SOULCAKE FACTS:
Genre: Rock, Indie, Folk, Pop
Hometown: East Village, New York City
Associated bands: The Bowery Boys; No Valentine
Influences: Elvis Costello, Foo Fighters, The Velvet Underground, Paul Weller, Bob Dylan, The Ramones, Talking Heads, Herbie Mann
Publishing: EarArt Publishing (ASCAP)
SoulCake singer/songwriter/guitarist Joff Wilson leads the band, be it the core acoustic trio or an
extended electric lineup. Founder of bands The Bowery Boys, Irthlings, and Fugitives, Joff
shared the stage with blues greats Junior Wells and Joe Beard. He accompanied poet-turned-
singer Jim Carroll (Basketball Diaries) in the early 90's and played with iconic counterculture raconteur David Peel( Up Against the Wall; I Like Marijuana) during the 2000's. Joff Wilson is a 2018 Acker Award Winner. His songs have
great hooks and memorable choruses that keep people humming all the way home. Downtown
musician Laura Sativa brings flute and percussion to the arrangements, lending the band an
unexpected instrumentation. Sarafe is a distinct presence on bass and vocals, and brings the
house down with her live rendition of the Velvet Underground's After Hours.
Formed in 2018, SoulCake has members with established roots in New York's East Village
music scene. Momentum picked up quickly and the band was soon gigging beyond the
downtown zip codes: Harlem, Brooklyn, Jersey City, and more. SoulCake enchanted families
picnicking at the Stuyvesant Town Oval, and intrigued activists at the 2019 Cannabis Rally in
Union Square. They traveled upstate to appear at Sullivan County's favorite honky-tonk,
Cabernet Frank's, and then again to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the Woodstock Festival
over two weekends at the Kingston Pop Museum.
In the second half of 2020 SoulCake was one of the first bands to reemerge, performing for
music-starved audiences outside cafes and in parks and gardens around New York City. They
live-streamed unannounced from a variety of locations including the rooftop of the famed
Chelsea Hotel. In 2021 the Village Sun cited them as one of the Top Original Acts to Catch Live
in NYC. A self-titled 4-song EP was released in October 2021 to local acclaim and a flurry of
performances throughout New York.
2022 has seen the band breaking box office records in Rochester, headlining the first annual
B'Kawk Festival in Parksville, and garnering radio support from Woodstock Radio WDST 100.1
for the songs I Love It and Tears We Cried. SoulCake was recently featured in Manhattan Beat as
one of 10 outstanding under-the-radar bands currently rocking New York City.
2023 now stretches ahead like a sunny road with great things on the horizon and lots of fun, friends and music along the way. Plans for new recordings are underway and SoulCake just might be coming to play in a town near you. SoulCake has earned a reputation for shows that are fun and full of surprises, from unannounced guests and spontaneous repertoire to new interpretations of audience favorites . Don't miss the next live show!
PRESS LINKS
Press Photos
Photo by Stetz
Photo by Sally Young
Photo by Ingrid Rudefors Vipper