We spoke to the UCLA graduate who’s an events organizer at Sofar

Have you ever been to a concert inside a surf shop? It doesn’t sound like a very common thing to do on a Wednesday night does it? Thanks to Sofar, an organization that brings together music lovers and independent musicians, me and my friend were lucky enough to listen to the music created in a surf shop.

The SOFAR staff doing sound checks before the concert

To attend a Sofar concert, you first have to find an event you are interested in and afterwards register your name on their website. Where it’s being held is a mystery until the end of the day when Sofar reveals the exact location where the concert is going to take place.  Me and my friend signed up for the Beverly Hills concert, expecting that we were going to end up in a cool mansion. Once we arrived to the given address, we were confused because we were standing outside a surf shop in Sawtelle. As the Sofar volunteers directed us inside, we saw how  both the musicians and the audience were mingling with each other in the dimly lit surf shop.

The event organizer, Sara Mengesha, a UCLA history major who graduated in 2010. She answered some of our questions about her Sofar journey after her life at UCLA.

How does the process works when organizing a Sofar event?

There are many parts to the process of organizing a Sofar concert.  We have to find venues and hosts who are willing to provide the performing spaces. We also try to find musicians who perform different genres such as jazz, RnB, country to make an unique concert experience.

What is your favorite Sofar memory?

I have so many! This one time the hosts of the venue that the concert was taking place, recognized one of our performing artists and they were very excited about it! When our hosts and audiences are happy, we as the Sofar family are happy.

What’s your favorite UCLA tradition and why?

Definitely the screaming session during the finals week, I love how this tradition shows the strong community within UCLA. We all stick together, even when we are all stressing out…

How did you start getting involved with Sofar after graduating UCLA? Did you have a musical background?

I  did not have a musical background before becoming a part of Sofar; however, I have always enjoyed going to concerts. A couple of years ago I decided to make a New Year’s Resolution: I had to go to live music concerts for a month. One day, me and my friends attended a Sofar concert and after that night I kept going back. Now, here I am working for them. It’s crazy where life takes you sometimes!

Inside the surf shop/concert venue

How were you involved in the UCLA community?

Being a Bruin means being a part of a very diverse community. I was involved in as many ways I could through the programs of unicamp, mentorship and the Daily Bruin.

How would you define Sofar and what does it mean for you to be a part of this organization?

Sofar is all about a community of people who love music. Sofar provides the community, belonging, combined with passion for music. The audience will definitely  find something they  love or get exposed to music they have never heard before!

How do you see the future of Sofar? What are some future goals the organization has set up?

Sofar is active in 81 cities around the world. So many people around the world want to create music. The power of the social media definitely helps us connect with our audience and enables us to each out to them. The founders of Sofar realized the need to create a platform where music can be appreciated without any enduring other distractions. Sofar is like an art gallery for music, the audience is not supposed to touch the art, but appreciate it.

In your opinion, how is working for Sofar different than working for any other music organization?

I have not worked in another music organization but I can definitely tell you that Sofar is more about the special relationship between community and music. Music industry doesn’t really focus on that. Community and music brings together the intimate nature of listening to music.

Check these musicians to get a feel of what SOFAR offers to its audience!

Talking to Sara and seeing how she got involved with this unique organization after her UCLA years is very inspiring: it shows how our school is represented all over LA and over the world.  I truly believe that attending a Sofar concert as a Bruin should be in your bucket list.