A day in the life of a working musician.. the behind-the- scenes drama of presenting Irish fiddle shows, running a band, dealing with the endless characters in the music industry, and keeping the dream alive.

Thursday, April 01, 2010

House Concerts: the new trend

It's April first and I could not have asked for a more beautiful day in Brooklyn.

Vita and I did our first duo house concert last weekend, and it was a lot of fun. I've heard about house concerts, but except for the African drum/fiddle moment I did in DC years ago, I've never done one. My image was that they are geared to singer-songwriters, but having had such a nice experience, I will probably do more in the future. We were on a double bill with artist Steve Robinson (stellarob.com) and the best part was being able to listen to music with an audience that is really listening - I think that's a lost art these days and I loved that part. He sang one song called Every Minute that was about a guy who really loves his wife but doesn't really articulate it, saying "But don't let the silence fool you, my love is going out to you every minute of the day". It was very romantic and also so true... (we all know guys like that, right?)
The place had a little stage and spotlights and terrific sound, so it felt like the best of both worlds (intimate and also a concert setting).
House Concerts can be trickier in NYC (people live in apartments more than houses, noone has a zillion chairs...) but I now endorse them. It's like the new club but you don't have to be in noisy crowds, or wait in line, or buy x number of drinks....
I'm a member of Concertsinyourhome.com and Fran (who runs the site) has been encouraging house concerts for years. Well know I really know what he's talking about....
See photos of the concert here
http://www.flickr.com/photos/robertberkowitzrsbimageworks/sets/72157623628640313/