Colorado House Concert w/Seth Sept.'09

My husband and I have hosted house concerts for over fifteen years.  We've gotten a little more serious about putting on really great concerts for the past two years calling our new series "Music on the Mesa".  We set the bar pretty high for the caliber of performers we hire doing research and getting referrals for great artists.  We have a following of regular concert attendees so I feel that each new artist needs to bring something unique and different from the last concert.  

We wanted something really different for our last concert and what could be more different than a bass playing singer/songwriter?!  I had heard of Seth for years but had never seen him play live.  I knew that Seth would be an amazing musician (he came highly recommended by other musicians and I watched and listened to Youtube videos of him) and entertain our guests with great tunes but I have to say that I did not KNOW how really great of a performer he is.  He far surpassed any expectations we had and blew our audience away!  Seriously, his bass-playing is mind-blowing!   His voice is beautiful.  He has mastered the art of taking the audience on a ride with each song as they ebb and flow with different degrees of emotional energy.  His songs are intelligent, edgy, and thought provoking.  I love one (maybe two) good love/break-up songs in a set, but at my age I need much more from an artist.  Seth's songs are socially conscious and cover much more ground than a typical love song.  

To have such a great experience in the intimate setting of one's own living room is just surreal.  We live in a beautiful area outside of Denver in the foothills.  It's, well, suburbia.  Most folks we hang with are raising their families and dealing with all the nitty gritty stuff that that entails.  So many of us don't get to venture out much for great music like we'd want to.  To be able to bring it to people and have the experience for ourselves has been so rewarding for everyone involved.  I so look forward to the finding of new artists and the planning of the concert.

What I did NOT want to do with our new concert series was to work my butt off and make it a stressful thing for my family monetarily or work-wise (like cooking for the masses).  We've got a system down that has worked great for every concert thus far.  I'll share a few of our tips below....

We opted to make it a pot luck.  This has worked out so great.  We always have more than enough food and drink for everyone.  The only thing I buy is a bottle of wine, make (or buy) a dessert because for some reason dessert is the one thing that has been lacking, cheap plates, cups, plastic ware, and napkins.  That's it.  I always have leftover wine, beer and soda that others have brought which I save for the next concert.  

No paper or postage is involved for the invites.  I send out a "Save the Date" email or I post somewhere like Facebook several times over a several month span as soon as I know which artist will be performing next.  I send out a "formal" invite by email (I keep a house concert distribution list in my email address book- so a sign up sheet available at each concert is crucial) six weeks before the show asking for rsvp's.  I send out the same email every two weeks until the day of the show (there's always a few scragglers).  

We allow kids to come but write a blurb on the invite that this is NOT a party but an intimate concert where quiet and respect for the artist is expected.  Most people opt not to bring their kids but those that do we've never had a problem as we set up a room for the kids with a movie, video games, and toys.

We like to move our furniture around to make it like a concert venue dimming lights, lighting candles, setting up chairs (that we borrow from a friend's bar) in rows.  We're thinking of eventually purchasing our own though.

We have a large tip jar set up right near the front door where people can pay their $15 and the artist can set up CD's for sale.  We announce the artist before they go on and ask kindly for those who haven't paid to do so.  We do this at the very end as well just as a friendly reminder to someone who may have come late.  

Here's the invitation we sent out for Seth's concert and basically looks the same for each artist:

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Hello there!

Hope this finds you well.

We are excited to host another great night of music the end of this month!  We wanted something very different for this show and Seth fit the bill!  He plays bass as his main instrument instead of the standard acoustic guitar for solo artists.  His songs are intelligent and his performances are passionate and inspiring.  He is flying in from Reno, NV just for this concert so we would love to have our best turn out yet and show him how much Colorado loves and supports good, independent music!!!

DETAILS
....
WHAT:     Music on the Mesa featuring Seth Horan
WHEN:     Sat., Sept. 26th (7pm eat/drink/socialize, 7:30 show starts
                 -Greg & I will open w/a short set)
WHERE:  Music on the Mesa in Castle Rock (please rsvp to info@charlenejohnson.com for directions)
COVER:   $15 (or less if you can't afford it, more if you can)
EXTRAS:  Optional: please bring your favorite appetizer, dessert, or drink to share

*Kids are welcome but this is an intimate concert and we kindly ask that they be able to sit quietly during the performance or play quietly in another room.

Please rsvp asap so we can get a head count of how many to expect.  

Here's a press blurb.... 
"
Originally hailing from Buffalo NY, he has been touring the USA (literally) since March of 2002, building a sizable following and turning heads with his blend of fingerpicking, slapping, tapping, harmonics, and chording to accompany his voice. To say that Horan plays the bass like a guitar is a vast understatement. More to the point, he plays it like a dulcimer, a drum set, a harp, and a xylophone all at the same time. 

