House Concerts

What’s a House Concert?

A House Concert is great to way to turn your living room, back yard, club house, or community room into a live, casual music venue for a night. Invite friends, family, and neighbors to an intimate concert at your home. Think of it as a listening room with out the distractions of bars and other venues. Depending on the available space (and the comfort level of the host), house concerts range in size. Some are as small as a dozen people in a little living room. Others are 50 people in the basement. Others are 100 people in a backyard. 20-30 people in a largish living room is probably about average.

Cost

Typically the host will collect a suggested donation. The suggested amount mostly ranges between $10 to $25 per person with 100% of proceeds going to the artist. You can arrange for someone to collect at the door or have a collection basket…
How it Goes

There’s usually some socializing before the concert. Some hosts have a potluck or dessert luck. Some are BYOB while others prefer alcohol free concerts.

Concert

I usually play one 45 minute set and then take a 15-20 minute break for refreshments and CD sales, then one more shorter set to wrap up. Can vary as needed.

Plugged or Unplugged

Smaller rooms may not need any amplification. But as the audience and the space gets larger, a P.A. can be very helpful. I tend to be on the quieter side in volume, so I like to have a small P.A. if available for support.

Rewarding

House concerts are rewarding experiences for both of us. For me; I love playing to a listening audience in an intimate atmosphere. There is something very cool about the connection that happens between the performer and the listener right there in your living room. For you; it’s a wonderful way to see some of your favorite songwriters/performers in the comfort of your own home and be the coolest person on the block.

There’s So Much More

This is just a short guideline to hosting your own house concert. You can personalize your house concert to meet your needs. House Concerts play an important part of the traveling folk musicians’ life, and by hosting a House Concert you are helping to keep the arts alive in your community.

Interested in Hosting?

Contact me at rj@rjcowdery.com for more information.I’d be happy to talk to you about! Did I mention I love playing house concerts?!