Ah, house concerts, I love them! If one has the space, I highly recommend hosting a house concert, or series of house concerts on a theme. It's rewarding for the artists and hosts alike. I started doing house concerts way back in the early 1980s at my place in Long Beach. We had a large deck in the backyard and hosted events for about thirty people during the summer - we even had Melissa Etheridge one night when she was comparably unknown. She did an all acoustic performance, which I wish she would do more, but that's not what made her famous, now is it? You just never know who may start in your own back yard!
The method I use. Invite friends, family, neighbors till you are full up, charging $15 each which includes a simple supper (usually a food for the masses: chili, soups, salads, or pasta) and soft drinks, coffee, tea. One trick I learned -- don't buy bottled water -- instead place a large bottled water cooler (3-5 gallons) in the food vicinity, you save a lot of money. People were welcome to bring their own wine (Hollywood Bowl style), I supplied openers, plastic glasses, etc. We would start on a Saturday evening at 6:30PM, with food, then the artist(s) would begin performing at 8:00, break at 9:00 (cookies, etc. served) wrapping up at 10:00 or so. It's really not that expensive - I could throw one for about $75, which if you consider the cost of attending a show out with dinner for two, you can easily exceed that amount. I'd pay that - the contributions go to the artists. I'd do one a month in May, June, July, August, and September. It usually gets to the point that "advertising" isn't necessary - they just fill-up on their own. Brad and I haven't hosted a house concert in the last three years or so. I really like doing them outdoors in the summertime and we got out of the loop when we renovated our back yard. We always intended to resume, but time gets away. You all have gotten me motivated again and summer is coming! No regrets, Coyote Rick Casa Alegre Hollywood, California "Only fools are afraid to be burned by fire..."
