Sorry, that got posted before I was quite finished (got carried away, I guess). The point I was going to make is that it looks to me as if Stew and Bob are already doing most the things you suggest - small, free venues, no minimum guarantees, no sound system, no lights, no big setup hassles - all they need is a good core of volunteers and a little cooperation from the local press. And without that, they've already made admirable progress at establishing a really nice, low-key (under the radar, as Stew said) music series. I really hope they can attract more of a community to share the load.