Calmes House Concerts

03/09/2026

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=REH2kl72chA

Kray Van Kirk will be playing here on the 29th of this month at 4:00.

Kray has a beautiful voice, plays some fine guitar and is a darn good songwriter—the whole package. Some of you may remember Joe Jencks, the incredible singer from Brother Sun many years ago. Well, Joe wrote a mighty nice endorsement for Kray: Kray Van Kirk is a gifted songwriter whose allegorical weave of contemporary and mythological themes is both remarkable and tremendously relevant. He backs that up with deft guitar work and a voice that embodies power and genuine tenderness. A stellar and meticulous musician, equally rooted in the mind and the heart.”
Send us a message here or at [email protected] if you'd like to join us.

When: Sunday, March 29th at 4 P.M.
Where: Calmes House Concerts
Cost: Suggested Donation of $25 per person

Enjoy the videos and music you love, upload original content, and share it all with friends, family, and the world on YouTube.

01/13/2026

We are starting the year off with singer-songwriter, Lance Cowan, from Nashville. We think you’re going to like his warmth and wit, engaging personality, and his ability to craft meaningful, heartfelt songs. Lance has worked behind the scenes in the music industry for some time, but decided to release his first album, So Far So Good in 2024 and has followed that up with a second album in 2025, Against the Grain. Both are very good albums and are graced by some of the major session players in the Nashville music industry. Lance’s works have been performed and/or recorded by such respected artists as Joan Baez, Janis Ian, David Mallett, and several independent artists.

Now, Lance is on tour to promote his work. He happens to be scheduled to attend Folk Alliance International in New Orleans and has decided to stop at our house along the way for a show.

We weren’t able to move his concert to Sunday, so he will be here on SATURDAY, January 24 at 3 P.M. The suggested donation is $25 per person.

Email us at [email protected] if you'd like to join us.

Recorded March 22, 2024 at The Music Makers' Stage at Delgado Guitars in Nashville, TN

12/25/2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtiCLJvyePw&list=RDPtiCLJvyePw&start_radio=1

Merry Christmas!

Carols from King's 2019 is available to download in HD from: http://bit.ly/carols-2019Once in Royal David's City performed by the Choir of King's College, Ca...

10/17/2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pd4BHSL596k

We are excited about our next artist appearing here on Tuesday, November 11th. I know we’ve never had anyone on a Tuesday, but that is the only time Iona Fyfe could fit us into her busy touring schedule. It is Veterans’ Day. We hope y’all will be free on that day to come and enjoy her music.

She is a young artist from Scotland. Occasionally, we are lucky enough to book people who are on their way up to big things in the music world. This is one of those times. Iona has toured throughout the UK and Europe, Canada, and Australia. She has performed with the BBC Scottish Symphony as part of the world premiere of Disney/Pixar’s “Brave in Concert” at the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall.

Send us a message here or email us at [email protected] if you'd like to join us.

Who: Iona Fyfe
Where: Calmes House Concerts
When: Tuesday, November 11th at 3 P.M.
Suggested Donation: $25 per person

Recorded live at Folk Alliance International in Montreal QC for the American Folklife Centre 'Archive Challenge' for the Library of Congress.The Baron of Bra...

09/27/2025

We have rescheduled our fundraiser concert for Sunday, October 5th at 4 P.M. The fundraiser donations are used to supplement the pay for traveling artists. As we have an artist from Scotland coming this fall—which we will tell you more about later—we will likely put some of that money to use right away.

Several of us Louisiana musicians will be playing for free to support this cause. You will be treated to a variety of music..

The first half of the concert will begin with a few “chamber folk” pieces performed by Robert Calmes and Perry Trosclair, followed by a set from the recently formed Red Stick Woodwind Quintet.

Patie O’Sullivan will kick off the second half with a few of his Irish folk tunes, and the remainder of the second half will feature a pop duo, Delta Blue, who will play tunes from various decades. They are coming from Bunkie, LA to support our effort here.

As always, we want to be sure to give you enough seating, so either message us or email us at [email protected] to let us know if you'd like to attend.

What: A fundraiser with music by various Louisiana artists
When: Sunday, October 5th at 4 P.M.
Where: Calmes House Concerts
Cost: Any amount will be appreciated

08/31/2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YC_t5VvPY6o&ab_channel=ADifferentThread

We’re all excited about our show in September,
A Different Thread.

Please note that this concert will be held at 4:00 P.M.

A number of you have requested this change of time for our concerts, so here we are, all set up for concerts at an earlier time.

The group we have for you is a transatlantic group, hailing from Lichfield, England (Robert Jackson) and Durham, North Carolina (Alicia Best). They met while busking in Galway, Ireland. They are now touring our area with their blend of folk styles. Some have described it as “modern vintage” as the duo does a mixture of new songs with traditional ballads. Alicia plays the fiddle and sings while Robert sings and plays guitar, banjo keyboards, and harmonicas.

