House Concert Memories

Subject: House Concert Memories
From: black walnut
Date: 08 Dec 09 - 11:00 AM

My husband and I have sold our Toronto home and are moving to a small town by Lake Huron. We have hosted many house concerts over the years we have lived here. Our final one, to be held at the end of January / 10, will be by CFMA winner Tannis Slimmon and her guitar/life partner Lewis Melville.

Our past house concerts have included these amazing musicians: Eileen McGann, David Francey, Dave Clarke, Bob Birney, Nicky Davis, DALA, Ken Whiteley, Ben Whitelely, Caitlin Hanford, Wendell Ferguson, Katherine Wheatley, Penny Lang, Rick Fines, Richard Simpkins, Suzie Vinnick, Roly Platt, Joel Fafard, The Undesirables, Eve Goldberg & Risa Levinson, Paul Mills, Joanne Crabtree, Rose Cousins, Edie Carey, Sheesham & Lotus, Sharlene Wallace, John & Michele Law, Ragged But Right.

Do you host house concerts? Who have you had sing or play in your living room?

~b.w.

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: Mooh
Date: 08 Dec 09 - 05:15 PM

Haven't done house concerts as our place is a little small, but because of our involvement in the local celtic festival we've certainly had players in the living room.

I can tell you who I would have though, if it were possible. Don Ross, Simon Mayor & Hilary James, Terry Tufts, Tony McManus, Peter Finger...oh oh, this list could be endless.

I like house concerts though. Great vibe, intimate, inclusive, network-able, smoke free, sometimes there's cake...

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: Bill D
Date: 08 Dec 09 - 06:51 PM

We have hosted a fair number in 20 years, including

Craig Johnson, Elizabeth LaPrelle, Danny Spooner, Carole Etherton & Andrew McKay, Geoff Kaufman, Donal McGuire..... a few more with no links...let me think.

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: Rabbi-Sol
Date: 08 Dec 09 - 07:48 PM

We have hosted, Geoff Kaufman, Debra Cowan, Atwater Donnelly, Jed Marum, Red Molly, Shoregrass, Dan Paisley & The Southern Grass, Christine Lavin, Sparky & Rhonda Rucker, Magpie, Straight Drive, Joe Jencks,Brian Peters, Mike Agranoff, Jude Roberts, Pat Wictor etc.

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: black walnut
Date: 08 Dec 09 - 08:28 PM

Oh, this is fun, looking for names I recognize. Christine Lavin must have been a riot for a house concert. I've seen her live several times. And a few others I know too. Thanks for these postings!

Good idea to do the links. I didn't do that. Thank heavens for Google.

~b.w.

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 08 Dec 09 - 10:30 PM

I've helped fox valley folklore society do house concerts, though only a couple at my house. But we've had great nights with Andy Statman, Jez Lowe, Bob Fox, Eileen McGann, Sara Grey, Julie Henigan, Two Schillings Short, Bryan Bowers, Andrew Calhoun, Brain Peters, Cathy Fink, Marcy Marxer with Grace Griffith; and Sparky & Rhonda Rucker. Not to mention Tom Paley. And I'm sure I've forgotten some. Susan and I just did a special hallowe'en show with our February Sky group as a double show with Mustard's Retreat.

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 09 Dec 09 - 08:51 PM

We have had Barry Finn, Brian Peters, Jed Marum, Lisa Null and Dave Goulder......

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: black walnut
Date: 10 Dec 09 - 10:01 AM

Brian Peters fell asleep in the back seat of our car once...that's almost as good as a house concert. :-)
Sara Grey..that's a name I haven't heard in a while. She's lovely.
And Cathy and Marcy...well...if Marcy's smile alone doesn't light up a room her guitar playing will, and Cathy's wicked banjo ~ a stellar combination.
Fun to read these lists!

~b.w.

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: olddude
Date: 10 Dec 09 - 10:24 AM

Harry Chapin sitting on my couch singing with some friends... I miss him

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: SINSULL
Date: 10 Dec 09 - 11:31 AM

Too many to list A SECOND TIME. My post went AWOL.
But I think the best night ever was after the Portland Harbor Museum Festival. Almost everyone trooped back to my house for food and music and a bit of drink. There was some incredible music made that night. And stories told. And...

