If you’ve been keeping your ear close to the ground, then you’ll have noticed the recent (sonic) boom in BC’s restaurant scene. Particularly, we’re talking about niche Japanese kissa inspired listening rooms: bars and cafes specifically designed for optimal record playing, promoting active music-listening and sound appreciation among their patrons. One of the more endearing and surprising places to come out of the crop opened earlier this year (April 5th, 2024) in Penticton: Soe Cafe + Listening Room, a slickly stylish mom-and-pop joint owned and operated by Ryan Grifone and Thuy Bui.

To clarify: Soe is about so much more than dorking out to “cool” music; it’s about a lifestyle that celebrates connectivity and embraces conscientiousness in all aspects, drawing parallels between everything from the food, coffee and wines they serve, to the people they collaborate with, the decor they choose, and the records they spin. We recently tracked down Grifone and Bui to find out more about the couple importing a slice of long-ingrained Japanese culture into the Okanagan, and why it resonates so well.

First of all, give us a bit of background. What did you do before you opened Soe?

TB: Ryan was born and raised in Kelowna. After living in Victoria for almost 10 years working in the fashion industry, he returned to the Okanagan to pursue viticulture and winemaking. He has worked in production with Ursa Major Wines, Anthony Buchanan, and Sage Hills Estate Winery. He eventually undertook his own label, Home Wine. I’m from Phoenix, Arizona, and have spent over a decade overseas working in the fashion and art industries.

Have you been to listening bars in other cities? If so, which ones made a particularly strong impression on you?

RG: Thuy and I met in Tokyo in 2018 while I was visiting some of my family there, and she took me to Grandfather’s, which was one of her regular haunts, so that will always have a place in my heart. Sound-wise though, Eagle, Jazz Olympus!, and INC Cocktails all had beautiful systems with distinct sound and great music. Public Records in Brooklyn also made a big impression. Their Sound Room system was so detailed and powerful, and yet you could have a conversation at a normal level in the middle of the room.

TB: I lived in Tokyo for six years, and was always hopping around many different kissas. It’s so hard to pick just one because they’re all unique. Some of my favourites are Eagle, Jazz Olympus!, Posy, Little Soul Cafe, and Grandfather’s.

In your personal opinion(s), why do wine and/or coffee, snacks and vinyl go together?

RG: There are a lot of parallels between coffee and wine. They’re both amazing agricultural products with long histories and traditions around farming and production, and they both have problematic histories and current realities around the power dynamics of their farming, production, and globalization. They can also both be very delicious drinks. I think that wine and coffee have parallels to sound and music as well. Each can be dynamic, textural, and have stylistic signatures. Most importantly though, these are all the things that we love to share and connect with others through.

TB: And with each other! We’re absolute nerds about all those things and wanted the space to be an extension of our living room. We just want to hang out and explore these nice things all together. I love that all these things can create a deeply immersive, sensory experience. But what I get really excited about is that everyone’s experience is different, and I love learning about each personal connection.

When and how did the idea for Soe come to you?

RG: When I came back to the Okanagan in 2019 to work in wine production, I met and became friends with so many of the young natural winemakers in the region. Most of them were sending their wine to the Island, Vancouver, Toronto and Montreal, but weren’t very well represented in the region they grow and make their wines in. The fact that there was no wine bar in BC’s wine capital seemed wild to us. That was the first seed that was planted. There were also very few places that were doing specialty coffee, and it was something that we both sorely missed. During the pandemic, I went further down the audio rabbit hole, and remembering all the kissas in Japan, it seemed like the perfect combination with the growth we were seeing in Penticton.

Every element of Soe seems so intentional and personal. What makes a collaboration (wine/winery, chef, artist etc.) a good fit for Soe?

RG: Shared values is our biggest thing. Throughout opening and everyday now, we’ve been so lucky to collaborate with many friends, both new and old, in the community. We believe in organic and regenerative agriculture. We believe that taking care of others also means taking care of the environment and showing respect to people who work the land. Treating everyone with respect goes without saying, and we strive to make sure Soe feels open and welcoming to everyone, especially to anyone who may not feel welcome in other spaces. We always envisioned Soe as a platform for our community, to let people use our space in a way they may not have access to otherwise. At the end of the day, we just like working with good humans who get it.

TB: I was really into ikebana at the time we started to brainstorm names for the space. I was making my own arrangements and studying more about the concepts. Soe (pronounced so-eh) comes from the concept of ikebana, the Japanese art of flower arranging, or also known as kado, “the way of flowers.” It symbolizes the harmony between heaven and earth. The philosophy at the core of ikebana is something we find quite relevant to the times we live in and how we approach our work: an art that can expand your appreciation of beauty and connectedness. Ikebana changes and is informed by the culture and the times. What makes ikebana especially poignant and potent in this moment is its direct and personal connection to nature, its awareness of and emphasis on decay in an era in which our own ecological and environmental state feels more real than ever. Our menu is always rotating and a reflection of the seasons. We work with small farmers in the region, and highlight natural winemakers and creatives who share the same values in supporting the earth and each other, embracing transparency and experimentation along the way.

For newcomers to Soe, or the listening bar experience, in general: what ideas, misconceptions or intentions should they leave at the door? What (frame of mind, expectations, attitude, etc.) should they bring along? And lastly, ideally what can they expect or hope to take away from the experience?

