House, sweet house concert

Here's what I'm all about for the fall: house concerts. I attended one this past weekend, up in Barrie, for the first time (not counting the one I performed at in my parents' basement last spring.) And notwithstanding a certain squeamishness about being labelled a dyed-in-the-wool folkie, I have to say I'm sold, and I'm going to be doing a lot of them.

I like playing bars, don't get me wrong. I like the loudness, the smoke and the booze. I like having to work to turn people's heads, and I like the feeling of playing at being a rock star. It's been a big part of my development as a musician to establish my credibility in the urban musical environment, and I intend to keep doing it as much as possible.

But a house concert is just about the ideal way to see a singer-songwriter do a solo performance. The setting is intimate and relaxed - it's usually someone's living room- and there are no amps or cables to get in the way. The audience gets to really see what you're made of as a person, not just as a performer. Meanwhile, as the guy on stage, you get all the comfort and the closeness that comes from dealing with people face-to-face, acoustically, and without the stress of working to get their attention away from the TV screens, the go-go dancers, or whatever.

In the states, house concerts have become pretty popular for roots music, and that makes sense. After all, the heritage of home-made songs is in, well, homes! And around campfires, and that sort of thing. For audiences tired of the smoke and the noise and the cost of bars, they've become the best way to hear real music performed by real people, and that's a great thing. Because of their growing popularity, house concerts have become the bread & butter of quite a few musicians at my level. And although I rely on my day job for bread, I can always use a little more butter.

Well, when I get an idea, I usually act on it. My first house concert is scheduled for Guelph in November, although I may sneak one or two in in October. Keep checking in to see when I'll be playing in a home near you... or better yet, I'll come and play in your living room! All you have to do is ask