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: TRUBRIT
Date: 10 Dec 09 - 09:39 PM

Harry Chapin on your couch --- ohmigod----- if you were in the area i would doff my cap to you.......I loved that mqn!

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: Bill D
Date: 13 Dec 09 - 06:54 PM

Here's one for memories and serendipity! 5 days ago I listed Elizabeth LaPrelle and Donal McGuire.... and last night I attended a house concert BY Elizabeth at someone else's house... and found Donal McGuire in the audience! I hadn't seen him in several years. He is doing several gigs in the area, and someone suggested he might like to hear this amazing young American woman....He sure seemed to enjoy.(as did we all)

I DO like the way paths cross and the genré is cross-fertilized.

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: black walnut
Date: 14 Dec 09 - 09:33 AM

Nice!

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: black walnut
Date: 15 Dec 09 - 10:07 AM

One of the things we did that turned out to be magic was to have the female duo DALA take the first half of a house concert, and the male duo The Undesirables take the second half of a house concert. This is where they met. Since then, they have done many performances together, co-written some songs and done some recording together. It still stuns me how splendiforous that meeting turned out to be for them.

~b.w.

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: GUEST,Tinker in Chicago
Date: 15 Dec 09 - 05:40 PM

Wow. We hosted over a hundred house concerts, featuring many acts two or three times. The performers included Andy M. Stewart, Brian Peters, Seamus Kennedy, Sara Gray, Anne Hills, Bryan Bowers, Bill Staines, Robbie O'Connell, Tommy Sands, Kat Eggleston, Michael Smith, Roberts & Barrand, James Keelaghan, Tom Lewis, etc., etc.

Favorite memory offhand? Well, there's the time Anne Hills did a slow, soft ballad that opened with harmonica and was supposed to close with it too, except the hinges of her harmonica holder had weakened during the song, making the harp sag forward and out of mouth-reach. Gallantly she tried to reach it. Gallantly she failed.

Keelaghan somehow managed to break two strings on one strum. Stewart had injured himself and could not play guitar, so he sat on a barstool and just sang while Gerry O'Beirne backed him up.

The images in my mind just go on and on. If you can host a concert, do so. It's a very different experience than a coffee house.

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: notloB
Date: 15 Dec 09 - 06:51 PM

Just joined mudcat, this is my first post. Of course one having to do with house concerts would attract my attention.

I have produced some 50+ concerts in the greater boston area. All are not-for-profit, based on a modified house concert model, but have been in larger venues, some requiring sound systems. By "house concert model" I mean the artists and I agree to a donations point, which is split, after that they get 100%. Out of my split I pay for venue rent, sound and publicity.

A list of past and future concerts can be read at http://notlobmusic.googlepages.com

But recently I have moved back into the family home in Grafton, MA and started to produce a true house concert series as well -
Mailing list ~ http://www.reverbnation.com/venue/notfarghouseconcerts?add_email=true
Facebook ~ http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=147864099159&ref=ts

Big productions are a lot of work, I really do not get to enjoy much of the performance. From a presenters' perspective, house concerts are far more intimate and rewarding. So far we have had local pre-war blues phenom Marylou Ferrante - http://www.myspace.com/marylouferrante, and, just this past weekend, David Massengill for two gigs, Newton and Grafton.

Spending 24 hours with David was a pure joy, and his concerts were frosting on the cake!

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: black walnut
Date: 15 Dec 09 - 07:19 PM

Welcome notloB! Thanks for putting your very first post here.

Most house concert hosts in our part of the world give all or nearly all of the money in to the performer. We take a tiny bit off the top toward the snack and coffee. It doesn't cover it all, and we "lose money" each time, but we love what we do. We love having live music in our house and a lively audience, so for us it's like hosting a house party.

We can only fit a bit more than 30 people. Some people have special rooms that can fit more, but we have a big living room and a dining room that serves as a "balcony" of 3 rows, and that's how many we can fit in.

Yes, notloB, a lot of the joy comes from the time spent with the performer before and after the concert. We sometimes have them stay overnight, and they are always invited to a sit~down dinner beforehand.

