As a lover of live music, my initiation, as it were, into the cult of Sofar had to commence sometime. Mine began last night at the Easton Bar & Lounge in a cramped indoor space abutting the rooftop pool at the Courtyard by Marriott Fort Lauderdale Downtown.
I didn’t receive the location for this concert until 36 hours prior to Thursday’s event, which is part of Sofar’s thing—the vibe was that of a secret meeting or a Prohibition-era speakeasy. We didn’t know the three artists selected to perform until moments before the show, either.
The series began in 2010, launched by a promoter who felt that too many promising musicians were playing in loud bars, and often secondary to flat-screens and billiards games and birthday parties.
The intention, which was mostly respected last night, was to gather discerning audiences who would pay $20 to see unidentified emerging artists from varied genres—and who would keep their socializing to a minimum. It is, as the emcee reiterated at the Easton, “just about the music and the artist experience.” Even cell phone photography and video were discouraged; I snapped these images discreetly. (Sofar has expanded to include more than 400 venues worldwide, with major recording artists from Hozier to Billie Eilish to Khraungbin getting their starts at its shows.)
The sold-out venue was attractive but, for the purpose of a Sofar event, not terribly conducive. The Easton is such a narrow lounge that the area directly in front of the makeshift performance space only accommodates maybe 20 people. So many of us, our party included, opted to sit on provided pillows, like kids at a sleepaway camp, in front of the prime seating, rather than our own seats, with their terrible sightlines.
The concert started around 7:20 with a solo set from Miami singer-songwriter Heather De La Guardia, who performed soulful confessionals on acoustic guitar, inspired heavily by Amy Winehouse and bossa nova; her set even included a classic from Antonio Carlos Jobim. She leaned into plaintive, lovelorn narratives that belied her onstage presence, which was more upbeat. De La Guardia clearly embraced the opportunity to perform for a new and receptive audience.
The duo Sayje and Raia followed, in what would prove to be the evening’s most magnetic and original performance. Sayje performed on a set of six frosted-glass “singing bowls” tuned to the new-agers’ preferred 432-hertz frequency. Raia accompanied her on guitar, looping her own parts and making full use of an array of pedals at her feet. The instrumentation could have found a home in Brian Eno’s influential “Ambient” series of recordings in the ‘70s and ‘80s, enveloping the audience in a similarly warm resonance. Sayje’s voice was the cherry on top, whether performing her own material or her mesmerizing take on covers, which included the hypnotic Bjork classic “All is Full of Love.”
Hollywood-based rock quartet the Boas closed the night with seated acoustic renditions of a few of their original favorites and a pair of covers. I have to assume the lack of electric guitars at the Easton was enforced by the venue, and the resulting performance was unusually mellow—I’m sure I’m not the only one who would have preferred a louder, dancier send-off.
But of all the artists at this Sofar, the Boas seemed most primed to make money in the musical marketplace, which can sound like a backhanded compliment but is not intended to be. All accomplished musicians of the highest order, they are cool, polished, confident and maybe a little too self-promotional—all the references to their Spotify and TikTok presences grew a little grating. I could easily see these guys join Cage the Elephant or Panic! At the Disco on a nationwide tour, and gain a solid national fan base. If they haven’t already, the time is nigh.
While not everything about my first Sofar experience was completely ideal—particularly the imperfect venue and the absence of electric amplification, which led to a sense of sameness throughout the evening—I’m very much sold on the concept. My first Sofar experience won’t be my last.
The next Sofar concert is Aug. 7 in downtown Hollywood. To purchase tickets and expand your ears, visit sofarsounds.com/events/50807.
For more of Boca magazine’s arts and entertainment coverage, click here.