This quote from the Ocean City Beachcomber sums it up: "He plays solo bass guitar like Victor Wooten, sings songs like John Mayer and Ani DiFranco, and performs with the intensity of Martin Sexton. He's a freak of nature, and he's phenomenal." 

Check out Seth's MySpace page and blog:

Thank you for helping us to support music in the most intimate and beautiful way possible...house concerts!

xo

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Here's what some had to say about the house concert experience with Seth:

"First of all, I love concerts at your house. So warm and perfect for entertaining without being in any way stuffy or presumptuous. Unlike Mr. Horan. Hmph. LOL. OKay... leave this part out, I was kidding. 
I have only ever been to house concerts at your home and one other and I am shocked every time. Seth probably shocked me more than any of them. A guy playing Bass is NOT my idea of a good time. Until NOW! Seth ROCKED the ACTUAL House with the amazing music he brought out of his bass. His kept us laughing and jamming all night long. House concerts are the new black and Seth is the new pink! (Pink is the new orange by the way.) Awesome show Seth and great ambiance Charlene and Greg. Can't wait until Seth can come back. I'm bringing more people!"

"Your house concert, featuring Seth Horan, was fabulous! He totally kills it with the bass. His attitude and sense of humor fits his bass playing ways perfectly. Loved the intimacy of the house concert, it really works well. Hope to do it again sometime. Seth, we had a ton of fun...so please come back to Colorado!"

"We had SO much fun at the concert Charlene! Such talent (from both Seth AND you and Greg)!! We were very impressed not only by Seth's musical abilities but his comfortable ways with the audience. VERY down to earth and funny. :) Robert is more of the music guy and I am more of a lyrics girl and Seth really pleased us both! :)"

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So I'll end by saying that hosting a house concert is an amazing and rewarding experience for all.   Supporting an artist who has dedicated his/her life to making art is such a noble thing and they deserve awesome places to showcase their talents.  They will be so appreciative and reward you with a rocking performance if you provide them with an intelligent respectful audience that pays.   Art in your living room!  At the very least your friends will think you're so cool and will come back for more if you choose to do it again.  But I think if you do it once you will be hooked like we are.

xox
Charlene

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Guide For House Concert Hosts

This is a guide to hosting your own house concert. It is intentionally detailed for the person who likes a lot of, well, detail. Don't be scared of the length and don't be afraid to do things differently. The main thing here is just to give you 10 main ideas of things to consider when hosting a house concert. And if you've got additional ideas that have worked for you, please share!

Ten Tips For Hosting A Successful House Concert

1. Assess Your Home Situation

  • Do you have enough space to accommodate at least 20 people in the same room?
  • Is your home easy enough for people to get to when factoring roads, weather, distance, etc?
  • Is there enough parking?
  • Will you offer lodging to the artist?

 

2. Set A Date (6 weeks or more before event)

  • If at all possible, schedule the concert at least 6 weeks (and preferably more) ahead of time to give you time to get out invites and make other preparations.
  • Determine ticket prices.
  • Settle on the type of event you envision with the artist at this time. Consider environment, ambience, food, alcohol/no alcohol, children/no children, etc., and get his/her input. You want to make sure everyone is on the same page and informed about what's going to happen.

 

3. Guest List (determine 6 weeks or more before event)

  • Who do YOU want to hang out with?
  • Who do you think will LOVE the artist?
  • How many people do you want to be there? Invite about 25-30% more than that.
  • Who won't flake out after they've told you they're going to come?
  • Will you open it to the artist's fan base or only your personal friends?

 

4. Invitations (6 weeks before event)

Send out your invitations about 6 weeks in advance. There are several ways you can go on this. You can choose to email people, send them e-invitations, phone call, or snail mail invites. Personally, I prefer e-invitations. They're fast, free, and keep a record of everything from start to finish for you. I use Evite and it tracks the responses, number of guests, sends reminders, and even lets you use Paypal to take payments. It's just a matter of personal preference. But here are things you'll want to make sure are in your invitation:

 

  • Name of host
  • A phone number where you can be reached by folks with questions
  • Event info (date, time, location, map, etc)
  • Special considerations such as gated communities, parking, handicap access, etc.
  • Price of ticket and method of payment
  • Information about use of cameras, video recorders, etc.
  • List of items (if any) that you would like people to bring (potluck, beverages, etc)
  • State your policy about late arrivals
  • Deadline for responding

You might also want to consider putting a picture of the artist or one of his albums on the invitation and links to any of his sites. I attached an mp3 of his for people to listen to if they wanted to check him out first.

