Over the past couple of months, I’ve been exploring major bands and artists’ newest releases, but I think it’s time to move things more local. Humboldt’s music scene has recently gained two new additions: “Sonder Project” & “Hotel Riot,” both entirely composed of current and former Arcata High and Six Rivers students.
Sonder Project is the more recent of the two, with its first EP, which contains more tracks than a single, but not as many as an album, currently being recorded. The idea to start the band came to Six Rivers Senior Ryder Binnie in the summer of 2025 when he and band members Skyler, Christian, Kephas, and North decided to “just start jamming.”
The name Sonder Project came from the definition of the neologism “Sonder,” which is the realization that any random person is living a life just as obscure and complex as your own.
“I feel like our sound and our songs will bring that realization out in people,” Binnie said.
Sonder Project is still in its early stages; the band plans future releases and live shows. Follow the band’s Instagram account @sonder__project for updates on the band’s progression and future releases.
Hotel Riot is another band that has recently come to be locally. Organized by members Ava, Brenden, Graham, and Calvin, who all played together in AAI’s Music program.
When vocalist Ava graduated from Six Rivers in 2025, they wanted to form the band to continue playing together outside of the program.
Hotel Riot doesn’t currently have any releases on streaming services, but they have performed multiple times at venues in Arcata and Eureka.
Junior Brenden Mosher describes the band’s sound as “Definitely Punk” and their live performances as very successful. With lots of community support at shows, the band has definitely been making a name for itself in the local scene.
Mosher highlighted one notable setback during a show. While performing at Moss Oak Commons, Mosher’s guitar string broke during a solo in the middle of their final song of the night.
While a broken string could be catastrophic during a live set, Mosher kept his composure and improvised the remainder of the song on the fly, ending the performance as strongly as he started.
Hotel Riot has an upcoming show on April 18th, along with 4 other local bands at the Arcata Veterans Hall. “If you like punk, you’d better pull up,” Mosher said. Make sure to follow Hotel Riots’ Instagram @hotel_riot for more information on that, as well as future shows!
