These are no ordinary church bells ringing at the Auburn Unitarian Universalist Fellowship Church.
The low-key, intimate atmosphere of the church building provides the ideal setting for the Sundilla Acoustic Concert Series.
"Our goal with these performances is to bring artists to town that under other circumstances would not come to Auburn," said Bailey Jones, freelance journalist and organizer of the event.
Friday, Sundilla hosted a performance by Birmingham's Act of Congress.
Band members include vocalist and fiddle player Connie Skellie, vocalist and guitarist Chris Griffin, bass player Tim Carroll and lead vocalist and mandolin player Adam Wright.
Griffin said this was the band's first professional trip to the Plains, although they had recently played a show in Opelika.
Lead singer Adam Wright welcomed the audience to the venue with a loud "War Eagle."
The band opened with one of its original songs from the album "Declaration." As the night went on, they played covers of popular songs such as Adele's "Rolling in the Deep," Coldplay's "Clocks" and The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights."
One of the night's most popular songs was "Five Minutes of Fame," which satirically details the adventure of a redneck shower-singer with dreams of high-class Hollywood living. The crowd cheered for an encore and thanked the band with a standing ovation.
Act of Congress has a style that makes it hard to classify it in one genre.
"I would not categorize our music under the Christian label," Wright said. "Since we are all believers, that moral foundation comes out in our work in a welcoming way."
Auburn students in attendance said they thoroughly enjoyed the concert.
"I liked the part when they came off the stage and sang a cappella best," said Carrie Bray, sophomore in pre-medicine. "It showed their raw talent."
Courtney Meadows, sophomore in biomedical sciences, said she listened to the band's music online before attending.
"Their live performance is just as great as their recorded music," Meadows said. "It proves how talented they really are."
Both Meadows and Bray said they would definitely come back to Sundilla for another concert.
"I think there's an acoustic movement going on," Wright said. "There's something real about acoustic music being played live, more real than what plays on the radio."
The Sundilla Concert Series will host another performance Sept. 23 at the same venue by the band Smithfield Fair.
"They're a Celtic trio from Louisiana that has been around for more than 20 years," Jones said. "I'm anticipating a good crowd."
For more information on the Sundilla Acoustic Concert Series and Act of Congress, visit www.sundilla.org or 'like' the Facebook page.
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