house concerts and 21st century touring

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House Concert Newsletter from CIYH - October 2007

Message from Fran:
This is our first newsletter and I hope you’ll enjoy the scope and character of what we are doing here. I have to start by expressing my gratitude to the artists who have supported this site through it’s beginning. I also thank the hosts who have discovered and joined this great community, and the artist/web developers Bryan Tilford and Jody Whitesides, who have spent much underpaid time helping this CIYH thing blossom. The site is doubling in every which way every 6 months. Whew!

Stats and Developments in October:
270 hosts, 410 artists, 14,000 visitors per month.
We simplified the artist search page, and we added video channels, this newsletter, 13 new hosts and 30 new artists. We also created some great looking shirts and hats to promote house concerts.

New Hosts:
(CIYH artists receive email with more detail)
House of Novelette, Lantern Hill, Millstone Pond, Captain’s House, Over the Bridge, Canyonfolk, Pond Hollow Folk, Sixth Street, Acoustic by the Lake, Music at Eurovillas, Log Cabin, Heart Pine, Colorado Springs, Sprouted Acorn

Artists who Joined in October:
(A big thank you for your support.)
Bill and Eli Perras, Carter Brothers, Chip Raman, Clint Maedgen, David Bradstreet, Denise Locke, Derek Evans, Doug Kwartler, EarPlay JazzQuintet, Eric Blakely, Fort Pastor, Full Gael, Fur Dixon and Steve Wener, George Bancroft, Greg Hobbs, Jack Brown, James Durst, Jennifer Batten, Jodi Griffith, Joel Fafard, Joseph Akins, Katherine Rhoda, Mark Turnbull, Mélanie E., Stevie Coyle, Sutton Parks, The 3 Heads, The Erins, The Mirabai Ensemble, Truckstop Souvenir, Wayne Gratz, Wendy Jans

Artists who Renewed Membership in October:
(A HUGE thank you for your continued support!)
Jay Mankita, Stacey Board, Hans York, Edie Carey, Tracy Comer, Jack Montgomery, Roxie Randle, Kym Tuvim, Johnathon Nicholson, Cindy Grayson, Warriors of the Rainbow, Melissa Kay McCarthy, Jana Losey, Beth Thornley, David Gans, Michael Tiernan, Nathan Wade, Jane Eamon, Lori Citro, Javelyn

Schwag of the Month: STAFF and CREW shirts
These are great gifts for your volunteers and regulars! We’ve created dozens of new designs for people who want to spread the word about house concerts. You can visit the shop here or by clicking the shirt image on the right. Also, you can win one of these by answering the trivia question at the end of this newsletter. I’d love to hear your suggestions for new designs - if we make your design, we’ll name it after you! 8^)

Artist of the Month: Wayne Gratz
One of the things I’m excited about is the increasing diversity of musical tastes we are seeing from our new hosts. Wayne Gratz, an amazing composer from Orlando, FL, recently joined CIYH and booked a house concert almost instantly when one of his fans found out.

Over the past 15 years, Wayne has released 10 albums of original compositions on the Narada Label and 4 albums of cover music on the Enso label. Wayne also contributed to some of the most memorable compositions on Narada’s best selling collections, The Wilderness Collection, A Childhood Remembered, Piano Solos, and two Christmas collection albums, all of which are available online and at most retail music and book outlets. We are pleased to welcome Wayne Gratz to CIYH.

Host of the Month: Russ and Julie’s House Concerts

Russ and Julie Paris love music in a big way. They live in Oak Park, CA, and have been hosting house concerts for more than 10 years. They’ve hosted and befriended so many stellar talents during that time, that they are considered one of the “premier” house concert series in the nation (O.K.- “world.”)

Accordingly, it’s extremely difficult for artists to get booked there. However, Russ and Julie try to schedule a few new acts each year from artists they find at the Far-West conference.

Despite the high-bar for getting in, this couple has done tremendous things to support the growth of house concerts. Through their website (which supports several other area house concert series), through Far-West (the annual conference they help organize), and through personal guidance and support they’ve helped create many new opportunities for artists to perform in other homes.

Tip for Artists: Make a “house-concert-like” video.
We’ve now added a few video channels to more clearly demonstrate the appeal of house concerts to music fans, and to showcase videos from CIYH artists. We are looking for videos that warmly show the concept of house concerts - featuring a combination of great songs, great performances, and some audience interaction. MTV-style stuff just won’t work, and it must be “live.” More tips for artists.

Tip for Hosts: Get a partner. Do-si-do.
Two heads are better than one, and so are two mailing lists, two houses, and 4 hands! For most house concert presenters, the biggest challenge is creating a consistent audience. Sometimes, booking great talent is not enough to keep things growing.

Nothing breeds success like success. And nothing says “success” like a full house - whether it’s an auditorium or a living room. Share the glory, share the fun, and share the responsibility. Ask for a partner/volunteer at your next show. More tips for hosts.

Live Review: Del Rey
(I would like hosts to submit these entries in the future - details at the end of the newsletter.)

At the beginning of November, CIYH and a several dozen of our artists attended the Far-West Folk Alliance Conference in Vancouver, WA. This is a growing and vibrant annual get-together for artists, presenters and DJs, where they meet, mingle, showcase, and educate one another. Find out more about Far-West and other Folk Alliance gatherings at folk.org

I hosted a showcase room for CIYH artists at the conference. One of the artists I had the pleasure of performing with was Del Rey.

I was charmed by Del Rey’s virtuoso technique and sly humor. “As reigning Queen of the Resonator Guitar (and Resonator Ukulele!), Del’s playing combines country blues, stride piano, classic jazz, and hillbilly boogie through the sensibility of “an autodidact trailor-park esthete.”

Her unique guitar style results from the way she channels the sound of the left-hand of boogie-woogie and stride piano.” Del Rey started playing classical guitar when she was four. As a teenager, she met bluesman Sam Chatmon who inspired her to become a blues queen. Still in her teens, she developed a passion for Memphis Minnie, studying the flamboyant Delta blueswoman’s formidable guitar technique.

Del is truly a national treasure, and a one-of-a-kind performer. We’re honored to include her in our CIYH artist listings. She’s available for house concerts - and there’s no need to break out the good china.

Trivia Question: win a CIYH shirt!
??? Name three CIYH acts who live in Canada. One of the first 10 correct responses will be selected at random, and will receive the Schwag of the Month! Email your response.

This website is sponsored by: Artists!

Details for submitting live reviews:
(Only for CIYH hosts writing about CIYH artists, please.)
We’d like to encourage our presenter/hosts to tell us about their most memorable recent events. If you’ve booked a performer who’s listed on our site (there’s nearly 500 to choose from,) please send your “Rave Reviews” this way. We’ll pick the best one each month, and the winning author will get a free CIYH tshirt (”Value T” - choice of design) - and we’ll publish as many as reviews as we can.

Thanks for reading, and please Digg or share this article with someone you know. — fran