Sofar Sounds Brings Monthly Secret Concerts to Gainesville

Sofar Sounds is an organization that helps curate live music events in over 400 cities around the world.

In February, it finally added Gainesville to that list.

The Performances

On February 26th, about four dozen people packed into Actors’ Warehouse. Some lay on blankets covering the floor, but most sat in chairs draped with banquet covers as if for a wedding. The inside looked like a small church, yet sitting on a stage at the far end were guitars, drums and other musical instruments, not an altar.

Everybody there came to see music. However, most had no idea who would be playing. Most didn’t even know the location of the event until the day before.

This is exactly how events coordinator Jennifer Vito likes it.

“Even though the audience doesn’t know what’s happening, we’re planning and we want to blow you away,” she said. “We want this to be a super experience. We’re going for blow-your-mind with something new. Something interesting.”

For the next two hours, those attending the first ever Sofar Gainesville were treated to performances by singer/guitarist Ricky Kendall, indie rock band Flipturn and the brass band Sooza.

Vito said that Sofar Gainesville went out of its way to introduce a wide array of musical genres into its first event, and it plans to continue this trend with each monthly concert going forward.

Elexa Suarez, a University of Florida student who attended the inaugural event, said that she had heard about Flipturn before, but was pleasantly surprised by the other two performances.

“It was definitely different than I thought it was going to be,” she said. “It was a really cool way to discover new artists, because the other two artists that performed that night, I had never heard of them.”

While slightly less surprised, some of the performers that night agreed that Sofar Sounds is definitely an experience unlike most concerts. Taylor Allen and Madeline Jarman, who play the synth and bass for Flipturn, respectively, said that Sofar offered a much more intimate environment than most of their performances.

“Everyone there is for the music, and even when we were playing you could totally tell. Technology was put away and everyone was very present in the moment,” Allen said. “It gives you chills.”

While they both said they enjoyed the intimacy, they added that it certainly made them more nervous to play for a crowd that was giving them their 100 percent, undivided attention.

Everyone there is for the music, and even when we were playing you could totally tell. Technology was put away and everyone was very present in the moment. It gives you chills.

“Usually I look out at the crowd, but I didn’t at this show because I knew they were going to be looking directly at me,” Jarman said. “It was definitely different so I was more nervous, but the audience was great, though.”

Vito said that the practice of asking audiences not to use their phones during the performances is something that all Sofars do. She said it helps people focus their energy on absorbing the music without the distractions of everyday life.

The Venue

Actors’ Warehouse is a venue that has seen its fair share of performances, but rarely sees anything like what Sofar Gainesville brought in February.

Vito said that that’s another benefit of Sofar, and one of her favorite parts of the job as an events coordinator. She said that it’s easy to pidgeonhole concerts to a select few venues. Sofar is a chance for audiences and musicians to branch out and take in music in a more unconventional setting.

Most importantly, it’s another way Sofar helps block out the outside world to put the focus on the music, she said.

“If you went to your local bar, there might be people already there hanging out and they may or may not be interested in the show,” she said. “But, the audiences for the Sofar shows are curated and they are people who really wanted to come and pay attention and really submerge themselves in the show.”

She added that by bringing like-minded people into a confined place, people are able to talk amongst themselves and possibly, she said, even make a new friend.

One thing that makes Sofar Gainesville different from the other Sofar Sounds around the world is this focus on getting audience members to mingle with each other and share their stories, Vito said.

Between performances during the inaugural show, MC Jaron Jones posed questions to the audience and invited people to share things like which album never fails to make them cry and what they would name their band.

“That’s something that’s important to us, that these shows continue to be something that’s going to connect our community in a special way,” Vito said.

The Future

The next Gainesville Sofar Sounds event will take place on Monday, April 23rd. To get tickets, you have to add your name to a list for the possibility of getting your name drawn. You are allowed to bring up to three additional friends if you are chosen.

You won’t know the location of the event until the day before, but it’s more fun like that. Right?

Until then, Flipturn band members Allen and Jarman look forward to what Gainesville has in store for Sofar Sounds.

“So many people have come from Gainesville, and I think it has a great music scene,” Jarman said. “It’s very welcoming, so I think it’s fitting that they bright Sofar to Gainesville.”

And you won’t have to worry about Sofar Gainesville running out of talent to showcase, according to Vito.

She said that in order to form a Sofar Sounds branch in Gainesville, she and her fellow organizers had to plan out the first three shows.

She said they’ve already planned out the first five and are still booking people for more shows after that.

---