Wed, 12/07/2011 - 12:31
Thought I'd give a heads-up on this; it seems like "house concerts" are becoming more popular, and might be a good way to set up a gig where you can get an audience, and make bit of money.... For those of you who gig, might be worth checking out.
http://www.elmoremagazine.com/2010/07/features/coming-soon-to-a-living-r...
Last Friday, we had a house concert at my place, with Janet Robin. There were around 35 people who showed up (and paid!) to see the show, plus she sold a stack of CDs -- I think she made enough for the show to be worthwhile, she got a few new fans, and everyone had a good time. Here's a video from the show :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qa6vn2uD8c&context=C24c52ADOEgsToPDskJvl...
She'll be doing a house concert in Texas in January, and will be looking for a place to play on Sat., Jan 6th, in central California (Santa barbara/Ventura/SLO...). I can put you in touch if you'd like to host -- and for anyone who wants to do a show in upstate NY, let me know; we had a lot of fun hosting.
Fri, 12/09/2011 - 07:24
#2
i have heard loud electricness at a house concert. it's quite invigorating! But yes, i agree about the intimate acoustic atmosphere.
You can't claim for royalties though, as the premises aren't registered. Also, in Scotland at least, people (audiences) and hosts seem a bit reluctant or embarrased to treat it like a real gig, so it's harder to get people round, unless it's an existing group that knows about house concerts already, and a reluctant host (one that feels like they are doing something "wrong" by hosting a concert) will often creata an atmosphere where you lose the opportunity to sell CDs, and all that sort of thing.
But when done right, house concerts are where it's at. And i hope they become more the norm (though maybe local music venues will interpret this as a reaction to their flawed policy re: live music).
Fri, 12/09/2011 - 16:43
#3
Oh yes, I've heard electricness at house shows too. Just rarely can you hear the vocals at all. But it doesn't matter, as long as the crowd knows the words.
Sat, 12/10/2011 - 10:59
#4
Swampjaw - great clip of Janet Robin. Her voice is powerful, and she plays a smokin' guitar. too!
On the right side of the YouTube page, one of the related videos was a guitar/fiddle/banjo combo playing the old song "Goin' Down the Road," posted by the same person as Janet's clip. Is that you who posted? Great version of the song, some hot fiddle playing.
There was a lady around here who wanted to get the house show idea going, and I was getting her email newsletter, but that was several years back. Never heard more from her.
My wife and I had the idea a while ago to do combined music/art house shows, with a feature performer and visual artist. We have a rapidly growing and thriving visual arts community down here, but the original music scene is not as successful. But then I sort of removed myself from the music scene anyway - maybe it's getting stronger and I just don't pay as much attention.
Perhaps we'll keep our idea on the back burner - one of those "when our daughter is older/out of the house" plans we have.
Sat, 12/10/2011 - 14:56
#5
The video was taken by a guy who attended the house concert, not me. Janet Robin can really shred; she studied with Randy Rhoads back in the day, and was playing a show with Monte Montgomery last week. Very impressive, and little bits of classic metal sneak out of her playing to surprise you.
The "Goin' Down the Road" recording is of the local band Driftwood (playing at a cafe where I grab coffee pretty much every Tuesday and Thursday night -- yay for free wifi and coffee near where my kid takes dance classes!).
House shows are awesome, and in general, much more fun than going to a club or bar or something. As far as acoustic acts go - and most of the people I've seen play in houses are acoustic acts - there's something about hearing someone perform with no amplification whatsoever that sounds so much better.