Ends, sitting and standing room alike had been packed to what seemed to be full capacity.

Starting slightly after their scheduled 9:00 pm showtime, Window Shop played a stellar set including the band’s three original singles, one of which the group was scheduled to release on April 22nd, 2022. The single, titled “Ain’t You Heard,” offers itself as a jazzy social commentary just in time for Earth Day. Written from the perspective of the wealthy elite, Window Shop’s latest single amplifies the narrative regarding the displacement of environmental conscientiousness and responsibility from the general conglomerate, capitalistic interest to the average citizen.

Wednesday’s “Lazy 4/20” event not only offered itself as a safe, comfortable environment to listen to local musicians- it also acted as a reminder about the presence of the kindhearted community of people that call San Marcos home. Following the conclusion of every song, each of the three bands was met with an eruption of unconditional support and applause; while not every city in the U.S.A may be as enthusiastic to hand out praise, it seems San Marcos, Texas has a soft spot for the musicians who grow here.

Listen to Window Shop on Spotify!

Featured Image by Avery Viers.