DO Try This at Home:
House Concerts Support Artists and Bring Music Up-Close by Steve Givens, St. Louis, MO.

As a kid growing up in North St. Louis, I developed a Judy Garland/Mickey Rooney-inspired habit of "putting on a show." The spectacles, performed in the only barn in our very urban neighborhood, featured bad jugglers, horribly executed skits, off-key singing and a dog act that (on occasion) would leave a little extra on the floor of the stage, if you catch my drift. In other words, they were great fun and whet my appetite for what surely would become my career on Broadway or Hollywood.

Fast forward almost 40 years and I'm still in St. Louis. Broadway did not call. Hollywood is perhaps on hold. And I'm still producing small-time shows and having a great time. Over the years I've been a folk performer myself and have produced shows for other local musicians and traveling pros in church basement coffeehouses, small restaurants and the occasional community theater. But perhaps the most rewarding experiences of all have been the shows I produced in the comfort of my very own living room.

Known as "house concerts," these intimate shows are nothing new but they represent a growing trend around the country as people search for new ways to entertain and create communities of like-minded people. If you're interested in entering the world of "small time" show business but want to do it with aplomb and even a little bit of class, here are a few helpful suggestions.

Getting Started

One key essential is not to try this alone. The idea for our series (High Valley House Concerts) came after my wife and I and some friends spent a long weekend listening to jazz in cozy bars like Snug Harbor in New Orleans. The biggest advantage of having compatriots is sharing the responsibilities and working together to build the audience. The other key element is knowing WHY you want to do this. If you're in it for the money, forget it! Our mission was three-fold:

• Help support artists by giving them a smoke-free, listening audience and paying them decently;
• Present the kinds of artists we wanted to hear anyway; and
• Create a community of like-minded folks (who we don't mind sharing our home with!)

Everything flowed from these key ideas.

Choosing the Artists

Having decided, by and large, to stick with singer-songwriters and other acoustic acts, we started building a list of artists we either knew or knew of. We knew we were only going to present about a half dozen of these a year, so we were going to be choosy. The "board" (six friends) got together for a CD listening party over a couple bottles of wine and began sharing ideas, listening to songs and sharing stories and experiences. The next step was getting on the web, finding the websites of artists in whom we were interested, and seeing if they "do" house concerts. Check their schedules; it's easy to figure out. Contact the artist either directly (if there's a link) or with their agent or management company (there's always a link to those).

Here's the basic line of questioning for choosing an artist:

Do we like their music?
Are they available?
Can we afford them?

Granted, some of your favorite artists either might not be interested in performing a house concert or might be out of your league fee-wise. Still, many established artists have come to enjoy the intimacy of performing in living rooms and rathskellers. Even if the money's not world-class, such gigs can provide a good, listening room on a night when there's no other gig to be found between two others.

"When I first heard about house concerts, I was used to playing larger venues, and I thought, 'Has it come to this?,'" says Nashville-based singer-songwriter Tom Kimmel, who has penned songs for the likes of Linda Ronstadt, Johnny Cash, Joe Cocker, Shawn Colvin and Waylon Jennings.

I was exceptionally nervous during the first few house concerts I played. Having the front row a few feet away-or lighting that revealed every audience member's face-well, that was scary to me. But over time I came to relish the intimacy and to recognize that a well-presented house concert is a unique opportunity to have an exceptionally meaningful exchange with an audience.

Alabama singer-songwriter Pierce Pettis, a veteran of the acoustic music scene who is known as a songwriter's songwriter, concurs with Kimmel. "They can be as warm and fuzzy as an after-hours guitar pull with your friends in the living room--or as cold and terrifying as any child's piano recital," Pettis says. "Forced intimacy can be a little un-nerving, but it really seems to depend on the overall vibe of the audience and the venue."

Choosing the Place

There's an obvious question, but one you need to ask. Where in my house can I do this and how many people will fit? The answer is crucial to the next issue- paying the artist. We found a spot where three rooms came together and created a sort-of theatre in the semi-round. You don't need a mansion to do this (ours is certainly not that) but you still need to know your capacity. We realized we could max out at about 55-60 if everyone was willing to sit snugly and keep their hands to themselves.

