How we produce our concerts

You first need to identify a space in the house to accommodate the performers and guests. We have had as many as six musicians and instruments and speakers in the space of an 8' x 12' area rug that we use as a stage.  We use all of the available furniture we have as seating and then rent folding chairs for the rest.  Our "theater" is 30' x 22' and we've had over 50 seats plus the "stage" area.  To calculate the space you have available for your audience, plan on 4.5 square feet per seat.  Standing room can be half that.

Performers LOVE house concerts.  Don't be afraid to contact bands that you wouldn't expect would want to perform in a house.  We get some of the best local talent who have performed world wide, are Grammy nominees, and otherwise are very renowned.

We find local musicians through internet searches, newspaper announcements, referrals from other musicians, radio stations and attending shows.  We visit and bookmark their websites to have a long list of potential bands. Email me for a copy of our booking agreement we use to lock in the performers.

We built our website with Wix which allows you to send up to 200 emails directly from their free platform per month from which the members can RSVP to the shows.  The website also tracks RSVPs, which is very convenient. We ask our performers to send us photos we can use in our promotions.  We also built a flyer with a QR code that takes members to our site at our shows and encourage them to bookmark the site to refer to our upcoming shows. We use the free version of the platform to maximize the return to the artists so the domaine name is kind of weird, hence the encouragement to have folks bookmark it.

After considering how best to bring folks into our home, we felt that we wanted to keep the group to friends and family and not open up to the public at large.  We therefore established our group as a private club, thereby avoiding the need for registering with state or local jurisdictions or filing related paperwork.  I asked a couple of friends who had some background in the performing arts to serve as my "board of advisors" who are great to bounce ideas and new bands off.

Many house concert venues have food provided as a pot luck, which is fine, but very unpredictable and last moment.  We have the food catered and have found that a "Grazing Table" works very well.  All food is pick up finger food so no utensils are required.  We purchased plates with wine glass holders built in which allows our audience to have a plate on their lap and glass hanging from the plate between their knees; this keeps both hands available for vigorous applause.  Tickets include the cost of the food and beverages.

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Since we are a private club, we don't make any money for doing this; therefore we request that members help out with setting up, dishes, moving furniture and greeting folks at the door.  I keep a detailed checklist on my phone for all the things we need to do and share that list as necessary.  Normally it only takes about 45 minutes to clear out the room and set up seating. Bands and the caterer usually need about an hour to set up and sound check. If you serve wine, be sure to have a bottle of Oxyclean and a hand vacuum handy because someone WILL spill or break a glass.

Many house concert venues invite folks to each show and pay the performers on a donation basis.  Our model is different. We ask folks to sign up for a four-show season and pay in advance.  This allows us to be able to guaranty the band a set fee and then encourage our subscribers to tip generously.  It also allows us to budget for chair rental and catering and other incidentals.  We also make single show tickets available for 25% more than the Subscriber rate.

All of our performers have come with the instruments, PA systems, mics and speakers they have needed for their show.  They usually need a power outlet or two nearby.  We provide the band with unopened bottled water; the singers usually prefer room temperature water.  For lighting, I built a light bar with four stage lights mounted to a black 2x4 with four color gels inserted in front of the bulbs - yellow, green, red and blue.  Yellow is the brightest and is aimed at the lead performer.  The lights are wired into individual dimmers that can adjust to the mood of the event.

We host four shows per year, typically in February, May, September and November.  "Doors Open" at 6:15pm for folks to get food and beverages and mingle and show starts promptly at 7:00pm.  I'll dim the lights or ring a bell to alert folks to take their seats.  We have a member who serves as our MC to introduce the band, remind members of the house rules and restroom locations.  Our primary house rule is that we are a "listening club" and any talking should be kept to a minimum, but we do encourage a bit of banter with the band in between songs.  Bands play two 45 minute sets with a 15-20 minute intermission.