RG: We know we can’t exactly replicate a listening culture and environment that has decades of history and a different cultural context, but we’d like to introduce a small taste. We never want to dictate how people should listen to music, but we hope to introduce the idea of just really listening to music without distractions on a nice sound system. We hope everyone comes in with an open mind and curiosity. Just as with our coffee, food, and wine programs, there may be some new and unfamiliar elements, but we want to share the things we love. When we visited kissas in Japan, people would be there on a break from work. After most people had finished eating, the owners would come around to inform everyone that they would be increasing the volume. They would also ask if anyone wanted to change seats to find a better listening position. It was such a beautiful experience to share with a room of strangers. Ultimately, it’s about enjoying music, and we hope that visitors leave with a greater appreciation for music and a fresh curiosity about sound.

TB: It’s also important to come without judgment about different music genres or personal music tastes. Music shaming is really not that cool. We love and celebrate a diverse range of sounds and styles, and encourage people to embrace this variety. Every genre has its own unique qualities and emotional resonance, and part of the experience is discovering and appreciating this diversity. We love jazz, but we also love punk, house, techno, alternative rock, shibuya-kei, k-pop, and more. We’re always inviting friends and other DJs to come play a set, and love any opportunity to listen to such a wide array of music together.

How is a “listening bar” different from a regular wine bar? What makes Soe extra special?

RG: We designed Soe with the intention of listening being a main function of the room rather than just sticking some wireless speakers in and calling it a day. Sound is often an afterthought for a lot of businesses, I think, and we wanted to make sure that it was a priority. We sought out vintage Altec 604 speakers specifically for the space after hearing a bunch of amazing Altec systems, and built our sound system around them. The rest of the system will definitely evolve and change over time, and acoustic treatments are in the works.

TB: I do want to be transparent about the journey we’re on with Soe. As a small, new business run solely by the two of us, we’re hands-on with every detail of the operation. We’re both at the cafe everyday behind the bar; we’re front and back of house; we create our own content and manage our social channels; we plan all our programs, events, and collaborations; and a lot more. There is a lot of love put into the space and the everyday. We’ve been rolling out everything slowly, and this includes the ongoing challenge of managing the acoustics in a concrete space with hard surfaces. We’re continuously aware that achieving the “perfect” sound environment in a room with such materials is a complex and evolving process. We’re still refining the acoustic treatment and treating the room as we grow, making thoughtful adjustments along the way.

What does “slowing down” mean to you, personally?

RG: Disconnecting, and reconnecting to oneself, nature, and others, often through ritual of some sort. Immersing oneself in a practice that engages with your senses completely.

TB: Intentionally pausing, and giving myself space to experience and enjoy the small things – listening to music with full attention, cooking Vietnamese food, photography, taking a walk with our dog, Oslo. Penticton naturally makes it so easy to slow down.

To whom and/or what do you credit your introduction to jazz music? What record or artist made you take your interest to the next level of appreciation?

RG: I started playing drums in middle school jazz band, but it wasn’t until high school when we played “Moanin’” by Charles Mingus that I started to appreciate jazz and really wanted to listen to more of it. Milestones by Miles Davis, and Krupa and Rich by Gene Krupa and Buddy Rich were the first jazz CDs I bought.

TB: I honestly think it was watching Cowboy Bebop when I was a teenager. Shortly after, Nujabes’ Metaphorical Music introduced me to a whole new world.

Are there any current, young/contemporary jazz musician that you love? How about an old school/OG one that you can’t get enough of?

RG: Domi & JD Beck, BADBADNOTGOOD, Kamasi Washington, and Jeff Parker are definitely contemporary favourites. Yussef Dayes, Nubya Garcia, Ezra Collective, and honestly that whole London scene since 2016/2017 has been really fun to watch and listen along to as well. There’s a cool pushing and blurring of boundaries right alongside a continuum of tradition that’s really exciting. Classic artists I always come back to would be Freddie Hubbard, Donald Byrd, and Keith Jarrett.

TB: Yussef Dayes, Don Glori, Kamasi Washington, and Esperanza Spalding have been on rotation for me this past year. Alice Coltrane, Miles Davis, Pharoah Sanders, and Sun Ra are some of my favorite artists of all time.

Why bring this Japanese concept to Penticton? Why do you think it works?

RG: I think music and food are universal, no matter where you are, they bring people together.

TB: Bringing this concept to Penticton means more to us than just introducing something new. We’re paying homage to our traditions and experiences, and we feel very fulfilled by what we do because it aligns with a bigger picture. People of colour have that burden in many industries, and part of the fulfillment is feeling like we’re making a difference. When someone from the community tells us that they’re inspired or that the space has made them feel more comfortable or it has made them feel seen, it motivates us more. We don’t need it to reflect back to us, it’s about cultural perspectives and shared moments. We’re having a lot of fun so let’s just drink good coffee and wine together.

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Soe’s space was built and designed by Beaux Home & Design and Kate Richards of Ette, with Bui (soe concepts, ltd.) adding a personal touch via the interior design. We encourage you to check it out for yourself on your next visit to the Okanagan

Soe

Region: The Okanagan

285 Westminster Ave., Penticton, BC

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