Sofar Sounds, the innovative concert production company which organizes shows at donated spaces in cities throughout the world, is taking the next step in its quest to change the live event industry.
The concept of Sofar Sounds initially came to be when founder Rafe Offer began hosting shows from his living room as early as 2009. Over the last decade, Sofar has evolved and expanded to over 400 cities throughout the world thanks to its unique model of throwing concerts in intimate spaces, giving both fans and artists an alternative experience compared to traditional venue-based performances.
Fans enter online lotteries to attend a Sofar Sounds event in their city without knowing the lineup of performers or location. If selected, fans can then purchase tickets and are given the location of the event–which could be held at informal spaces ranging from someone’s living room to a local artisanal mayonnaise store. It’s not until attendees show up at the secret location where they then find out what kind of performance they’ll experience—and what performers they’ll see—that day or night.
Leon Bridges – “Lisa Sawyer” – Sofar Dallas
[Video: Sofar Sounds]
On Wednesday it was announced that Sofar Sounds had acquired $25 million in new funding from investors, potentially giving the growing company with 80 full-time staffers the financial boost it needs to start booking some serious talent at its smaller events. With the company hoping to expand its musical horizons with better shows and stronger artist lineups in the coming years, here are a few different artist pairing options we’d love to experience in a unique and intimate setting at a secret Sofar Sounds session.
Holly Bowling/Jeff Chimenti
Arguably two of the most well-known pianists within the jam scene, Holly Bowling (Ghost Light) and Jeff Chimenti (Dead & Company) would be a Deadhead’s dream Sofar lineup if they had their keyboards arranged across from one another like a fun mix between a dueling pianos setup and a freeform jazz duet. Bowling is, of course, well-known within the jam community thanks to her innovative transcriptions of Phish and Grateful Dead material for solo piano. Her familiarity with the Dead’s catalog would make her the perfect partner across from Chimenti, who many consider just as good, if not the better than some of the Dead’s original pianists. Imagine the buzz of excitement you’d feel showing up to a secret location only to see these two come out to their pianos to start the show.
Molly Tuttle/Billy Strings
Molly Tuttle and Billy Strings would fit perfectly into Sofar Sounds’ model. Both performers currently find themselves leading the next generation of folk-rock guitarists and songwriters. Tuttle’s talents extend past just the guitar, as she’s also an accomplished banjo and mandolin player. Tuttle’s range of instrumentation in a stripped-down performance setting would allow for more diversity within their duet set by providing contrast to Strings’ phenomenal lead guitar skills. If one of the main goals of Sofar Sounds is to introduce fans to notable emerging artists, they’d be making a wise decision by going with these two a stage.
Scott Metzger/Katie Jacoby
This is an easy one. Not only are Scott Metzger and Katie Jacoby two of the hottest in-demand performers/power couples within today’s New York City music scene, but their styles of performing contrast so strongly at times that it’d be foolish not to bring them into a non-traditional concert setting to see what happens. Jacoby is a classically trained violinist who also performs with Metzger in their trio The Showdown Kids when she’s not touring the country alongside The Who. Imagine the blissful and haunting sound of her violin while played alongside Metzger’s guitar, which pumps out lively, 1960s-era surf rock instrumentals when he’s with his non-JRAD band, Wolf!. Together, their two unique styles would combine for a one-of-a-kind performance which any Sofar attendee would be thrilled to experience.
Marcus King/Brandon “Taz” Niederauer
Another pair of up-and-coming performers who happen to dominate the same instrument, The Marcus King Band’s Marcus King and fellow phenom Brandon “Taz” Niederauer would light up any room Sofar decides to put them in with their guitar-playing abilities. There’s a reason this list doesn’t include arena-level performers—it simply wouldn’t work. These two young men, however, come with separate bags (or guitar cases) full of talent and tricks just as impressive as any major festival headliner. As both of their careers and talents continue to blossom, why not recruit these two to put their acoustic guitars to use in a smaller setting before they reach the level of popularity where that’s no longer possible. King and Niederauer are certainly no strangers to sharing the stage with each other. Why not have them do it at some random loft apartment in Brooklyn?
Karina Rykman/Dave Harrington
Of all the pairings listed here, this one has the potential to be the most experimental. Karina Rykman (Marco Benevento) and Dave Harrington (Dave Harrington’s Merry Pranksters) have spent the last few years throwing shows around New York City which bring together an unorthodox mix of freeform jazz jams and experimental noise rock. Rykman welcomed Harrington (and organ master Robert Walter) to augment her Karina Rykman Experiment set at last year’s Brooklyn Comes Alive, and the results were nothing short of incredible. In the unorthodox Sofar setting, the mingling of these two talented musicians’ styles could quickly send listeners down a noise-driven rabbit hole at any given moment. Their Sofar audience might exit the show feeling woozy, but they’ll damn sure leave with a stronger appreciation of the sound just two musicians can achieve and create right there on the spot.
To learn more about Sofar Sounds, head here.