Baring a small meditation pillow, a nervous heartbeat, and the concern that I dressed too casually (flip flops, jeans, a sports bra underneath a billowy translucent top) my friend and I found parking on a hill on the outskirts of downtown Cincinnati and started walking towards a stranger’s apartment. This must have been the place. The door was open, music was escaping, and there were two people sitting on the porch. After checking in at a clipboard: “One plus guest.” We were given a warm smile and the okay to enter.
The first room was a small lounge with two couches and some people chatting. There was a staircase behind it with people idling on the stairs, and it opened into a living room where band equipment was set up against a brick wall with fairy lights gleaming in between framed photographs, and a ‘Sofar Cincy’ and ‘Amnesty International’ poster amongst them. Guests were roaming through the rooms and patio that showed a view of lit up downtown Cincinnati at night. My friend and I decided to stay in the main room and hoped to make friends.
The event was BYOB so we each pulled out a Bubbles to get into the mood and started talking. Not long after, three girls showed up with armloads of blankets to spread across the floor. It wasn’t their first show. We made small talk before settling for the introduction and first artist.
People sat on the floor or stood off to the sides as we were welcomed and the story of Sofar was shared. Standing for “songs out of a room” Sofar is a global music movement. Founded in 2010 and on six continents (over 300 countries), it is a new way of hearing live music and discovering new artists with getting in being the hardest factor.
In cities that participate in Sofar, a host welcomes both artists and guests into their home to perform and listen. Set up where there’s space and hopefully no neighbors to complain, they graciously allow the group of strangers in to share the music experience together. As a guest, there’s a ticket fee to pay, usually $15 to get in, but the first step is to apply for tickets. It isn’t a guarantee that applying will get someone in, so a wait and see game has to be played. There also isn’t an address provided or a list of who is performing. Like a sweet mystery the night is up to chance. Three artists perform during the night for 20-25 minutes each. Considering the price paid for entry, it’s almost a steal. The artists can range from big names like Hozier and Ed Sheeran, to smaller local bands. The possible talent is endless.
That night the first artist was Malcolm London, a Chicago based rapper and activist who, paired with a key boarding from University of Cincinnati, sang and performed spoken word performances based on struggle, racism, discrimination, and hope for change.
The second performance was by a band called Sylmar, an indie and pop rock band with a vocalist whose entire body would vibrate while singing. If there weren’t a microphone, it wouldn’t be a problem, he could still be heard over the instrumentals. Their last song pulled the entire crowd in as we all started to sing along.
Lastly was the rock n’ roll band Talk. Joking about how this was the quietest gig they had ever done, they were energetic, into the music, and one member in an Iron Maiden t-shirt dramatically bounced his head of full curls as the crowd danced in their spots on the floor.
In between performances we met some new friends. One taking photographs, another running the Sofar Cincy Instagram page. They in turn introduced us to another Xavier student at the event whose boyfriend was the drummer in Sylmar. We talked about the shows, shared an autumn drink of cider and vodka, and shared social media posts of the event.
When the night was over I was so impressed with how the evening went, I knew I wanted to attend another. I felt like the event had made me a better person, that the group of people I shared this intimate moment with were genuinely good people, and dramatically, like Sofar could help save the world by changing perceptions, connecting new groups of people, and expanding our awareness of art and music.