David, Johnsmith and Chris Rosser playing at the Panzer's House Concert in MD	So What's a House Concert?!?
	House concerts are just what they sound like - a concert in a private house. In the last few years they have been popping up all over the U.S. and much of the world, and recent stories on the phenomenon have appeared on CNN and in U.S. News and World Report, the New York Times and the Washington Post, among many other publications.

There are two main things people misunderstand when they first hear about house concerts...

One - it's open to the public. Most house concerts aren't private events, though they're also not heavily advertised. Most folks who sponsor them rely primarily on word of mouth and their own circle of friends to promote the show. Depending on how well-known the artist is in the area, the artist's own mailing list may contribute to the crowd as well.

Two - It's not a party, it's a concert. Lots of house concerts include a pot luck before the show, but the show consists of a concert - people sitting in rows of chairs facing the 'stage,' though the stage is often just one wall of the living room.

Generally folks will clear out the furniture from the largest room available in the house and set up rows of chairs, often borrowed from a local church or school, so that plenty of people can be seated in a limited amount of space. Unless it's a fairly large room, most musicians will play acoustic (with no sound system) which also saves space. Most folks who host house concerts do shows roughly once a month and develop a mailing list of people who want to know about future shows (email lists are easiest, of course, and free, but postal lists give people something to stick on the fridge!). Some only have space for thirty or forty people, some can handle seventy-five or a hundred. Some folks do their house concerts outside, which allows for a hundred or more, if the weather holds.

The musician will generally play two sets and take a break in the middle, during which they can talk with attenders one-on-one. Most presenters have a snack table and soft drinks available. Some encourage folks to bring snacks or drinks to share, and some do a pot luck beforehand. It need not be too elaborate, though. A few house concerts we know of encourage folks to bring instruments to jam afterwards.

The hosts put the word out with flyers and phone calls, and take reservations. The concert-goers typically pay ten to fifteen dollars each for the show, though it varies with each concert, and some folks offer a range, based on what people can afford or choose to pay. It's often surprising to people who are new to house concerts that they can get nationally touring artists to play in their living rooms, but musicians are often looking for dates to fill in between bigger shows when they are on the road, and the fact is that there's no more appropriate venue for acoustic music than a living room. Generally all the money goes to the musicians, though a few presenters take a little out to cover snacks. According to one couple who present house concerts they usually spend thirty dollars or so on snacks at each show, and they're quick to add "that's less than a decent dinner for two would cost, and I get to have some of my favorite musicians play in my living room!"

If the house concert series becomes an ongoing event, sometimes people will get together a committee to split up the responsibilities. One series in Alamogordo, NM rotates the shows between three houses, so each household hosts three or four shows a year. Someone else, who can't host concerts, handles a newsletter that reviews the last show and promotes the next one, and another person handles the booking. Of course, that only becomes necessary after the series has been up and running for a while, and not everyone who hosts an occasional house concert has a full-blown series.

House concerts offer a degree of intimacy that is unrivaled, and allow concertgoers to spend time with the musicians at the snack table between sets and after the show. They also allow music lovers an almost ideal listening environment. Bars are plentiful, but non-smoking quiet venues where people can actually focus on music are hard to find. House concerts are one solution to that dilemma. David has played large and small house concerts in many states and several countries, and enjoys the informality and intimacy they offer. If you'd like to talk with us about booking him for a house concert, you can check his calendar here, and/or get in touch with Jen at booking@davidlamotte.com. If you see a hole in the calendar that looks right, that's super. If not, but you'd like to do one some time, let us know and we can keep in touch to let you know when he's coming your way.

The most informative and helpful site I've seen on house concerts is www.houseconcerts.org. There are also links there to a Yahoo discussion group that generates a lot of traffic and includes a bunch of folks who regularly host them and can answer any questions you may have.