Live music is an experience like no other, but it comes with many trials and tribulations. All too many of us can attest to the endless pushing and shoving of a drunk crowd, leaving a concert soaked with beer — or having one too many drinks yourself so that what should be a fond memory of the night is instead a hazy blur. Sunflower Sessions is a pioneer start-up by Dubliners Mila Gratzer and Katie (KK) Lewis, which offers an innovative approach to live music. The events, run by the two best friends, consist of a yoga session followed by an acoustic music set from some of the talented young artists Dublin has to offer.
Having graduated in May of 2023, the pair felt the “post-college blues”, a loss of the sense of community that college provided. Gratzer, a yoga teacher, and Lewis, a Dublin musician, experienced a eureka moment, deciding to combine their talents and develop “a space for creatives and people to come together to enjoy all the best parts of music and yoga”.
A regular night for Sunflower Sessions begins around 7pm with a 20 minute chat as the guests get to know one another. The yoga class, which Lewis describes as “an immediate icebreaker”, then lasts for 45 minutes. After this, the room undergoes a quick turnaround, setting the stage for the music acts, and guests are invited to sit with cushions and blankets in the small, intimate space. There are usually two or three headline acts. In the past Sunflower Sessions have platformed Irish artists Tadhg, Dylan Harcourt, Taylor Byrne, Líath Murdiff, Larabel and Amy Michelle. The night finishes up with a “big group jam” at around 10pm.
“There’s so many great Irish musicians at the moment”, says KK Lewis, active in the Dublin music scene for the last six years and with several singles and an EP to her name. “I’ve gotten to know loads of musicians over the course of that time and there’s so many amazing musicians that I know that I want to give a platform to. I know myself it’s generally playing gigs in pubs, and you’re not really heard or talked over, so it’s so nice to give a platform to musicians that I love to actually be heard.”
The event also incorporates live music during the yoga session — a novel, dualistic approach which bolsters the two art forms.
“Yoga’s a form of creativity in itself and obviously music is creative and it’s really special to be able to share that and for a musician to build on the class while it’s happening.”
“One of our musicians who’s headlining will play the keys or guitar, and that’s still growing in itself as we do more events, but it isn’t something that’s usually done”, explains Gratzer. “Yoga’s a form of creativity in itself and obviously music is creative and it’s really special to be able to share that and for a musician to build on the class while it’s happening.”
The Sunflower Sessions are alcohol-free events. There has been a recent rise in the ‘sober-curious’ movement, a term coined by author Ruby Warrington which suggests stepping back and re-evaluating one’s relationship with drinking culture. The Sunflower Sessions TikTok page corroborates this sentiment, interviewing young people who overwhelmingly responded with their fatigue of the drinking culture and the disappointing, limited state of Dublin nightlife. What’s more, experiencing the nightlife of Dublin alongside the desire to be productive in the mornings are almost incompatible.
“Everything in Dublin kind of revolves around drinking — not that there’s anything wrong with that, we love going to the pub and meeting our friends — but there are so many times where you wish there was something else to do”, says Gratzer. “We’re both really into our health and our wellness and trying new things… but we really found that it was so hard to get that balance in life in Dublin. Either I go out tonight and I can’t do anything tomorrow morning, or I don’t go out and I can do that tomorrow.”
“Sometimes alcohol can take away from making meaningful connections and an alcohol-free space can let people really get to know each other and have a genuine conversation.”
Sunflower Sessions aims to offer a nighttime event that won’t leave you with a hangover, providing the opportunity to meet new people and enjoy music, balanced with the health aspects of yoga. Gratzer sums this up perfectly: “Sometimes alcohol can take away from making meaningful connections and an alcohol-free space can let people really get to know each other and have a genuine conversation.”
For those who are interested in the music element but apprehensive towards yoga, the pair highlight Sunflower Sessions as a welcoming environment to all, with the goal of fun and empowerment. “For our last event we sold music only tickets”, says Gratzer, “and every single person who I spoke to who got a music only ticket said ‘I will one hundred percent be back for the yoga’”.
Sunflower Sessions caters to everyone at different skill levels of yoga, from complete beginner to seasoned expert. The pair emphasise the events as an easy-going space to enjoy movement and music alongside other people.
Gratzer goes on to say, “For the people who love the music aspect and are afraid of the yoga aspect, what says it all to me is the people who had no interest in yoga at all and left the music saying ‘I want to be here for the full thing’. That in itself says that there’s nothing to be afraid of, the space is so open and friendly”.
The Sunflower Sessions name encompasses its ethos — an openness and warmth, as well as a sustainable outlook in their collaboration with Irish brands. In past Sunflower Sessions events Irish companies Manhattan and All About Kombucha provided snacks and alcohol-free drinks for the night. The pair also collaborate with Flowstate, Irish producers of eco-friendly yoga mats.
Sunflower Sessions plan to have a Valentine’s Day themed event, with the date to be announced soon. Sunflower Sessions can be found on Instagram, @sunflowersessions_, and you can sign up to their mailing list for early news about upcoming events.
