After more than eight fruitful years of playing gigs across northeast Ohio, local rock band Eclyptic is punching the clock. JB’s in downtown Kent will host the band’s farewell show Saturday, Oct. 8.

With their college careers winding down and real life looming ahead, Derik Kroeze (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Chris Bohrer (vocals, lead guitar), Danny Kolliner (bass), and Michael Factor (drums) have decided to go their separate ways. Distant schools and differing career paths make keeping a band together an uphill battle and considering their many successful years together, Kroeze says “it’s time.”

“It’s just all kind of spread apart now. It’s been eight and a half years, it’s time,” Kroeze said. “We had a good run.”

“This has been a once in a lifetime experience. Being able to make music I feel passionate about with my best childhood friends has been rewarding and also taught me a lot,” Kolliner said in a recent press release. “The break up is sad, but also necessary for everyone to develop their own unique sound and guilt-free paths of life.”

JB’s was a natural choice as a final venue for Eclyptic, as the downtown Kent area is where the band first began to hone their skills and find their sound during their early days as a high-school band from Hudson.

Several musical guests will join Eclyptic on stage, including trumpeter Chris Gray, guitarist Tom Morrow (former guitar teacher to Borhrer, Kolliner and Kroeze) and Andy Hale, the band’s original drummer. The show will involve two sets, the first being comprised of older music including songs the band hasn’t played since high school. The second set will encompass Eclyptic’s more recent releases.

“We want the show to be a celebration of the great music, great shows, and great experiences we’ve had,” Kroeze said in a recent press release. “We appreciate all that our fans have done for us.”

Looking back at the band’s eight year grind, the guys reflect warmly on their success and creative fulfillment, but the still have their small, nagging regrets.

“We would have done it a lot differently. We were really stupid,” Kroeze said with a laugh. “I guess it worked out, we got our fair share of popularity, we won our awards and sold our records and that was fun and we had a good time, but yeah, there are things I would change.”

In spite of all missteps along the way, Kroeze and the other members of Eclyptic are ready and willing to end things on the best note possible at their farewell show.

The music starts Saturday, Oct. 8 at 9 pm with a $3 cover charge at the door. Guests 21 and older get in free. Come celebrate the end of an era with one of the finest amateur rock bands in the state.