There is a story behind this night:



And a story behind the unique and intimate way these artists are performing in little pop up gigs all over the world lately. It's all thanks to a group called Sofar Sounds, and I wanted to interview the founders: Rocky, Dave & Rafe, to bring their mission (and hopefully more from Rob Pattinson) to you!




Sofar Sounds was created in early 2009—what brought about its creation?

Dave and Rafe met at a London gig through mutual friends and starting talking about their frustration with hearing music in bars. People end up talking or clanking beer bottles while the musicians play. It’s not such a nice environment and fans and musicians don’t appreciate it. So we agreed to try an experiment - for Dave to host a very intimate concert at his home – featuring his own new music – and we’d see if this setting encouraged people to be quiet and to really savor the the music. It worked, the guests loved the setting and Dave loved playing to a respectful crowd – and the vibe like a great house party with lots of creative people showing up.


Can you tell me a bit about the three founders?

Rocky Start is the son of a entrepreneur and has that same fire to start something himself. He has his hands in a number of new business most importantly that of his finance Lucy who designs modern Jewelry. When not with Lucy or sofarsounds Rocky consults with drinks and entertainment companies.
www.lucyhutchings.com

Dave Alexander is from Belfast and a despite studying law in college is now a London-based singer-songwriter. When not writing songs or searching for the best new talent for sofarsounds he works with disadvantaged teens in East London.

Rafe Offer is from Chicago – after working for Walt Disney in California and Coca-Cola in Atlanta, he moved to London to work for a large drinks company. A few years ago he set sail with his own business investments and consults on innovation in the USA and Europe. Rafe is married with two children and lives in central London.


How do you choose the artists & locations for these shows?

Artists: We pick what we like – based on a simple rule – will you feel lucky listening to them in a living room? We look for folks doing innovative things with music and also who write memorable songs – hence songs from a room! We also welcome recommendations from fans – and sift through everything we get, no matter where from or what genre.

Location: At the gigs we ask ‘who wants to host the next one’ and we then go check out their house or apartment. The main criteria is whether the host is a warm and friendly person who won’t mind welcoming music-loving strangers into their house! Most are pretty relaxed and knock on wood nothing bad has ever happened! Houses don’t have to be posh (though some are) - it’s more about a good vibe – and having the space to fit 50+ people on the living room floor.


Is there a charge for these shows, for either the artist or the audience?

No charge. This is for the love. We pass a hat at the end – it’s totally optional – and 100% of the money we collect goes to helping this movement continue, for example paying us back for the professional video camera we bought so we can film the artists playing. We do not pay the musicians but give them all kinds of support such as inviting major record labels to the events or festival organizers or journalists. Not to mention they make a lot of new fans on the night.


What would you say has been the most memorable show to date?

Whew. That’s a tough one – like picking your favorite child! One we will all never forget was our third show. It was in a tiny flat near Regent’s park – up till then we had only had 2 bands played and musicians were not keen to come – they didn’t ‘get’ what we were doing. But at this gig we had Marcus Foster, a wonderful ‘modern folk’ musician (who has written music for Twilight), Anna Phoebe, one of the world’s best rock violinists (touring now with Roxy music), new band 5 cent theatre (who brought drums, a vioin and a cello into the tiny space!) and folksy Lail Arad. Forty people crammed into a tiny place with bars on the window and an edgy buzzy feeling – we all felt so lucky to be there with these great musicians!


While I can’t imagine there are any, are there any downsides to small shows like these?

That we cannot allow more people in – and also that some people don’t turn up – so we have to over-invite in order to have the right number. Also, some people complain their bottom’s hurt after sitting on the floor. LOL !


What is in store for Sofar Sounds in the future?

Global community of pop-up gigs happening in cities around the world. Bands getting exposure through our website – bands touring from place to place. All supremely talented and deserving a spotlight – some very famous ones just to add credibility and a splash of excitement to the movement. A bit of a myspace with real presence and soul.


Lastly, if you don’t mind, I’d like to inquire a bit about Robert Pattinson’s performance on behalf of our community. Did he volunteer to play? Can you describe his performance style, his musical style for us?

He sure did. He was in the audience and clearly enjoying the music. Halfway through the gig he asked if we would mind if he played. As there were 5 other acts pre booked to play we said ‘sure!’ but that it would have to be at the end of the night. He was nervous –Rob said it had been about a year since he had played live and hoped he remembered what to do. He was very down to earth and shy about it. It was getting late once he grabbed the guitar and walked to the ‘stage’ (the front of a private home in north london) - so we agreed he’d play one song. He has a very rich and soulful style – sweet-sad lyrics – a sound not unlike his friends Marcus Foster and Bobby Long.


We’ve been so patient waiting for him to perform and your clip gave us so much hope! Do you plan on releasing the full song he performed? And can you see him returning for another performance?

We will definitely release the full clip of his performance in the coming months. Just arranging when a good time to do so (watch this space: www.sofarsounds.com). And as he truly enjoyed playing Songs From A Room (and played well), I’m pretty certain he’ll be back.


Is there anything else you'd like to add? Any questions I may not have covered that you'd like to answer?

Please encourage folks to let us know if they want to host a living room gig in their home – wherever they live. Especially looking for people who love live music and follow local bands (even better if they are friends with musicians – but not critical). They can get in touch by emailing me on rafeoffer@yahoo.com and signing up to our mailing list at www.sofarsounds.com


Here's a full list of ways you can keep in touch with Sofar Sounds:

YouTube
Mailing List
Official Website
Facebook