With 420 long in our rearview, we’re privileged to share with our readers an event in New York that encapsulated how cannabis, culture, and community work in tandem. Sofar Sounds, the innovative live music concept, hosted an event at Gotham’s Chelsea location with performances from marilyn simone, Parker Phillips, and ALICIA.
On an unusually chilly Monday evening in Chelsea, Hip-Hop Wired was invited to attend Sofar Sounds’ 420 event inside the stylish and spacious woman-owned Gotham dispensary. What makes Gotham stand apart from other legal dispensaries we’ve visited is that it truly lives up to its motto, which is “Where Cannabis Meets Culture.”
That was evident by the warm energy from the staff and attendees of the Sofar Sounds events, alongside patrons who were there to pick up their wares for the 420 holiday. Part dispensary, part performance space, and part clothing store, being inside Gotham alone would’ve been worth the visit, but thankfully, there was more to experience.
To explain the Sofar Sounds concept as best we can, the events feature musicians of varying genres in an intimate setting, typically pulling from a pool of local talent.
Opening the set was Oakland native and current New York resident marilyn simone, whose honeyed vocals felt revelatory as much as they were ethereal. After their performance, we had a brief chat with simone, who explained their creative ambitions and their work with Sofar Sounds.
“I’m just in my first year living in New York, and when I first came here, I applied to be a Sofar artist,” simone explained. “The process was pretty seamless, very relaxed. And after I accepted their invite, they’ve been booking me pretty consistently. They’ve been very supportive.”
While simone’s music doesn’t have a neat genre box to be placed in, what we can say is that their performance was such that attendees were laser-focused the entire time, and for good reason. We asked what inspired them to create music and what’s next in their journey.
“Growing up in Oakland, I went to a performing arts school, so music and creation were always a part of it for me,” the Berklee College of Music graduate explained. “Culturally, Oakland had such a huge impact on me, and the arts scene there is vibrant.”
They continued, “I was inspired by the jazz and contemporary indie scene in Oakland, and because of how close we are to San Francisco, there were opportunities for me to see jazz shows and other genres, and all of it helped me form my stage show. I have plenty of music available and in the works, and I’m easy to find online. I have a lot more to give.”
As the night went on, we were introduced to the charismatic Parker Phillips, and the Massachusetts native and current New York City dweller was just as delightful as the previous performer. After his set, Phillips was gracious enough to share his story with us, most especially his early days.
“I came up singing in the church because my dad is a pastor and my uncle is a bishop, truly, my whole family is in the church,” Phillips shared. “We’re part of the New England Pentecostal Ministries and our roots run deep all over New England.”
He continued, “We came from one of the first African American families to establish a church in the New England area, and most of us sang in the church and beyond. Even my grandmother had vinyl recordings produced, and I mix some of that influence in my own music.”
When asked if the journey as a singer ever gets difficult, Phillips was candid in his response.
“Yes, it does get difficult, but with shows like this, you never know what kind of audience you’re going to get,” Phillips said. “But regardless of the vibe, you have to go out there and make sure you’re doing it from the heart and with love. Because that’s what music is really all about, right? Doing it because you love it, but doing it because you want to promote the feeling of love in the room.”
Parker Phillips is hard at work on his debut album, which he plans to unveil over the summer. He shared that he’s been working on the project for a decade and added that it will be a visual album.
Last but not least, we were greeted with the sounds of ALICIA, a Washington, D.C. area native now residing in New York as well. Like the acts before her, ALICIA’s music was a blend of sound but full of gumption. Despite her standout performance, she spoke in a wonderfully disarming hush during our chat.
“If I had to explain my musical style, it’s alternative R&B but with influences from all over,” ALCIA began. “I grew up listening to gospel and pop, and of course, R&B, and even rock music. I just want to be progressive with my sound and find new ways to explore.”
ALICIA’s time in the “DMV,” as many call the region, involved her moving around, but she did add that the Nation’s Capital has held sway in how she approaches music.
“The D.C. area is where I lived the longest, and I when I was living in Waldorf (Maryland), my friends would take me into the city for shows,” ALICIA explained. “While I was isolated a bit, those trips gave me a chance to experience the creativity of the arts scene in the area, and I think D.C. definitely shaped a lot of my sound.”
Beyond the artists, we also spoke with Gotham’s Director of Content, Rachel Bell, and the host of the popular Hi, I’m High video series. Bell’s bubbly energy that some may have seen in the series translated well in real time, and she explained a bit of her journey with Gotham, her series, and more.
“I began working for Gotham in 2024, and it was my first job in the cannabis industry,” Bell starts. “I quickly realized that although I had a background in social marketing, you have to do things differently in this space for legal reasons.”
Bell added, “So while I couldn’t exactly display our products on platforms like Meta, I thought that what would be cool is to use the product, film myself doing some sort of New York-based outing, and that was the impetus of the series. I’ve been doing Hi, I’m High since 2023, and we’re now on our 46th episode.”
Bell also noted that her novel approach to product reviews in the form of short videos has inspired others in the social media marketing space to follow suit in 2026, noting they’ve been ahead of the curve.
“There is so much cool stuff happening in social marketing, and everyone’s getting in on it, but we’ve got a three-year jump on many of the folks out there. It’s been cool to get noticed by major publications for our efforts,” Bell added.
Because cannabis is so stigmatized, we asked Bell how she and the Gotham team have found ways to remove the stigma surrounding cannabis use and the like.
“I spoke with a woman, whose name is Sarah, and she struggles with MS,” Bell said. “She posted this whole Instagram carousel of images of people who are still incarcerated over cannabis. However, it’s truly a medicine for many of us, and it helps Sarah with her disability.’
Bell continued, “It’s such an interesting business to be in, but there is also some sadness. I think the more we normalize it for the average person, it can work. In fact, I think Hi, I’m High is a good way to remove the stigma because it was born out of creative necessity, a workaround for me to do my work. So, I’m finding ways to enlighten and educate folks and bring this medicine to folks who need it.”
We ended our evening at Sofar Sounds and Gotham Chelsea’s 420 event, speaking with Lexie Lieberthal, Sofar Sounds’ New York City music curator. With this being our first time attending one of their events, we had plenty of questions regarding the concept.
“Basically, the concept is about creating a space where artists and lovers of music can be in the same space at the same time,” Lieberthal said. “It’s an intimate and collaborative sort of experience when it comes to concerts.”
Lieberthal adds, “Usually with concerts, there is this huge divide between artists and the audience in a lot of live music performances. Unfortunately, a lot of people aren’t paying attention to the music and instead are taking pictures. So, we’re creating a space where people who love music can meet and gather together.”
It goes without saying that Sofar Sounds and Gotham achieved their harmonious goal. Even as the event ended, fans and artists alike gathered together, clearly drawn together by the shared experience, and, we’d like to think, are better for it.
Learn more about the musical artists here.
Learn more about Gotham here.
Learn more about Sofar Sounds here.
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Photo: Gotham/Sofar Sounds