"The best house concerts are well organized, well attended and give the artist a chance to shine with appropriate lighting and good sound (or good acoustics, if a sound system is not used)," says Kimmel. "Organization is very important. An artist needs to be able to walk in, take care of business in a relaxed way, and play to a receptive, enthusiastic audience."

Paying the Artists

Different house concert promoters approach this in different ways. Some put out a donation basket or pass the hat, but that may limit the quality of the artists you're able to invite. Because we had our sights set on high-caliber but still "approachable" touring musicians, we decided to charge $15 per person and require payment in advance with no promise of refunds. The reason for this policy was simple: we needed to pay the artists and we couldn't depend on those who might or might not show up on the night of the concert.

We also ask everyone to bring some food to share in between the two sets and (if they are so inclined to imbibe) ask them to bring their own beer and wine. We provide coffee and soft drinks as the hosts. All six of us on the "board" also pay the $15, acknowledging that there is no such thing as a free concert. We guarantee the artist $300, but if we sell out they could make $900. While those are not Carnegie Hall rates, it's not a bad night's work in front of an appreciative listening audience.

Drawing the Crowd

When we began the series, the "board" members weeded through their personal email lists and selected friends who might be interested. We told them to tell their friends. We also let the artists promote the concert on their websites and to their mailing lists. We don't do external publicity in local newspapers. We're open to new friends and audience members but we also don't want to go too far afield to find them. Remember, this is still your home. We created an email list from this group and any new folks who come along and we send them announcements of upcoming shows with printable PDF flyers they can share with friends or display proudly on their fridges.

Oh, the Details!

A few other things to think about:

• You probably will need a small PA system, as most traveling performers don't travel with one.
• Some basic lighting on the "stage area" is good but doesn't need to be anything special. That's something I plan to improve for our series.
• You need to live somewhere where parking up to 20-30 cars won't be a problem or cause neighbors to complain.
• Often, house concert hosts also offer a night's lodging for the artist and a meal or two. But that's also one of the beauties of the whole thing.good conversation and breaking bread with some interesting people.

Creating Spirit and Community

St. Louis acoustic music concert promoter Jill Stratton, who has produced a myriad of shows in venues large and small, including St. Louis' famed Sheldon Concert Hall, still enjoys the intimacy and connection that only house concerts can provide.

"They are a throwback to how life must have been before television and radio when families and neighbors created community by singing and playing music in their living rooms and front porches," she says. "Not only do I have the opportunity to connect with the artist, but I enjoy the chance to meet new people. House concerts nurture community and to me, that is what music is all about."

"I guess what makes a great house concert has more to do with spirit than any tangible thing," Pierce Pettis says, "The best ones, whether fancy or simple and unplugged, offer a warm, supportive vibe to both performer and audience."

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About the Author

Steve Givens started High Valley House Concerts with his wife, Sue, and friends John and Karen Caravelli and Larry and Dianne G'Sell. Artists who have performed in the series include singer-songwriters Dana Cooper, Pierce Pettis, Tom Kimmel and Sally Barris, as well as St. Louis singer Georgy Rock. The upcoming 2008 schedule includes: guitarist/singer-songwriter Brooks Williams on January 5 and a night of string music that will juxtapose a classical string quartet and an old-time string band on February 2. There is no website for the series yet, but you can contact Steve at smgivens@sbcglobal.net.

Steve is the author of several children's books, a freelance journalist who has written for Acoustic Guitar and Performing Songwriter magazines, a songwriter and musician, and Associate Vice-Chancellor for Public Affairs at Washington University in St. Louis. He is a guitarist and lead singer with the Christian band Nathanael's Creed, and in 1992 was a Kerrville Music Foundation "New Folk" finalist. He has written and performed music for two Emmy Award-winning PBS documentaries and produced numerous CD projects for himself and others.