House concert - is this a common thing?

[MichelD]

Yeah, it's a thing.

I played one once, on upright backing up a Seattle singer-songwriter at a friend's house in New Westminster, BC.

 

[MichelD]

Yeah, it's a thing.

I played one once, on upright backing up a Seattle singer-songwriter at a friend's house in New Westminster, BC.

Folk artists do it a lot. It's a way to tour without having to try to get into clubs or bars or halls when you might only have a target audience of 20 or 30 people in a small town or city anyway.

There's a word of mouth network for those in the know.

 

[Tom Bomb]

Goes hand-in-hand, it seems, with crowdfunding, and with indie artists especially. And it works very nicely. You get a band, or a smaller entourage, sometimes a solo show, for a very good price — makes for a great party And an album gets funded that may not have even been made, otherwise. I dug this one up, from Joshua Batten, which exemplifies this particular manifestation of the house concert,

"

The House Concert​

I'll come to your house with my full PA setup and play one 60-minute set of music for you and your friends! I'll play a mix of covers and originals - you can help pick the set by choosing songs from my extensive covers list available on my website. You'll also get the signed CD, digital download, pledge credit and online thank you.

NOTE: This reward is currently only available to Melbourne and Victorian residents. Anywhere else will need to have travel costs factored in. 4 chosen
"​

Many, like Heath Cullen, who's making a habit of this, have managed, on the strength of these intimate options for fans, and other creative offerings, to generate good money and get top-notch albums out, as a consequence, off their own bats. Love it

 

[stonetone7]

Went to one back in the late 90s, in a surprisingly dense neighborhood just outside downtown Gettysburg. Original, local DIY band with lots of hometown fans, but there was about 50 people there that night.

Loud, fun, and a good time hanging on the living room furniture.

 

[fishdreams]

Yes, it happens in my jazz scene too. I know it as a thing for larger metro areas. Gentrification/real estate prices have made clubs scarcer and scarcer; in Brooklyn people put not-loud music for a small listening crowd in their home, provide some food, (a big pot of soup for example), byob, and it can be a great evening out.

 

[Clark W]

This came up in the local CL. Singer-songwriters "touring" by having folks along the way open their house for them and charging their friends and family. Is this a new thing? I don't get out much, so maybe this is an accepted thing for original artists.

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The pertinent part:

"Illinois-based songwriters Stone & Snow are performing a house concert tour through the greater OH/IN/KY area in March and looking for adventurous music-lovers willing to host a private house concert in the greater Dayton area on Friday, March 20th. Hosts provide a space (living room, basement, studio, etc) and invite guests who bring a suggested donation for the performance. Thank you for supporting indie songwriters - hope to hear from you soon! Bio below--"

Never heard of such a thing. But it doesnt sound much different than the old juke joints of the blues scene that were scattered across the south decades ago. A lot of those were in shacks or barns on people's property, a few of them in their own house.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

This came up in the local CL. Singer-songwriters "touring" by having folks along the way open their house for them and charging their friends and family. Is this a new thing? I don't get out much, so maybe this is an accepted thing for original artists.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

The pertinent part:

"Illinois-based songwriters Stone & Snow are performing a house concert tour through the greater OH/IN/KY area in March and looking for adventurous music-lovers willing to host a private house concert in the greater Dayton area on Friday, March 20th. Hosts provide a space (living room, basement, studio, etc) and invite guests who bring a suggested donation for the performance. Thank you for supporting indie songwriters - hope to hear from you soon! Bio below--"

Have musicians finally discovered the secret to the miracle of Tupperware?

 

[buldog5151bass]

One of the members of The Band did it on a monthly basis for years up around Woodstock.

 

[burgerdj]

Yep, I’ve seen some great singer-songwriters in this environment. Usually two 30 min sets, $20 cover. Hosts vary from extremely generous (snacks, bevs) to simply opening their doors. The musicians usually hang out, but these are definitely not open mic situations for other musicians to sit in, play a few tunes, etc. Very important to be respectful of the billed act.

