Music
Photo by Elizabeth Miranda
Busting A Sweat + Cracking Jokes with SOFI TUKKER
May 19, 2022 @ 11:00am
For many performers, life onstage and off can be two sides of the same coin or even entirely different currencies. Someone who may be incredibly social and active onstage can be reserved and quiet in the green room. And someone who thrives on a quiet, heartfelt show can be really bubbly at the afterparty.
The classic stereotype with artists is that they are always a switch-up. But when it came to my talk with energetic dance duo SOFI TUKKER, the only thing switched up was my gloomy mood from the rained-out weekend.
Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern are the masterminds behind SOFI TUKKER and the dynamic duo heading to the 9:30 Club for two nights of sold-out shows on their “Wet Tennis” album tour.
With Sophie and Tucker, I was immediately taken in by their candid positivity and the radiant shine in their personalities.
Currently basing themselves in Florida, the vibrancy of the Sunshine State is anything but lost on these incredibly active people.
“I’d consider us the opposite of beach bums, but we live in beach bum places,” Halpern says.
“Sophie is always out at the beach, but she’s there working.”
The kind of musicians who have a 90 minute workout prior to stage time and embrace fun and tropical colors in all their work, this incredibly-forward approach to life and music is only bolstered when you realize how smart this team is.
With Hawley-Weld, I was able to bond over the Portuguese language and the place of Brazilian poetry in Sofi Tukker’s music.
And Halpern was totally versed in pop culture, talking classic films like “Friday” and “Boyz n the Hood” and even faring well in a little guessing game I made up about convoluted Kanye lyrics and hilarious Insane Clown Posse one-liners.
When speaking about their quarantine livestreams and how they foraged an active community against such odds, it echoed in my head when they said that “choosing optimism” was a big part of their entire operation.
This talk was exactly what I needed to get out of the rainy day funk we’ve been having in the DMV.
SOFI TUKKER plays 9:30 Club May 21 and 22. Their new album “WET TENNIS” is available for streaming on all major platforms.
Enjoy this piece? Consider becoming a member for access to our premium digital content. Support local journalism and start your membership today.
