Hang out at the local college and its hangouts and meet people. See if there is a campus coffeehouse and open mike.

You can organize a house concert after you "seed" your area with free appearances such as: At local benefits (contact your chamber of commerce, etc. to find out which local nonprofits would like a free visit for one of their events). Play free for schools, nursing homes, and libraries till they start calling you. Play at church services. Play in the park. Play at a blood drive-- at large ones there are many bored people waiting. If you are in a town of the right size, there will be a radio or TV station dying for something to put on the air-- get interviewed for a folk-oriented project you undertake, and play on the air. Or have the Red Cross pub;licize you playing at the blood drives (I'm serious, I manage a chapter, I would do it in a NY minute.) And have a flyer everywhere you go. Accept any invitation you get, to play, no matter how wacky or demeaning or inconvenient. Remember--- THEY WANT YOU. People are hungry for music everywhere.

Then do a house or church concert. Make it a potluck supper too so people will be sure to come, food works!!! Advertise that half the proceeds will go to some worthy local cause (I suggest good old, popular Red Cross!) Then start holding these often, involving the other players that will come out of the woodwork. Let them open for you. Eliminate the benefit aspect, maybe.

To make it work you need someone outside the two of you who believes in you and will either help lay the groundwork or remind you to keep on it, so your day job doesn't overwhelm your plan. But be intentional-- make a plan and follow it, and then be watching also for the many unexpected opportunities that will arise once you start implementing your plan.

This is what worked for us, in small-town rural PA. If we did not love our day jobs we probably would probably be getting good money now, but we focus on fun and songleading intead and use these opportunities to enhance our day commitments-- Red Cross for me, and my husband's church and related ministries for us both.