 

[bassliner50]

Old fashioned "rent parties". Been there done that.

 

[skyline_01]

I think it's a pretty common thing. I know a singer/songwriter out of Nashville who does this quite often with her husband (also a songwriter and MONSTER guitarist) up here in the Cinci/Dayton area and nearby states. Between the two of them they've toured/recorded with or written songs for a laundry list of famous musicians. I guess the patrons make it worth their while if they're willing to travel such distances.

 

[superheavyfunk]

House/garage shows have been a thing for at least 20 years in the cities around Lake Ontario, cuz that's how I started. They've been especially popular east of the province of Ontario for quite some time as well... Montreal, Halifax, Moncton, and the entire island of Newfoundland all have thriving house concert scenes.

I also know that at least Rochester and parts of NYC have had a pretty strong house party scene for some time cuz I used to go to a lot of them back in the day.

 

[GBBSbassist]

Playing house concerts sure, that's been around since people have been living in houses I'm sure. Asking strangers to book you and also get said strangers' friends and family to come pay a band they've never even heard of and may not even like? Nah. That's just a poor attempt at filling an off-night on their tour.

 

[micguy]

If you picture a small club gig (almost every club gig I ever did was small), but remove the fact that the guy running the place is concerned about whether or not he sold enough alcohol to justify paying the band.....yeah, it's a good thing. Everything is clear, up front, and the clientele is, by definition, probably mostly fans of yours, not random drunk people hoping your music will be something that they like.

 

[Chipit]

There is a guy in central NJ that has been doing it for 15 years. He has hosted many national acts in a converted garage, now a photo studio. Check out these performers-
Concerts in the Studio

 

[buldog5151bass]

And of course, there is Live From Darryl's House.

 

[40Hz]

I’ve done them. They’re fun gigs and (in my case) they paid well. We were also well fed most times and occasionally put up for the night at the host's house. Nice work if you can get it.

There’s a lot to be said for playing for smaller knowledgeable audiences who are into it and there to actually listen to the music. You get great feedback, get to know the audience, move some band merchandise, get some ground level buzz going, and build up your super-fan base mailing list.

I personally think house and very small private concerts are going to become the new reality for most serious live original acts going forward. Public venues are becoming less attractive to any band that doesn’t see its primary role as “selling beer” to a crowd in a bar that doesn’t care who’s playing.

Like the old saying goes: “Small is beautiful.”

 

[bolophonic]

I’d say that ~75% of the shows I’ve seen or played in the last 35 years have been in DIY basement/living room/abandoned building/empty field type venues. I much prefer an unconventional setting to a stadium or a bar.

The first time I saw Green Day, they were playing at a party in an unheated barn in the middle of the woods in a college town during the dead of winter. Look at where they ended up.

I have friends who are in their late 60’s-early 70’s who turned their living room into a convertible venue for house shows on the folk/indie circuit. So it’s not just no-name punk bands doing this.

 

[ArtechnikA]

As a concept, it dates back to at least the era of Chamber Music, although per the WikiPedia entry that's more a gathering of amateurs.
But still, small room, big productions stripped to their acoustic core, for an appreciative audience.
Here's a Michael Manring house concert performance:

 

[Pdaddy1978]

Pat Di Nizio (RIP) started his Living Room Tours a few years ago. For a reasonable amount he literally came to your house and played the most intimate show for you and your invited guests . Fantastic concept. We had a ball. I noticed The Bottle Rockets we’re doing this recently and played in a neighboring town to me.

My best buddy and songwriting partner hosted Pat at another friend's home during that tour. He charged a very reasonable flat fee, my buddy then charged x amount from a limited group of interested parties to recoup the cost.
It was a fantastic and memorable evening. Sort of an episode of unplugged in your livingroom. Afterward, we fed him Barbeque and beers and I was able to stand in the kitchen and joke and laugh and ask questions of someone I admired very much.
Good times.......