As evidenced by what was published here last week, this weekly blog is all about helping. And with more and more performers nowadays drifting away from traditional music venues and into house concerts, the timing felt right to have someone who has their hand in that scene as a host (and thus booker) provide insights to increase your chances of getting booked for such.
You can make a good living as a musician playing house concerts. You just have to know how to go about it. Here are seven essential ingredients my husband and I look for when we want to produce a great house concert experience for our audiences:
1. Originality and uniqueness. We look for performers who offer something a little different from everyone else. It could be the instruments they play, the styles of music they choose, or the way they craft and arrange their songs. It may be distinctiveness in their harmonies, rhythms, relationships, or genders. Sisters’ harmonies sound different from those of non-related singers. Husband and wife teams bring chemistry to their music. A father and son duo is a powerful combination.
2. Engagement. House concerts are intimate settings in which audiences really listen, and they expect to interact with performers. Do you engage your crowds? Make them laugh? Entertain with stories behind the songs? Touch their hearts with anecdotes from your life? Stage presence and rapport are vital. There’s no hiding behind a stage parameter or curtain. Often, house concert performers greet visitors as they arrive and mingle after the show. They spend time with hosts from arrival to departure.
3. Musical excellence. This is an absolute must. Our listening guests equate our events with high-quality music. It’s what keeps them coming back for more. Be a great instrumentalist, vocalist, storyteller, and humorist. Produce spot-on harmonies, precise beginnings and endings, and play with dynamics, feeling, color, and confidence.
4. An ample repertoire. Have an evening’s worth of original music and a few innovative covers—about 90 minutes of good, well-crafted songs. And banter. Don’t forget the stories and humor!
5. High-quality, live-performance videos. Because most of our house show musicians are not local, we must audition them online. We want to know how they sound and how they relate to audiences, so high-grade videos of similar performances are essential. The best videos show live house concert performances. We watch several of an entertainer’s videos, hoping to see a strong connection with the audience and a variety of song styles, tempos, harmonic structure, rhythms, and emotions.
6. Good references. Your mom was right—your reputation is important. We always check artist reviews written by other concert hosts. What details are revealed by the reviews? Did the musicians deliver good performances? Would they be appropriate for our audiences? How was their interaction with the hosts and listening guests?
7. Great guest etiquette. And, because you will spend a lot of time with hosts in their homes, perhaps eating with them and bunking in their guest rooms, you need to be great guests. You are on stage from the moment you ring the doorbell. Be gracious, honest about your needs/allergies/food preferences. Respect your hosts’ homes and belongings. Leave the place in the same condition you found it. Be polite and considerate house guests and be friendly toward the people who come to hear you—they are your hosts’ friends.
With these seven characteristics in hand, sign up with a house concert community like www.concertsinyourhome.com and start requesting gigs. You’ll be happy you did!
Barbara Routen is a musician, music teacher, writer, and house concert series host in the Tampa Bay area and an award-winning Letters and Music member of the National League of American Pen Women. Learn more at Barbara Routen Author at Google + and LinkedIn.
Have you played a house concert? What was it like? What do you wish you had known about the process beforehand? If you haven't yet played a house concert, are you hoping to? Discuss this blog with Barbara Routen and other musicians in our Facebook Group.