Comments for house concerts and 21st century touring

Comment on Doing Interviews about House Concerts - a Quick Guide. by bobledrew

bobledrew — Mon, 04 May 2009 12:09:50 +0000

As a house concert guy / PR guy, some quick advice:

* NEGOTIATE with journalists. Don’t just say YES YES YES WE NEED PUBLICITY. This is a mutual benefit. So ask questions. How long do you need with me? What’s your “angle” on the story? Who else are you speaking with? Etc. Etc.

* Do your damndest to get them to come to a show. This is hard for ‘outsiders’ to get.

* Think about what the ONE message you would like a reader / listener / viewer to walk away with would be.

* Have a performer (upcoming, past, etc) in your back pocket to offer the journalist.

Your other tips are great, Fran.

Comment on Are we ready for “house concert” gig-swaps? by terrygblues

terrygblues — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 18:22:10 +0000

Yes, it’s time! With the state of the economy, musicians need all the help they can get. So often, this means helping each other.

Let’s do it.

Comment on A Free Shirt for Making my Day. by piperleigh

piperleigh — Wed, 04 Mar 2009 15:26:04 +0000

Hey Fran!

This is Piper Leigh - co-founder and hostess of Hat Creek Lodge Home Concerts. I’m the one who booked Julie Sutton for March 26th in our home and I’m SO excited to have the opportunity to share her talent with my friends and neighbors.

I’m so proud that we all share in the same passion for bringing the music to the masses…even if it’s from a living room!

Piper

Comment on Sometimes I have to say No. by Sedonasongwriter

Sedonasongwriter — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 16:10:02 +0000

Fran ~ As an artist who has spent years developing my craft (and is still doing so) I understand how difficult your situation must be at times to play judge and jury. When I started out as a solo act I thought I was ready to play venues - and had my words on a music stand in front of me so I wouldn’t forget them. As I watched other performers that had ben playing awhile, I realized they had all the words memorized, gave a professional delivery of their material, interacted with the audience (you can’t look at the audience if you’re reading the words), and got a better response than I did (more than just polite applause). I also recorded myself so I could hear how I sounded and have something to compare to later on. I can hear a marked difference in my vocals and playing just between my first two CD’s.
If a person (or an act) is serious about performing for money, they need to be open to constructive criticism from people who have done this for awhile. With patience and practice, they can polish their performance and get themselves ready for “prime time.” I spent several years playing open mics and other free music events to get better at my playing and also interacting with the audience. So thank you for doing what you do to keep the quality of artists and hosts high on CIYH.

Comment on Sometimes I have to say No. by LasAlturasHouseConcerts

LasAlturasHouseConcerts — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 00:02:33 +0000

Thanks, Fran. You are right and as a house concert host, I appreciate your helping artists grow and recognize when they are (and are not) ready to more to a certain level of performance. CIYH and house concert series succeed because they make sure they present artists who are ready to perform musically and professionally. So we all have to say no sometimes to those who are not ready. And we try to do it in the most helpful and constructive way, in the spirit of your comment, of “only criticizing a particular skill, not their character or value as a human being.”

Comment on If I can’t listen to you… I can’t care about you. by Rubenerd Blog » Independent music and open source software

Rubenerd Blog » Independent music and open source software — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 13:20:12 +0000

[...] evening a post Big Tom shared caught my eye. The title was If I can’t listen to you… I can’t care about you. and the post itself was concise and direct. I should take classes from Fran Snyder! I’ll make [...]

Comment on House Concerts - Competing with Michael Phelps by Bear Creek Concerts

Bear Creek Concerts — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 02:17:05 +0000

Tenacity. Whether you’re a performer or a host, “tenacity” is the word. We may all have to figure out how to adjust to a rickety economy, national uncertainty/depression, Great Olympians and torrential rains, but the most important thing is that we keep at it! And Fran? How many hosts let you name the first orb weaver spider of the season? Only a good rain brings a girl like that out for a show. If only the people were as motivated by the weather…

Comment on House Concerts - Competing with Michael Phelps by doctate

doctate — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:14:12 +0000

Thank goodness we’re not the only house concert producers who had a low turn-out Saturday night. We worked hard to publicize the show. Many of the folks who had RSVP’d did not attend. The weather didn’t help as it was extremely chilly and very, very wet. Still, the musicians were great, and the small crowd very appreciative. But geez, when you work so hard to put on a show, it *is* discouraging!

Comment on House Concerts - Competing with Michael Phelps by susancoaching

susancoaching — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 02:33:09 +0000

You always score with a house concert, no matter the turn out!

Comment on CIYH Newsletter #10, July 2008 Recap by hillbillyhaiku

hillbillyhaiku — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 18:25:33 +0000

get outa town! the whole MONTH?! ;-)))

thank you, kind sir. we are honored and i appreciate you!

i don’t do contracts, i am glad to work out any arrangements necessary but if my word in an email or phone call is not enough, hillbilly haiku is not for you. that said, i appreciated your piece on contracts and if i ever did have a contract, that photo of the trailer would most def be on it. :-))

oh, also, the letters from Ned are jewels.

dee @ hillbilly haiku - 20 minutes east of nashville, a million miles from ordinary