Sofar Sounds Uplifting Denver Artists With Secret Concerts

"Can I see some peace signs?" the emcee asked at the November 8 Sofar Sounds show, waiting until those in the audience gave him their attention, peace signs lifted into the air. The concert took place inside the yoga studio Urban Sanctuary, in the heart of Five Points, and the exposed brick walls, plants and colorful aerial ribbons dangling from the ceiling gave the performance a cozy, peaceful vibe. Shoes were piled at the door, and the audience huddled on blankets and pillows on the floor, stretched out while sipping bring-your-own-bottle drinks and swaying to the music. Phones occasionally shot up for pictures and videos, but overall, the crowd was very attentive and present, fixated on the three artists (Aleik Maddox, Dzirae Gold and ReSrface) who rotated the "stage" during the two-hour performance.

Despite the rapt attention and supportive cheers, not one person in the intimate crowd was there for a specific artist. Like all Sofar Sounds shows, the artists and venue were only hinted at when tickets were purchased. The venue was revealed to ticket holders 36 hours before the concert, and an email with the full artist lineup was sent just after doors opened. It's a box-of-chocolates situation — you never know what you'll get.

And that's the fun of Sofar Sounds concerts: The possible discovery of a few new — mostly local — artists, a unique venue and a concert centered around music and connection. The Sofar Sounds concept was created in London in 2009, after founder Rafe Offer attended a concert with a disruptive, inattentive audience and visibly frustrated performers. Seeking a more satisfying experience, he hosted an intimate gig in his flat with eight friends, focusing solely on what brought them together: the music. Now found in 400 cities in 78 countries, Sofar Sounds is a global community of artists and audiences who want to redefine concerts, transforming nights of blurry phone videos and music drowned out by insistent background chatter into a mindful moment of connection and artistry.

The company's current CEO, drummer and former Echo Nest CEO Jim Lucchese, attended a Sofar Sounds show in 2017, where he was "very surprised to find out that the audience was just there, and not there to see [the musician], seeing how respectful they were," he reflects. "And that's when I wanted to learn more." He and Offer hit it off, and although Lucchese was not planning to step into a full-time position at Sofar, he became CEO in 2019.

Sofar audiences might be lucky enough to see an artist perform before they become a household name — it's a phenomenon that has happened several times. Three years before Billie Eilish's debut album rocketed her to fame in 2019, she played at an L.A. Sofar Sounds show and performed "Six Feet Under." Other artists that began with Sofar shows include Noah Cyrus, Yebba and Leon Bridges.

"I believe deeply, being one of these musicians, that local musicians are the soul of every city. They make the city unique," Lucchese says. "And cities have become more hostile to the spaces that used to exist where artists could come and perform and audiences could come and connect with artists and discover music live.

"Within half a mile of my office [in Boston], there are three spaces that I used to perform in that are no longer music venues, because it's really difficult for those venues to make it. COVID certainly didn't help," he adds. "I've always seen Sofar as a grassroots answer to that, where audiences [or musicians] are creating these spaces for artists and audiences to connect directly."

Sofar has been in Denver since 2014, and the Mile High City is now one of the company's top ten markets. Sofar  regularly partners with local organizations and businesses in Denver such as Music Minds Matter, Colorado Public Radio and the Dream Create Inspire Tour, curating shows that focus on specific genres, highlight mental health services or celebrate BIPOC artists.

Several Denver-based performers are a serial presence at Sofar shows, including indie artist Covenhoven, who has played 26 shows in eleven cities, and sultry soul singer Dzirae Gold, who has played around thirty (now including the performance at Urban Sanctuary) in Boulder, Denver and Chicago.

For performers, the impact of Sofar concerts outlast the event by far. Sofar pays the musicians and crews from ticket sales; if Sofar is making money from the event, musicians are paid a minimum of $100 for a twenty-minute set, and depending on the size of the audience, that amount can increase. In fact, across Sofar shows, artists are paid roughly 70 percent of the net profits. The company also gives artists tools to grow their fan base: Fan data from the events goes to the artists so they can connect with supporters and promote merch and future shows.

"We didn't invent that need for audiences to want to connect with their local music scene. That's existed forever, and I believe it's universal and timeless. I think every community has that need," Lucchese says. "And artists want to be heard. They want to perform in front of people who are listening, and hopefully we create a space to help allow that to happen."

The next Sofar Sounds concert is in RiNo on Wednesday, November 15, at 6:30 p.m. Tickets are $24.