House Concert!

A while ago we started going to live music events. All of a sudden we found ourself hosting one at our house. It all started with an innocent Starbucks barista mistake, which led us to a singer-songwriter extraordinaire, who introduced us to a whole series of artists and venues where music is not only live but up close and personal.

This blog consists of some blather about the journey,  discovering what is this thing called "House Concert", some photos (click for full-screen versions) and descriptions of the concert that we hosted at our house on July 23, 2011, AND some youtube videos of the performers at our concert. Some taken with my iPhone 4, some taken by friend Larry Helmerich with his Panasonic Lumix camera. Don't feel obliged to read this in any particular order or read any of it at all, except this: if you like any of the music, please visit Dave Morrison's website, listen to some of his music, and if you like it, buy it. Same goes for Cindy Kalmenson's website, and Annie Boxell's facebook page.

So it started this way: Georgia ordered a coffee at Starbucks with two raw sugars. When she tasted it, alas  no sugar, so had to actually navigate over to the accoutrements station and add it her self, can you believe it how awful is that. Anyway, above said station was a bulletin board, and on the board was "Concert at Four Friends Gallery in Thousand Oaks". Well, we live in Thousand Oaks but never heard of FFG so we decided to give it a try. Turns out FFG is not a public gallery at all but was graciously lent by owner Larry Janns for putting on a live music concert, totally informal with donations accepted for the musicians. Some yummy high-calorie snacks hanging about during intermission for donations. Up close and personal with the musicians, met the great local band "I See Hawks In LA", and a local singer-songwriter named Dave Morrison who acted as emcee for the show and performed some of his own material.

We learned from folks at the FFG concert of the existence of lots of similar informal live music concerts at peoples houses, called, well duh, house concerts. You google "House Concert" and they just pop up all over the place. Plus we added ourselves to an email list here or there. SO, off we went to one, in West LA at the home of Alexia Salvatierra. Here was Dave Morrison again, setting up the concert, supplying the food (Albondigas soup, very tasty), emceeing for performers Ange Boxall and Katy Boyd, both were terrific. I don't think Dave was on the bill to perform, but of course he did anyway. AND, there was this great song circle in the living room afterword, with some great talent, including guitarist Michael McEwan, harmonica and ukulele player Ken Leiboff. We were hooked.

We went to at least three more Morrison-sponsored concerts, one at the Topanga Community House (great venue on a hill in Topanga canyon), another at a small condo in Pasadena, yet another in a backyard in South Pasadena. Huge difference in size and type of venues, kind of food, but they all worked well. Each time there were  new musicians that we liked a lot, more of Dave's fine music, great food, and song circles with some real interesting new talent. Each time Alexia was there with Dave sharing the logistical chores, and kept us up-to-date on the upcoming shows.

So I finally asked Dave and Alexia, would you be interested in putting on a House Concert at my place?  After meeting at our house they were enthusiastic, we have a big back yard with a view, and a large "great room" for serving/performing, and, well, we are just crazy enough to give it a go. We set a tentative date at least a month ahead of time. Dave offered to cook and bring food, all the stuff to turn our backyard into a stage, and to send around invites to various email lists. There was almost nothing for us to do but bite nails, clean up the place a bit and invite our neighbors and friends. In the meantime Dave added Cindy Kalmenson and her band to the playbill, and recruited Annie Boxell, a talented songwriter and keyboard player, to join his band for the show.

So the Big Day arrives, we are nervous as hell, and Dave Morrison arrives with his pickup in the afternoon, neatly packed with what he calls the Traveling Circus. Stage, PA system, chairs, guitars, amps, all neatly tucked into the bed of his pickup.

Dave Morrison's Traveling Circus Kit, partially unloaded

Traveling Circus Kit includes stage pieces stacked as sandwiches with folding chairs as the filling. Above you see with first stage piece removed, and as you see below, on its way to the back yard via DM himself, who I believe has done this before. Actually he built the stage pieces himself long ago.

Dave ferrying one third of stage to The Spot

Two more trips of stage pieces, and viola we have essence of stage, this one with a view. Well, the audience has a view. The performers will be cautioned not to step backward ;)

Stage in position.

Stage in Position

Meanwhile, Dave brought two large pots of his special recipe chili and fixins, stashed in the kitchen for now. Flash forward - it was delicious and there was plenty. I sheepishly admit to consuming four helpings, yet there were leftovers.

Chili ready to heat up.

Alexia picked a good spot for a folding table to be used for food, near the door to the backyard, in sight of the stage.

Food table being set up.

And, quite important, a table by same patio doors for Alexia to welcome folks, offering CDs for sale, and accepting donations for the musicians. Good spot, right when they see the food and the stage for the first time. 

Welcoming table at entrance to back yard/stage area.

Meanwhile we set up the chairs using a much-discussed design taking into account involving angle of the stage, the sun and its projected path, traffic patterns, etc. Engineers present were having way too much fun.

Chairs set up.

Fabian, Georgia, and Alexia. Dave hidden at left in the bushes

Now it is getting exciting with sound equipment being added to the stage.

Adding sound equipment to stage.

 And guitars!!

And personal sound equipment, i.e. instruments

Tuning up:

The concert begins!

Concert starting up!

And we are in business. The videos here are a small sample of the great music we enjoyed.

Annie Boxell is new to Dave's circle, and new to us. Here she is performing "Superman" from her new yet-to-be-released album "Superheroes and Beauty Queens". She does a marvelous job in spite of the handicap of having a too-short chair, and improvises an extra verse on the subject as an intro.

Here is Dave Morrison performing his song Precious One, from his album "A Little Farther Down The Line". Accompanying are Greg Krueger on guitar, and Annie Boxell on keyboard. Note my piano bench has been fetched and adjusted to its maximum height, thanks to Fabian, so Annie has the circulation going in her arms and legs again.

Here Dave performs one of my favorite songs of his, "Still An Hour Out", not on an album yet that I know of. Dave Krueger on mandolin, and Ken Leiboff on harmonica:

Dave invited Cindy Kalmenson to the festivities, and she came down from Ojai with her bass player and pedal-steel guitar player. Here she is performing her song "Coulda Been You" that I like a whole lot. I still have this guitar to hold onto; it coulda been you:

And a fun song called "Good Bad Habit".

Good song and title: Let Me Out Here:

And a song Cindy wrote for her daughter before she was born: Hold On.

This magical event brought to us by Alexia Salvatierra and Dave Morrison moved inside the house as the sun went down, turning to the next phase, a song circle. We put chairs in a big circle, and invited anyone with or without an instrument to sing and play. Great fun, and some wonderful surprises. Often those listening would slowly add accompaniment on guitar, harmonica, violin (yes! we had one who was very good). Great support and encouragement by Dave and Annie. In spite of our plans to leave the next day on a car trip to El Paso, we kept it going until about midnight, it was just too much fun.

The next morning here is the stage surrounded by morning fog:

Next morning, stage in the fog.

Dave was staying nearby, so he and Alexia came back in the morning to pack up The Circus once again, and we were happy to feed them breakfast.

Dave Morrison Circus Packed Up Again

Dave Morrison Ready for the Next Adventure.

OK, so now it is 11am and we started packing for a 10-day road trip. We were on the way shortly after noon and made it to Tucson by about 8pm. All around, a great success. Once again, thanks so much to Dave Morrison for his fine music and to Dave and Alexia for making this happen.

Here are some web links about House Concerts:
Dinner and Song
Concerts In Your Home
Wikipedia on House Concerts
Why Singer/Songwriters Love House Concerts