 

5. Follow Up (4 weeks before event)

  • Check your responses frequently. That way you can assess the response and address any questions right away.
  • If you get a lot of people accepting pretty quickly, use that information to build excitement for the event by staying in touch with your guest list and encouraging those who haven't responded yet to do so before it's too late. The ones who've already responded will start to feel the momentum build and the ones who haven't will begin to realize that if they procrastinate much longer they're going to lose out on a really great thing.
  • THANK the people who responded promptly and let them know you received their payment.
  • If you're getting little or no response, re-send your invitation with a gentle reminder that the deadline to RSVP is fast approaching.

 

6. Figure Out The Money (3 weeks before event)

  • See where you're at with payments. Remember that you're most likely responsible for a set fee whether enough people show up or not. So now's a good time to see where things are at.
  • Encourage people who have said they're coming but have not yet paid to do so. Remind them that they can save some money if they pay now instead of at the door.
  • Decide who is going to handle the door money.

 7. Start The Home Preparation (2 weeks before event)

  • Take a look at your space and figure in your head or on paper how you're going to seat everyone.
  • Check with your local county or homeowner's association and find out if there are any noise variances you need to be aware of.
  • Make sure the artist performs in an area with the following:
  • Easy viewing regardless of the angle
  • Access to electrical outlets
  • Space in immediate area for amps, kits, etc.
  • Lighting
  • Determine what furniture (if any) needs to be moved and how you will arrange additional seating.
  • If you need extra chairs, call your friend or put in the order to rent some now.
  • Decide if you're going to pick up the chairs yourself or have them delivered – and on which day.
  • Figure out your menu. Appetizers? Potluck? Do you need plates or cups? Decide what you're going to serve and make a list of the items you'll need to pick up from the store.
  • If at all possible, carve out a quiet spot for the artist to hang out in before the concert begins.
  • Decide where to put the artist's merchandise.

 8. Send Out Final Reminders (1 week before event)

  • Confirm with the artist what time they will arrive the day of the concert. Leave yourself open as much as possible that day so they can have a thorough set up, sound check, review last minutes details, and still have time to chill before performance time.
  • Send out notices to your guest list letting them know any final information – especially that which might help build additional excitement for the event. Are you sold out? Tell 'em! Nearly sold out? Tease 'em! Did the artist just garner a great review somewhere else? Share it! Will there be special guests? Let 'em know! All this will help create even more momentum for the concert and encourage any last minute procrastinators to make a decision.
  • Something you might want to think about is whether or not to remind those who have reserved a seat but not yet paid for their ticket that if they don't show, you get to pay for their seat. Personally, I chose to go this route because I wanted people to accept responsibility for the fact that their seat had been held to the exclusion of someone else who might have wanted it, and that if they didn't honor their commitment it would leave me holding the bag.
  • Include this link in your message so that people can see learn about proper concert etiquette: http://www.xtranormal.com/watch?e=20091018162742914

 9. Set Up For Event (1-2 days before event)

  • Move furniture and set up seating arrangement.
  • Set up place for merchandise table.
  • Check basics to make sure you've got enough napkins, toilet paper, pens, etc. on hand.
  • Do your grocery shopping.
  • Make up guest list to have by the door.
  • Put out sharpies for autographs.
  • Spruce up the place
  • Get money to make change at the door.

 10. Enjoy! (day of event)

  • Pick up ice
  • Put beverages on ice about 2 hours before guests arrive
  • Plan to have food ready about 30 minutes before guests arrive. Someone is going to show up early. Guarantee it.
  • Turn on some background music.
  • Dim the lights
  • Add one final touch to turn the place into a setting – fresh flowers, candles, glowing fire in the fireplace – something that sets the mood and says this evening is special.
  • Welcome everyone and introduce the artist.
  • Sit back and enjoy. You've earned it!
After the party is over, make sure to send out thank you notes to those who brought goodies or who came early to help out. And post pictures of the event somewhere where everyone can see them. They'll love you for that.

Oh, and one final thing: if you lit candles for the concert, make sure to blow them out before heading to bed!
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Las Vegas House Concert: October 2009

If you've never been to a house concert, you're missing something truly exceptional. No one need have been to lots of concerts in their life to presume that there's not much comparison between the typical concert venue and the intimate environment of someone's living room. 

 

I've been to some spontaneous living room concerts and a couple of others where I didn't know the artist but they weren't promoted; I just heard about it from a friend and went. But I've never hosted my own house concert.

 

Until October 24, 2009.

 

The amazing Seth Horan performed in our home in Las Vegas Nevada and I can tell you without hesitation that it was one of the best musical experiences of our lives. Just for a bit of background about us: in our house, music reigns supreme. My husband and I are both musicians, consider our 7,000+ CD collection members of the family, and we've seen everyone from the Beatles to the Beach Boys, Elvis Presley to Elvis Costello, the Grateful Dead to Radiohead, the Four Tops to ZZ-Top, and Frank Sinatra to Ani DiFranco. With a little Led Zeppelin and Nine Inch Nails thrown in for good measure.