A Different Thread will be joined by a guest, Anna La Mare, for part of the show. Message us or email us at [email protected] if you'd like to join us.

Who: A Different Thread

When: Saturday, September 20th at 4 P.M.

Where: Calmes House Concerts

Cost: Suggested Donation of $25 per person

"We just hit record and got lost in the empty city." Filmed one afternoon during the UK lockdown, this DIY music video was our attempt to find a little joy w...

08/21/2025

SATURDAY NIGHT'S CONCERT HAS BEEN POSTPONED!!!

Our fundraiser concert scheduled for this Saturday, August 23rd, has been postponed due to illness. We will be rescheduling it in the near future and will let you let you know.

08/10/2025

We will begin our 13th year of house concerts this fall. Some of you have been coming to see us all this time. We really appreciate it! Let’s hope we can continue to bring a little different kind of music to Baton Rouge for a few more years at least.

As you know, most of our artists are touring. We’ve had them here from as far away as Australia and Ireland. A few years ago, we held our first fundraiser. We use that money to supplement the pay for our traveling artists. This is especially helpful when our turnout is less than expected. We would like to ask for your help to be able to do this for another few years.

We are holding a fundraising event on August 23rd at 7 P.M. Several musicians will be donating their time to give us an evening of entertainment on that night. We have classical and folk music, Robert will play first with Perry Trosclair, oboist for the Acadiana Symphony and then with guitarist Eric Liffman in the first half.
After intermission, Patie O'Sullivan will sing some Irish ballads and that will be followed by George Hollinshead and his student Brayden playing a variety of styles--some oldies, some originals, etc.

We will pass the basket for this event just as we do for regular concerts. If you would like to give what you usually do for concerts--$25 per person—that would be greatly appreciated. If you want to give a different amount, that too will be accepted.
As usual, we will provide food for this event and you're welcome to add your culinary creations to the table.
Send us a message or email us at [email protected] if you'd like to attend. Hope to see you there.

06/14/2025

We’d like to welcome back British folksinger, songwriter Rupert Wates on June 28th. If you like thoughtful lyrics in eclectic style, accompanied by intricate guitar, Rupert is the guy for you. His website describes his music as: an eclectic blend of acoustic, melodic art/folk infused with elements of jazz, vaudeville, and cabaret. I’d say that is a pretty good description—or think Nick Drake with lessons.
Rupert is a busy man. He travels all over the country and wins lots of awards for his songwriting. For example, his 2023 CD ‘Elegies’ made the 2023 Top Twenty Album Show on Minerva Radio UK and his 2022 CD ‘For The People’ is named number 7 in the Americana ALBUM OF THE YEAR top 40 by UK periodical Blues Blues.

The concert is June 28th at 7 p.m. Suggested donation is $25. Email us at [email protected] or message us here if you'd like to join us.

Provided to YouTube by CDBaby[Like A] Songbird in the Spring · Rupert WatesFather to the Man℗ 2025 Rupert WatesReleased on: 2025-03-10Auto-generated by YouTube.

04/18/2025

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nNiIxINa7GA&ab_channel=TheOldSpruceSessions

Our April concert with Tashina and Tristan Clarridge on violin and cello, along with Tashina's husband, Orin, is just six days away--THURSDAY, April 24th. We don't get a lot of people coming through our area who play some old-time tunes like these. They happen to be on their way to the Texas Fiddle Festival and have decided to gift us with their music along the way. So we hope you'll join us for this special occasion.

Here is a sample of Tashina and Tristan doing an old North Carolina tune, "A Rovin on a Winter's Night".

We have lots of chairs still to fill for this concert so please let us know if you plan to fill one. Bring some friends too.

Who: The Lindley Family with Tristan Clarridge
When: Thursday, April 24th, 7 PM
Where: Calmes House Concerts--Inside or out, depending on the weather
Cost: Suggested Donation of $25 per person

Message us or email us at [email protected] if you'd like to join us.

Tristan and Tashina Clarridge playing a "Tune Medley" for The Old Spruce Sessions at the Chandler Center for the Arts in Randolph, Vermont.This was late nig...

02/22/2025

Hey y'all, we would like to fill about ten more seats for Jeff's concert--and wouldn't have a lot of room after that. Let us know if you're attending. As always, we look forward to seeing you.
Here is another Jeff Black tune:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c3kq3Of2x9g

Who: Jeff Black
When: Saturday, March 8th at 7
Where: Calmes House Concerts
Cost: Suggested Donation of $25 per person

Message us or email us at [email protected] if you'd like to attend.

JEFF BLACK | B-SIDES AND CONFESSIONS VOL. IArtist: JEFF BLACK http://www.jeffblack.com Album: B-SIDES AND CONFESSIONS VOL. I Release Date: 2003Label: Lo...