Ping us if your interested in hosting a House Concerts. It's the hippest, most viable and rewarding venue option for folk/roots musicians today - and you can host one in your living room! A house concert is a chance to experience music in a warm and intimate environment. It's when someone opens up their home and invites you into their living room to share in a performance by one of their favourite
musicians. It's a chance to meet the performers and get them to sign their CD. A house concert is also a great social evening for friends and neighbours. You can I be a House Concert host! And here's how ...
It's simple, you just invite 25-35 (or more) friends, family, neighbours, co-workers, the postman and whoever else, to a concert at your home. Round up all your chairs (patio furniture, etc.) and arrange them concert style. You may need to move stuff around a bit to make it work. You might need to borrow a few chairs from neighbours or have guests each bring one. Cosy is good, you don't use a PA unless the house is really big (70 folks or more). I can't charge my friends money! Although many house concerts have a door person to collect donations, some hosts are uncomfortable asking their friends to contribute, especially for a first concert, until they understand the process. For these folks we suggest they simply place a jar by the entrance with a visible sign that says:
SUGGESTED DONATION
£10 each/kids free
THANKS
(you and the artist set this contribution together beforehand)
Most house concerts give all the proceeds to the artists, many guarantee a set fee when they get confident of selling all tickets, some take a percentage to help with expenses; it's your choice. Remember, your friends aren't paying you, they're donating to the Artists, please make sure you make everyone aware of this an how best to donate IE pass the hat or leave a bowl visible, I always compere our concerts and set all these details out before introducing the artists. So coping with a house full of people. Set your seating limit, and agree that with your artist, say 30,. Now 30 people sometimes can mean 15 + cars, and all arriving and leaving at the same time can cause problems for your neighbours, so let them know what your doing and when, ask your guests not to park in your street, suggest the nearest car park, even better if they live locally, walk or cycle. Invite your neighbours, make it a
neighbourly social event to, don't use a PA or amplification, most of the artists here will be happy about that (ask them?) no tedious sound check, no sound problems and as intimate as intimate can get. If you do use a PA just support the vocal and only offer the sound to the room, don't over power it and it won't bleed beyond your walls. If your in a modern flat terrace or semi detached house with people all around, you will need your neighbours to be into this and behind you 100% or see Fancy doing a house concert but don't have a front room big enough or have sound issues below. If you have pets make sure they are comfortable with lots of people milling around, and make sure your guests particularly your artists, don't have allergies to pets. Same goes for veggie catering, ask in advance what the requirements are !! Now its time for the show, put our all the seats (as above) you can muster kitchen stools too at the back is best for those and Iv seen garden seats utilised, ask those already engaged and neighbours for help if short. Make sure access and line of site is best catered for, arrange with the artist where merchandising will be sold in the break (usually from the stage area)
OK people are arriving! where do they meet and greet? A big kitchen is always handy, a place where refreshments can be set out is good, and a bedroom for jackets and coats too, so explain where to leave jackets and how the house works at the door as people arrive, everyone should have time to socialise but be seated before the music starts. Enter compere and artist! this is your chance to make people feel even more at home, and to make last minute announcements IE toilets, PLEASE TURN OF YOUR MOBILE PHONE, please don't chat during the songs, and then introduce the artist. I always allude to the artists latest cd and tell some background on the artist and the tour, at the break I'll tell people where the cds are for sale, and at the start of the 2nd set reiterate as necessary. The golden rules of House Concerts. Invite the neighbours
Advice your guests to be quite arriving and leaving
Park a couple of streets away. Don't use a PA unless your sure there is no bleed. Have a clear idea how you want the evening to unfold and communicate that at every opportunity. below the Five Banjos House Concert Inverness stage area. You if you adhere to these simple guide lines the chances are everyone will be happy & no one will complain, after all its your house your guests and your favourite way of relaxing in your own home, so people will respect that if they are told how you would like it to happen. House concerts are a great way to support talented, independent artists - directly. A mention of the donation concept on the invite, during the welcome and introduction of the concert can serve is adviced. This combination of tactics assures that everyone contributes to the 'jar' while keeping the host out of the money collecting responsibility. What's in it for me? A house concert is a unique and magical experience. Everyone walks away happy and it's a win/win situation. Your guests are thrilled to be part of a 'happening' and you look great for bringing everyone together for such an exciting experience. There is little or no cost to you, unlike throwing a party. A pot of coffee and some munchies is sufficient, although some folks ask guests to bring goodies, food and drink. How long do artists play? Artists normally play a 45 minute listening set (house concerts are not parties; folks really sit and listen - up close and personal) and then take a 15-20 minute break for socializing, selling CDs and taking refreshments. Then, one more 45 minute set and that's a wrap. Party's can kick off after that, but ask your artists, how they feel about that possibility before introducing the option to them and your guests, some artists may have an early start in the morning to make the next gig, some will be up for after show socialising some would prefer to chill and sleep. Where do I sign up? If this sounds interesting to you, just open up a page here and I'll get in touch to help you get started, and help with putting you in touch with artists. You will see many artists advertising here who are touring, (see artists booking gigs tab) and I post up availability from agents who are hip enough to let me know about tours. Once you have your event confirmed, post an event here and House Concerts Europe will offer you an events page which is also an invitation template which you can send to your mailing list with RSVP and post to face book and twitter. So please feel free to make enquires and engage your own artist and promote your own shows, we will feature them on the front page and on the FlyinShoes Review front page, our bloggers and podcasters webzine. I'm never far away so will help where I can click here
Please post our badge to your web pages, share this site on social media and invite your friends, family and neighbours in that house concert way. We encourage House Concert goers to get in touch with you here, to see if they can come to your next concert, but this is completely at your discretion. Fancy doing a house concert but don't have a front room big enough or have sound issues? Perhaps your local pub has a room that would work, or you have a long suffering friend who has a bigger house and loves music too. I fall into both these categories. Ann and I have hosted house concerts here at the Medicine Maisonette. Nice as it is, it is just a tad too small for every-one's comfort, so we do ours at The Greenhouse Dingwall. (Under the name of Monday Medicine Shows - it's good to put a name on them so people identify with your taste in music). This has the bonus of helping your favourite hostelry or venue have another busy night. They can then be persuaded to contribute to the artist's purse too, as do all who attend. The artist cuts costs by staying with the host, and you get the chance for a one-to-one with someone whose music you admire. IE You get to ask what the chords are for a particular song, what tunings they might be using, what his/her favourite whiskey is and do they want another one? That sort of thing. Another good tip is to try them out on Mondays and Tuesdays. These are hard days to fill for artists so you will be more likely to attract bigger names. If your pals are all into the odd social mid-week get-together, then some strategic net stocking and facebook/house concert hub monitoring could very well attract your favourite artists to stop over at your place, instead of paying out for hotel accommodation. Your hospitality and friends' generosity will help balance the tour books and could help the artist stay in the black - it can be that close sometimes. The House Concert Hub was founded by (me) Rob Ellen of Medicine Music; Publicist, Promoter, Presenter. Here are some of the artists Medicine Music and Rob work with, and links to their music and our mailing list. Please consider joining, be first to know what's happening. All of our artists are confirmed House Concert fans and available for your consideration. You are very welcome to this community; all feedback is very much appreciated ... Rob Ellen.
