First emerging in Japan in the 1950s, “listening bars” subvert the standards of bar culture by prioritizing sound first, drinks second. Otherwise known as vinyl bars, Hi-Fi bars or “kissaten,” there are hundreds of them throughout Japan, and they’ve proliferated across the globe as well, with listening lounges popping up in cities like Miami, New York and Mexico City. With The SoundBar, Oklahoma City joins those ranks, providing a sonic sense of community.
Located above Saj Lebanese Cuisine and Ash Cigar Lounge in Automobile Alley, The SoundBar is a multi-sensory space created and curated by Jay Shanker, an Oklahoma native who returned home after practicing entertainment law in Los Angeles. Describing some listening bars as relaxed lounges, others as lively nightclubs and some as serving food and selling records, Shanker highlighted the wide variety within the unique bar genre. Others, meanwhile, are small spaces serving coffee, whiskey and sake in quiet rooms that were more akin to libraries. “You were there to listen,” he said. “How Japanese is that?”
Opened about 18 months ago, The SoundBar is larger than many likeminded bars in other cities, especially the pint-sized parlors popularized in Japan. Decked out to feel more like a lofty living room than a typical watering hole, with couches and lounge chairs flanked by rows of vinyl records, lava lamps and dangling parasols, it’s a space that feels naturally conducive to leisurely conversation over an ever-changing playlist and a drink list of coffee, wine, beer, cocktails and an impressive array of non-alcoholic options.
This is likely the only bar in OKC where drinks are more like the opening act than the headliner, but the ever-changing lineup is as well-curated as the vinyl collection and themed music nights. The bar serves original creations aptly inspired by songs, like Sweetness and Light, so named for the Lush song of the same name, made with rum, lime juice and Demerara syrup. And the Kaiyote Kind of Mood, inspired by the Mood Variant album by Hiatus Kaiyote, featuring Kaiyo 7 Year Japanese whiskey, Creme de Peach, dry vermouth, lemon, and grenadine. Mocktails get equal diligence, like Camellia’s Kiss—a nod to “Camellia” by Maria Isabel Ferrer—with grenadine, orange juice, cranberry juice and peach bitters. There are also non-alcoholic wines and beers.
Similar to the vast music collection, the goal for the bar is to highlight potables that are lesser known, providing a taste of discovery. “Much like the record and music discovery aspect, our goal at the bar is to feature spirits that are just arriving on the scene, but may not be the brands that people default to with cocktails,” Shanker said, citing gins from India as an esoteric option.
That something-for-everyone approach is even more evident in the song selection. In addition to more than 10,000 records and CDs for customers to peruse, play or purchase, the bar curates weekly themed playlists, like “Red, White and Blue,” with music from the likes of the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Red House Painters, Blue Nile, Moody Blues and The White Stripes. Or “French Kiss: A Tribute to Bastille Day,” featuring French artists and Francophiles like Josephine Baker, Francoise Hardy and Daft Punk. Jazz nights are also a fixture, along with classic rock and even comedy recordings.
At The SoundBar, where the sensory experiences extend beyond the bounds of glassware, Shanker hopes to use music as a means of hospitality, and a form of community. “It’s a living room in that everybody comes through, whatever the age, and people don’t come here primarily to drink,” Shanker explained. “In this period of political tension, everybody has got a story about a concert they attended or where they were when they first heard something, and music is such a great place to start a conversation.”
Visit The SoundBar OKC at 712B N. Broadway Ave., OKC or online at thesoundbarokc.com.