 

The thing about the house concert that can't be duplicated in a larger venue is the intimacy that is created. It's a deep intimacy, not exactly like sex, but perhaps a bit like undressing your beloved for the first time. The experience is deeply sensual in that all the senses are heightened and the connection between the artist and the audience is profound. From the very moment that I signed on to be a host, I had a keen sense of anticipation about the event that ultimately exploded into the realization that this thing turned out even better than anything I had expected.  

 

Still with me?

 

In our youth we camped out overnight for concert tickets, caravanned in old trucks to venues across state lines, sat in nosebleed seats, and rocked out in the front row.  Every performer was different and every concert was different but they all had one thing in common: the inability to connect with the entire audience. No offense intended. That doesn't mean they weren't affecting or emotional: it just means that they didn't connect on a global level. But with scores of thousands of people in the audience, how could they?

 

With 20 people packed into your living room, it's a whole nother story. At our house, the air was both relaxed and electric. People were charged up. There were moments when we could feel the rush of air between Seth's fingers as he played, see the changing blush of Seth's face as he moved from song to song, smell the mingling odors of pheromones, wine, and food, and hear absolutely everything. Including the snoring of the dog.

 

As for taste, yes oh yes, it was swwwweeeeet.

 

It takes guts for an artist to do a house concert. It makes them vulnerable. We deliberately chose to invite people who had never heard Seth's music before and most of who didn't know each other. We did that to create new fans for Seth (never having a doubt that they would become fans after hearing him play) and to see if the house concert experience would create a sense of intimacy and solidarity between people who didn't know each other.

 

We were ecstatic to see that it accomplished both objectives. Seth gave an amazing concert that blew every one away. His technical proficiency on the bass, smartly crafted intellectual pop tunes, and humorous way of keeping everyone engaged and involved was mesmerizing. People left with purchased copies of Seth's CDs and phone numbers and email addresses of the person they met sitting next to them. If there is a way to bring about world peace, surely hosting or attending one of Seth's house concert would be a great first step.

 

I would be remiss if I didn't mention one more thing. I was one of 69 fans who helped produce Seth's latest album titled "Clang and Chime". Being a producer probably made me even more critical of his performance than I would have normally been because I knew where the songs he performed came from and how far they had grown. I was not disappointed. Not one little bit. If you'd like to host a house concert of your own, I'm betting it will be one of the best musical experiences of your life, too.

 

The experience of hosting a house concert is unlike anything you'll ever do because you get to be witness to both sides of it in a way that none of the others can. Both the audience and artist have an unspoken reverence for what is taking place and a genuine appreciation for one another – not just for the music, but for their collective and individual humanity.

 

For those interested in hosting a house concert of their own I'll be posting a short how-to guide to give you some tips. It's not hard and with just a little bit of preparation, you're going to have an event that you'll be talking about for years to come.

 

So step up. I hear Seth's got openings in 2010.  


Comments from guests after our concert:

 

  • I have to admit having never been to a house concert and not really knowing what I was in for I was under the impression we were on our way to see "Yawnie" and instead I got to see one of the most ELECTRIC performers I have gotten to see play live since I saw the very first U2 concert in Los Angeles =)
  • I admit whole heartedly that I was mesmerized by the entire performance ... intelligent lyrics and rock your socks off music!
  • On a scale of 1 to 10, I give it an 11.
  • Great show and thanks again for hosting this.
  • We had a great time!We go to community concerts and shows all the time and have never seen anything as good as this!
  • You talked him up pretty good so I was a bit skeptical. Turns out I was right and you were wrong. He was better than you said he was.
  • Great show! I had a really rough week and this concert was the perfect thing to make it all go away. Seth was amazing!
  • I had no idea what to expect. This exceeded everything I thought it might be like. Good stuff!
  • What an absolute rockin out concert and Seth Horan was funky too!
  • [Seth} is a great entertainer/musician.... I have to say i was laughing sometimes because he reminded me of Jack Black a little.
  • Great concert! We had a great time!
  • We had a great time. And drove home listening to Seth's new CD that we bought after the concert and continued the groove all the way home.
  • Thanks! I had never heard of Seth before. But I'm sure glad I know who he is now. He was GREAT! Thanks for the invite!!
  • !Ole school vibe is back! Great LIVE music provided by Seth Horan, Bassist Extraordinaire!!!!

    And my personal favorite:

    "It was an absolutely wonderful evening ... we talked about politics, we talked about community service, we talked about upcoming events and then the music started and all we could talk about was Seth Horan."

That's what music and art does. It makes people forget about all the rest and connect on a soulular level, reminding us that our commonalities are stronger than our differences. Thanks to everyone for coming out and to Seth for giving us a reason to do so.

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