Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Hillbilly Haiku on March 13, 2009 at 8:47am

Hey Rob,

Glad to hear about your similar European efforts. I firmly believe there is an ongoing and developing audience for house concerts. It is just a bit of a slow go, folks (myself once included) just don't expect that really good musicians are going to play in people's living rooms. It's a new and somewhat novel concept for most.

I live in the Nashville area, and my fond hope is that more house concerts will spring up here. I think the more often people encounter the notion of house concerts, the more legitimate they will become in their perceptions, until finally they'll decide to check one out. And I'd just love to have other nearby hosts to support and network with. There are so many places in and around Nashville to see and hear music, particularly songwriters, that don't charge a cover or pay their artists well. And granted, sometimes that is warranted judging by some of what I've heard. :-) So, it's also a bit of re-educating folks that good musicians are to be cherished and compensated for what they offer.

The socializing... that is a huge part of it, I agree. What is better than sharing some nosh and live music with like-minded friends?? Not every guest may enjoy every artist we host, they might not fit their particular tastes. But they will go away having spent a night with friendly, welcoming folks, had some good eats and drinks, been loved on by our dogs... :-)) Building community is an awesome by-product of house concerts. We have added some charity works to a couple of our shows and will continue to seek opportunities to do more of that.

Fran Snyder of concertsinyourhome.com recently blogged about how much positive feedback he got at this year's Folk Alliance conference in Memphis. "This was my third year attending the Folk Alliance conference in Memphis. Never in my life have I had so much praise heaped upon my efforts. It came in two main forms: artists letting me know of their recent bookings through the site, and hosts telling me how useful the new calendars and flyers are to them. " Fran is the idea man, the endless energy dynamo behind the concertsinyourhome.com effort to advance the notion of house concerts. His website, newsletters, and blog are FULL of useful information and encouragement. I can't recommend them highly enough.

http://concertsinyourhome.com/

http://www.concertsinyourhome.com/blog/archives/category/ciyh-newsl...

http://www.concertsinyourhome.com/blog/

It took me until I was nearly 50, but I finally found my passion. It's house concerts and I hope my excitement will infect more than a few music supporters to give them a try. I am not the most socially outgoing person you will ever meet. {caveat: understatement} So I get it that for some, going into a stranger's home to hear music with folks you don't know takes a bit of a leap of faith. All we're asking is a shot, give us a try and if it's not for you, no hard feelings at all. But if you are the same kinda music crazy as me, you are going to be figuring out how to get to your next house concert before the first one ends. :-))