Submitted photoJay Tablet will perform as part of the Lost Travelers Tour on Friday with Nappy Roots, J Meast, Cyhi the Prynce and 40 Akerz.

Jay Tablet knew his 2011 debut solo album, “Put it on the TAB,” would be the first installment of a trilogy when he released it.

He didn’t know the final album of that trilogy, this year’s “Pay the TAB,” would be his last solo album.

But after four years of solo touring and long hours logged in independent studios across Central Oregon, Tablet, born Joseph Tavares, decided he’d had enough. The Bend-based rapper, beatmaker and producer will tour the album for the next year — he’s already on the road for a three-week West Coast tour with Canadian violinist and frequent collaborator Kytami. He’ll return home in the middle of the run for an album release show at the Domino Room on Saturday.

“This time felt right to say, ‘Hey, man, I’m just gonna hang it up as a solo artist for albums,’” Tablet said just before heading out on the road. “That doesn’t mean I won’t release singles or work with other artists, but I’m not gonna sit down for a year by myself and be a recluse (while recording an album).”

His show at the Domino Room will reunite Tablet with most of his crew in the local musicians collective ZonkedOut, including guitarist and bassist Ken Bryant, who recorded live instruments for “Pay the TAB.” Other guests include DJ Harlo, singer Caitlin Cardier and rapper Rory ONEder, a member of Tablet’s hip-hop group Cloaked Characters.

“I’m just trying to get everybody in there: one set, everyone’s music together,” Tablet said. “… It’s for ‘Pay the TAB,’ but everyone’s gonna get some shine.”

The show may offer something of a preview of where Tablet is headed next in his musical career. He said he plans to focus his energy on Cloaked Characters, which was placed on the backburner in 2011 due to the birth of ONEder’s first child, along with producing other ZonkedOut artists such as Cardier and seeking further placements for his music in films and television. Last year, Tablet collaborated on a song, “Do My Thang,” that was featured in a trailer for the comedy film “Neighbors.”

Tablet and the rest of Cloaked Characters — ONEders and David Hastings, AKA Mr. E — attended high school together in Tracy, California. They began making music in 2000, drawing influence first from gangsta rap, then from socially and politically conscious rap groups such as Oakland’s Hieroglyphics.

“When I got into hip-hop, my first taste was Tag Team,” Tablet said. “I had the little yellow walkman, I got a tape and heard ‘Whoomp! There it is!’ and it hit me, man, like whoa, what’s this?”

Cloaked Characters began playing shows in 2002 before Tablet relocated to Bend in 2004 to help his grandmother out after his grandfather passed away.

“I was only supposed to be out here for eight months, but I ended up stuck,” Tablet said. “It seemed like this place was it. The inspiration out here was way different from where I grew up — more in the trees, fishing, hiking, the outdoors. The water’s clean, you know. Bend, Oregon. It sold me, and I sold (the rest of Cloaked Characters), and they moved out here in 2006, and we all rented a house and put a studio in the house.”

Over the course of two albums, Cloaked Characters evolved from a group of friends freestyling over beats to a team that created its own music. Tablet continued to explore different genres and moods on his solo albums, including 2013’s “TABLIFE,” the second part of what Tablet calls the “Tab Trilogy,,” and a handful of other free releases available at zonkedout.bandcamp.com.

On “Pay the TAB,” Tablet used live instrumentation from Bryant for the first time, drawing on his early classic rock and ’80s pop influences. However, he said he stopped listening to music during the eight months he spent recording the album in his home studio.

“I didn’t want to be influenced by anything popular or by friends; I just wanted to be influenced by what I was feeling,” Tablet said. “I kind of was a recluse, so I could really concentrate on creating a sound.”

Taken together, the three albums in the “Tab Trilogy” tell the story of Tablet’s life. He describes “Put it on the TAB” as the “party album,” while “TABLIFE” focuses on love and settling down.

“‘Pay the TAB’ is the full testament of my growth, I feel like, as an artist, being able to take all who I am and be very vulnerable,” Tablet said. “I feel the songs are so honest people might not get why I did it. I feel like I let it all out, that was it. Combined, the albums, I feel like the sounds — I see music in colors, so I feel like the colors all blended. If you listen to the full trilogy from beginning to end, you’ll actually know me as a person pretty well.”

— Reporter: 541-617-7814, bmcelhiney@bendbulletin.com