House Concerts... I love to play house concerts! 

A house concert is not just a party, but a concert where folks gather in your home to listen to a performance.  The beauty of a house concert is it's an intimate, warm, casual setting where friends, family and welcomed guests, come together.  There is plenty of time to socialize before and after the performance with some form of food and drink. A typical house concert performance is one or two 40 - 60  minute (give or take) sets of music (usually original music) that your guests may never hear any other way. Before the performance, during intermission and after the show is when the artist(s) and attendees meet and get a chance to know each other a little better.  

If you love music and want to support the many incredibly talented independent artists roaming the country looking for cool places to play, this is exactly the way to go.

So... why not host a house concert?  Yea,  you!!   ...  or, if you think you know of someone that has a place where this kind of event would work well, then by all means, read on:

What does it take to host a party like this??? A few things, for sure, but mostly it's up to your imagination. Here are the essentials:

• A home that can comfortably hold maybe 20 - 40 people (more is fine, less is ok too as long as the performer knows this limitation since it often plays into how much they can expect to get paid) with enough room for the performer(s) and equipment. Doesn't need to be a dance hall, most living rooms or great rooms work very well. Even outside might be good, as longs as there is provision for bad weather.
• The ability to actually have that much activity without creating an uncomfortable or illegal situation in your community.
• Some means of inviting / welcoming / marketing the event to people that enjoy a bit of homegrown awesomeness, or who are at least willing to give it a shot. Remember, 20 people should be the minimum guest expectation  under most circumstances.  (Traveling artists are like sharks, they need to keep in motion to get to... well, you know the metaphor)
• An imagination as to how to pull this all off and have a blast doing it!!!  it doesn't hurt to have the willingness to become friends with the artists you host.  The artists I know will love you forever!

Some suggestions...

• pot luck, my personal favorite.  Attendees bring what they wand and share with everyone.
• catered, if you can afford this and want that kind of organization, or if you can command a ticket price that pays for this as well as the performance.
• cocktail party, perhaps this is shorter, sweeter and easier..
• benefit for a cause, another of my favorites... I've done breast cancer, Habitat for Humanity, African Orphanage, Give a Bike....

And last, but definitely not least.... paying for it. Many possibilities here.

• A very comfortable "suggested donation" type set up at $ 20 / person.  This would go to the artist.  If you need a contribution for other purposes that should be a separate consideration.
• You can charge a ticket price and ask for money at the door or set up a ticket type account like EventBrite. There are others and they help you get interest for the event on line and take the ticket money there as well.
• Just make it a free event and work with the artist on how he/she can get paid for their work.
• Pay the artist a negotiated price and charge whatever you like in any way that suites you.

Well... what do you say, let's get started!!! If you want to discuss this further please do not hesitate to contact me by email, jim@jimparadis.com,  leaving a note on the guest page of this website - be certain to include your contact information, or, If those are not good communication tools for you, you can find me on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1302350552 , or, contact me via text or voice message at 203-641-3950

Thanks for taking time to consider this.
Hope to see you very soon!!
Peace
Jim