Tinker...love that James K. He's a great singer~songwriter and obviously a powerful guitar player. :-)

~b.w.

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: black walnut
Date: 31 Dec 09 - 11:01 AM

I have just compiled a list of all of the people who have performed at our house concerts over the past few years. Some were main acts, some were opening acts from our music community. There is no order to the list. Main acts and openers are jumbled together. All except Edie Carey (from New York) are Canadian. We have a lot of incredible talent up here!

This is the list:

Eileen McGann, Jeff Morrison, Debbie Carroll, Robert Davis, Reeves Miller, David Francey, Dave Clarke, Bob Birney, Nicky Davis, Sue Goldberg, Dala (= Amanda Walther and Sheila Carabine), Dominic Walther, Ken Whiteley, Ben Whitelely, Tricia Hurst, Caitlin Hanford, Wendell Ferguson, Katherine Wheatley, Michael Bolton, Penny Lang, Rosemary Phelan, Bob Birnie, Rick Fines, Richard Simpkins, Rick Speyer, Suzie Vinnick, Adrian Bevis, Rick Hehner, Roly Platt, Joel Fafard, Matthew Shuster, The Undesirables (=Corin Raymond and Sean Cotton), Jayne Mitchell, Eve Goldberg, Risa Levinson, John Lemme, Paul Mills, Joanne Crabtree, Taivi Lobu, Garth Douglas, Rose Cousins, Edie Carey, Ian Gray, Sheesham & Lotus (= Teilhard Frost and Sam Allison), Sharlene Wallace, Linda Lavender, Aurora Lavender, John & Michele Law, Afterglow (= Reid Wilson, Margaret Wilson and Marilynn Massie), Ragged But Right (= Arnie Naiman and Kathy Reid~Naiman), The Blackest Crow (= Hannah Naiman and Emily Adam), Tannis Slimmon, Lewis Melville

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: GUEST,debrarose
Date: 02 Jan 10 - 10:26 PM

i've hosted house concerts most recently in portland, oregon --- even though space is limited we try to find a way to include everyone interested (extending into outdoor space in good weather, setting a second show.) some have been held to support Portland Folklore Society, some hosted for friends and their friends: jim scott, anais mitchell, andrew calhoun, jim durst, michael (peter) smith, lotus (acapella trio), louis ledford ... in the recent decade. always seems to make the house ring or buzz, even after --- it truly changes the space! we also provide a refuge to folk on the road. we always have some finger foods and beverages, sometimes a meal for house concerts.
great moments:
there's air of allowing and freedom --- often a surprise in the encore or last piece in this setting, like ac covering "mr. tamborine man" or the chance to hear an inspiration/interpretation,in the process of becoming, like am's "come september"
some concerts i small chapels and churches are like house concerts to me (david francey in lombard's (illinois) little church

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: Phil Cooper
Date: 03 Jan 10 - 10:01 AM

We've hosted some house concerts, recently our Feb Sky band with Mustard's Retreat for Hallowe'en. Years ago while performing at a house concert in Green Bay, Wisconsin I recall an once in a lifetime memory. We'd done a first set to people who were primarily at their first house concert. We were singing well, the jokes were going over between songs, the audience was having a good time. After the break, we started up again. After the first song in that set, I said, "this music is all well and good, but we really came here to talk to you about amway." The look of horror on some faces, was classic. I did say "just kidding" right after that.

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: black walnut
Date: 21 Jan 10 - 08:49 AM

Tannis Slimmon and I will be interviewed by Mary Ito on CBC Radio One this Saturday January 23/10 on the topic of house concerts. The show is called Fresh Air and plays across Ontario, (99.1 FM in Toronto). It is live~streamed on the internet, and I think is also podcasted.

~b.w. (a.k.a. Debbie Carroll)

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: black walnut
Date: 22 Jan 10 - 09:09 AM

Wrong! It will be aired Sunday Jan 24, 8 AM.
~b.w.

Subject: RE: House Concert Memories
From: black walnut
Date: 29 Jan 10 - 01:02 PM

Make that 7:30. They changed the time again, at the last minute. You can still listen to it today on the CBC Fresh Air webpage.

~b.w.