Karma Vision’s Bobby Sauder on Pizza Power, Lawrence’s DIY venue

Home shows are a blast. Just ask Bobby Sauder, Karma Vision member and booker extraordinaire. After a bout of touring, he and fellow psych-poppers decided to rent a house in Lawrence that’s only a stone’s throw from the Replay Lounge, and to host DIY pizza parties and shows.

The Pitch: When did Pizza Power get up and running?

Bobby Sauder: It all started last summer when my band Karma Vision went on a three-week West Coast tour.

What gave you the idea to do the whole pizza party and venue combo?

We had such a great time on tour, but the shows that were most fun for us were the DIY shows at houses or art spaces. Those types of venues made the shows more personal, and we were able to make connections with so many awesome people around the country. We were amazed at how friendly and hospitable people were to help set up shows for us, feeding us really great dinners, and letting us crash at their house. While on tour, we started thinking that Lawrence needed a house venue to help touring bands. So we rented a house in east Lawrence just a couple blocks from Massachusetts Street and started hosting shows in August. Touring bands contact us about playing at our house on a certain date, and then we find local bands to open and headline the show. We had already been throwing pizza parties for four or five years.