Okay, I'll admit, the title is a bit of a stretch, but being the good, old friends that we are, I hope you will bear with me as I recount my recent initiation with the house concert experience and coincidentally relate a little folderol in the cannon of my come-on-the-Internet-isn't-that-bad arguments. I promise by the time this post wraps up, all the dots will have been connected...in a round about way at least, and isn't that just the way we like it? But, I get ahead of myself.
To start, or rather, jump back, to the beginning, I went to my first house concert about a month ago and it was every bit as unforgettable as the initiated (myself, now included) claim. In case you're not familiar with the house concert experience, I'll clarify before we go any further that the moniker is pretty much self explanatory - house concerts are musical performances that take place in someone's home. On the bill that night was an Australian musician named David Ross Macdonald. You should check out his music if you get the chance (*well meaning and earnest promotional plug: you can download a free EP if you sign up for his mailing list on his website*), I know you're going to like it. The concert took place in a lovely, old home in the Fernwood area of Victoria, which is the city's equivalent to our favourite bario, Wortley Village.
Now, where to start with the stellar details? Oh yes, they have yet to begin! You, being every bit the music lover that I am, can well imagine the joy of listening to music well played in an intimate setting. It's slightly akin to those times you and I would sit in your apartment passing your guitar back and forth while warbling to each other's musical stylings, only with music of a much higher calibre (at least where my input was concerned as you are, of course, a fantastic musician). Yes, it's like listening to a friend tell stories and give an amazing musical performance, except you've most likely never met the musician before and, as with my experience, may also be newly acquainted with the homeowner. But still and all, the illusion of familiarity is pretty darn convincing. I was hooked, and you know how hard it is for me to get carried away where music is concerned.
And this is where my little tarradiddle, as the case may prove to be, comes back around to my original suggestion. Being a newcomer to this city, there's no way I would have been drawn into an event like this had it not been for the Internet. On a semi-related note, I stumbled across an interesting article, The punter is the star on these nights out, in the Independant about 'immersion experiences'. It would appear, at least from my back-water point of view, that the popularity of the grassroots participatory experience is on the rise. I suppose we could extrapolate as to how these things might be advertised without the use of the Internet - printing press perhaps?
If you'd like to learn more about house concerts by the way, I came across a great resource on a site produced by a musician named Bob Bossin. Though I've learned that the related logistics - ticket prices, split of the proceeds, concession arrangements, etc. - can vary based on the artist's agreement with the homeowner, the basic idea is that arrangements are kept pretty simple and most or all of the proceeds raised go to the musician, just as it should be.
Gobsmacked, I tell you!
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The fantastic John Mann (Spirit of the West) house concert I attended just this past weekend. |
