“Usually this is in, like, a basement with an audience of twelve people,” explains a sweater-clad guitarist as he strums a note. Only moments before Andrews’ (who also told us that the apostrophe in his stage name was an early career creative choice) was lounging on the stairs with the rest of the artists in the back of the cozy Williamsburg cafe, pinkFROG. There are about fifty of us milling about under stuffed animal mobiles and pink mood lighting. Before the show starts, the beer line wraps around the bar twice.
This is the epitome of a Sofar show. Described as an “intimate, secret live music performance”, Sofar aims to bring the vibe of a living room house show to audiences across the country. At one point, the emcee wondered aloud, “how did everybody even find out about this?”. The evening’s events had been shrouded in mystery for days. About 36 prior, each attendee was sent an email disclosing a location along with some simple instructions. Other than that, we would find out when we got there.
Andrews’ is up first. With songs like “I Wanna Die in a Band” and “Coping” his melancholy restlessness feels ideally suited for an artist cafe in the Williamsburg shop. Between songs, Andrews’ details trips to Rockaway Beach and old insecurities that inspire his discography. In the background, the cash register dings with each sale of a locally sourced IPA. Toward the end of the set, Andrews’ pronounces that he will buy one audience member a beer––in an effort to “be less of a grouch in the corner” (and to garner a few new Instagram followers). Andrews’ is a regular performer at Sofar shows, and he mentions that he also does the sound for many of their events.
The artists are the lifeblood of Sofar. Like Andrews’, many Sofar performers have made a home at these underground events. With an express focus on connecting to the music, Sofar offers a place for artists to speak directly to their audiences. Andrews’ set is reminiscent of a cozy college house show that functions just as much as a social outing as a concert.
Next up is 17-year-old Ava Della Pietra who has been strumming a ukelele nervously in the background. With a chunky peace sign necklace, Della Pietra is introduced as a former School of Rock Broadway cast member who has already released an EP before her graduation date. Her humble, theater-kid nature compliments this laundry list of accomplishments as she takes the stage. Before her first song “Happy for You”, Della Pietra explains that she wrote the tune after a heartbreak by a long-time crush. Like a slightly more chipper Olivia Rodrigo, Della Pietra’s catalog details the ups and downs of adolescence––friendship, hardship, breakups, long drives through Long Island, and COVID.
The final act, Brandi and the Alexanders, offers a complete 180 from the other performers. This is another beauty of the Sofar setup. Provided with the barebones structure of the evening, all attendees were blind to the location and the performers. With only the love of live music in our hearts, we filed into pinkFROG completely clueless. Brandi and Alexanders (who were featured on the CBS show So Help Me Todd) are a “genre-bending R&B band” according to their website. As the lead singer Brandi introduces the band, she also quips “two Erics and no Alexanders”. Their set is an amalgam of funky beats, Brandi’s impressive belt, and inspiring messages. Gesturing toward the news coverage of the January 6th Insurrection playing on mute in a corner Brandi jokes, “speaking of the capitol” before she launches into a song written in 2020 inspired by the Black Lives Matter movement.
By the end of the night, we’ve covered the modern-day struggle for civil rights, high school crushes, and dying in a band. Only inches from the local performers, everyone tucked into the small cafe has become a part of the intimate show. As we leave, it’s like saying goodbye to your friends at the end of a party, grabbing your coat, and promising to come around the following weekend.
