Aidan Knight and Snailhouse, live and in concert! ...in my neighbour's living room

Aidan Knight and some of his Friendly Friends performing at a house concert in Victoria, BC.

About this time last year, I wrote a blog entry about my first house concert experience.  Over the past year I've had the pleasure of attending a number of these events, every one of them fantastic.  When it comes to live performances, the intimacy of watching a musician play to a small crowd in a private residence cannot be beat. 

The Aidan Knight concert I recently attended was no exception. Opening act, Snailhouse (Mike Feuerstack of the Wooden Stars) started off the night with a short - sadly, I felt, a little too short - set of emotion packed songs.  After a quick break, Knight took to the stage/living room floor while some of his backing musicians, the Friendly Friends, wandered through the rest of the house playing their instruments.  From the introspective and melancholy, Lambics, to the feel-good, Jasper, it was a captivating experience made all the more personal and charming in a home setting.  Knight's music is a carefully tuned harmony of contrasts (despite all the trouble he experienced with a faulty tuner during his performance).  Familiar sounding melodies with unusual orchestration; sometimes dynamic and filled with texture, sometimes sparse; and lyrics that reflect his youthful perspective balanced with just the right amount of world-weary wisdom. 

From time to time I get asked how to find out about scheduled house concerts.  As these shows are usually organized by home owners, promotional marketing is commonly limited to grassroots channels. If you live in Victoria, BC, my best recommendation is simply to sign up for the Victoria House Concert B Facebook Group.  If you live anywhere else, I'd suggest searching the web, or you can try asking friends who might be connected to your local music scene if they know of any upcoming shows.


Video shot by Dfinlan.