Ben Coffin couldn't keep his glasses on his face. Every time he looked down, his thick-frame lenses would slide down the bridge of his nose.
He had to wait for a break in the music to push them back up and keep playing bass guitar at The Southern Revelry.
"It was about 2,000 degrees on stage," Coffin said. "I don't think any of us have sweated more."
Coffin, senior in wireless engineering, plays bass guitar for The Roof Runners, a five-person band in the Auburn-Opelika area.
The band began in 2010 when Coffin met Paul Cook, guitar player who lived in the same dorm.
Cook, senior in electrical engineering, said the two shared an interest in playing music.
"We always had tried to form some kind of two-man band around bass and guitar," Cook said. "We had a pretty steady (foundation) already, and Sarah came on."
Once Coffin and Cook met Sarah Citrin, sophomore in English, in January 2014, they formed The Roof Runners.
Citrin would sing. Coffin's boss James Fukai, 40, longtime musician, would play guitar.
Coffin's friend Cory Fica, senior in music education, would drive from the University of South Carolina to play drums.
"As soon as we started playing together, it just immediately clicked," Coffin said. "We just started writing stuff really quickly."
The group gravitated toward indie rock and folk music, the kind which Coffin calls "Americana."
The Roof Runners played Aug. 9, at Overall Coffee Company, which Cook called their favorite show.
The band's members spent the previous three days practicing for The Southern Revelry, a music festival at The Overall Company. Despite putting in long hours, Coffin said they still enjoyed the experience.
"It very easily could have been miserable, because it's all we did all day, but we had a blast," Coffin said. "I don't know the last time I had that much fun."
The band practices by putting together songs.
Coffin said The Roof Runners has ten finished songs, with more in progress.
Coffin describes their creative process as collaborative. The group, often Fukai, make changes to what each person contributes.
"Sometimes I'll give it some different directions that I can see it doing," Fukai said.
Each member brings a diverse set of influences to the band for its songwriting.
Citrin cites Ella Fitzgerald an influence. Cook and Coffin said they share an appreciation for White Denim and Kings of Leon. Fukai said he enjoys metal.
Coffin said The Roof Runners members are focusing on producing enough original content for an extended play (EP) or a full album.
Meanwhile, Coffin said the band plans to play shows for anyone who will let them.
"We would love to play in Auburn anywhere," Coffin said. "Ideally, the goal is to get the University students to listen to us."
Fukai said he hopes students will listen to and like their music.
Coffin said he hopes to take The Roof Runners as far as it can go.
"I want to put out music that we're proud of," Coffin said.
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