For several days after the beautiful House Concert at Juan’s place last week, media has been streaming into my DropBox. Super cool, photos, videos and stereo recordings.
I’ve been putting some of it together and want to share some of it with you now. The shear volume of stuff far exceeded my expectation. I thought I was going to have to upgrade my DropBox account! It will take awhile just to post everything, but here is a start.
Nardis.
Don’t You Realize
Armando’s Rumba
All-Star Jam
Thanks so much to those that played, attended and participated in some way. More to come…
This past Friday, April 10th 2009, we had the good fortune to follow through with a House Concert that was orchestrated, end-to-end on Twitter. With our new Twitter friends Steve Uccello and Gustaf Fjelstrom, we set about establishing a venue, organizing talent, inviting guests and in doing so, a magical event occurred.
Steve found a gracious and enthusiastic host in Juan Candelaria who has a gorgeous home in Capitlola CA. He was a wonderful host who helped set the magical tone for the evening.
The dialog for the planning stage of the evening were all conducted in the public time line on Twitter where anyone interested could ‘listen-in’ and contribute to the project/ conversation. Several good people did just that: Zach Parkes, bass player, blogger and overall positive guy took photos. This was all surprisingly effortless and crystalized very rapidly. No mainstream media (radio or print) promotional avenues were used. All planning and correspondence was done via Twitter. Advice and well-wishes came from all over the world, including from our good friend Steve Lawson, who, is my personal House Concert Guru (Thanks Steve!).
The eclectic mix of music presented (Categorized “Neo-Chamber Music” by Zach) was a blend of rootsy singing by Aaron Ford, looping magic by solo bassist Steve Uccello and magical soundscapes by Gustaf’s electric cello, preceded the Atmos Trio set. The Concert concluded with us inviting all the performers back for an impromptu musical exchange. Made-to-order Magic!
Thinking it might be fun to continue the theme of community that emerged on twitter, we encouraged guests to take photos and make audio and video recording of the concert. We supplied a URL where they could share their content–and share they did. Over the course of the next couple of days, over 3 gigabytes of data arrived on my desktop. Sure, I saw some cameras and microphones strategically placed around the room, but the extent to which this event was documented really surprised me!
This is one of the things that make House Concerts special: Everyone can participate. Everyone is involved.
If you prefer to participate as a spectator, you certainly have that option. If you want to be more involved–that is welcome as well. In this setting, the audience members are not merely “asses to fill seats.” The audience is a significant component to the event. They have stepped up to fill the valued roll as a collective collaborator.
In the coming days, I will post video and audio content and, if there is interest, make it available for you to edit remix and share any way you like.
Want to host a House Concert of your own? You can learn more about it and have the Atmos Trio play in your home.
Continuing on my Social Media-powered outreach efforts, I have managed to find many more talented and resourceful people with whom to work. On Friday, April, 10, Bass players, Steve Uccello and Gustaf Fjelstrom will be weaving their loop-driven magic. Also, singer/ songwriter Aaron Ford will be sharing the bill with The Atmos Trio at a House concert hosted by Juan Candelaria in beautiful Capitola CA (in the Santa Cruz area).
Reservation are highly recommended by emailing Steve Uccello or Rob Michael or call 831-801-4920. Admission is a requested $10 donation.
You’re encouraged to take photos and/or make audio/ video recordings.
In the spirit of the DIY credo, artists have been busily starting accounts on various Social Media web services in effort to promote their wares. MySpace, FaceBook…the usual suspects; Fueled by the idea that now, at long last, the ‘playing field as been leveled,’ and everyone can now find all ‘my stuff.’
The flip-side–no one is interested in being marketed too. It’s spammy and impersonal–so, please, just knock it off.
These tools, if used effectively, can be used to engage. Not enrage!!
Case-in-point: I have been fascinated by solo bassist Steve Lawson’s amazingly effective use of Twitter to connect with his audience. He even managed to book an entire US Tour via Twitter!
He did this by conversing with people–not talking ‘at’ them.
Inspired by Steve’s success, I set about changing my own approach. Rather than thinking: Promote, promote, promote… I switched to, inform, invite and engage people. This little paradigm shift has had some interesting results.
One is that I’ve connected with some incredibly talented people. Several of whom I would likely never met otherwise. Many are within a 45 mile radius of where I live–but never met. I had the good fortune to meet Ariane Cap, an outrageously talented and versatile bass player.Shortly after meeting via Twitter, we played a gig and will likely continue to do so. For non-musos, you should know, great bass players are worth their weight in gold.
The amazing part is that Ariane and I have lived within 3 miles of one another for four years, and didn’t meet until we connected on Twitter.
Others include bassists Jeff Schmidt and Steve Uccello with whom a House Concert is being organized.
The point isn’t so much about which tools you use, it’s actually holding a conversation with people. To be ‘real’ and genuine is. Why should anyone care otherwise?I have been cultivating valuable relationships on FriendFeed as well. Whether learning about other tech driven services like Last.fm or finding interested/ interesting people who may be interested in hosting a House Concert,buying CDs or viewing your videos. It’s all there.
Just remember, it’s about the connection, the conversation. Be Social.
While Atmos Trio still play our fair share of gigs in clubs and other venues, our favorite place to play music these days is in peoples homes. In their living rooms for an audience consisting of friends and neighbors. It’s a great way to hear great music in a very intimate comfortable setting, and we LOVE hanging out and talking and learning about our audience.
That invisible barrier between the listener and the performer on stage–GONE. Waiting in line–GONE. Dealing with attitude from an underpaid cocktail waitress…you get the idea.
House Concerts present you and your friends and neighbors an way to enjoy music in a way many find more enjoyable than the experience of the normal venue.
Russ & Julie host concerts in their home in the Los Angeles California area and have been kind enough to provide a FAQ for those considering hosting a concert. These are the guidelines that they use for their events, not a set of rules.
Maybe hosting a House Concert is for you? If you would like the Atmos Trio to perform in your home, give us a shout and we’ll be glad to discuss the details
House Concert FAQ
WHAT is a House Concert? A house concert is a chance to experience music in a warm and intimate environment. It’s when someone opens up their home and invites you into their living room to share in a performance by one of their favorite musicians. It’s a chance to meet the performers and get them to sign their CD. A house concert is also a great social evening of friends and neighbors.
WHY would anyone do this? We open up our home to our friends and neighbors because we want to share great music with them. In the area where we live — like most of the world today — there are too few venues where people can go to experience great music in a close and friendly environment. Great music makes us happy and we want to share that with others around us. These events allow us to give exposure to some incredible musicians whose talents we truly believe in and wish to help promote.
What do you get out of this? We find it strange that some people can’t believe we get no economic benefit for doing this. We do it simply for the love of the music. Really. We enjoy sharing great music with those around us. 100% of the suggested donation goes directly to the performers. For us, this is a hobby and we don’t mind spending a little to keep our hobby going. It’s a hobby that has brought us great joy over the years. Since we started hosting house concerts in early 1997, we’ve met some wonderful music fans and some extremely talented musicians… many of whom will be lifelong friends.
Doesn’t it cost you time and money? Yes, it costs us money to host these concerts. We spend money for coffee, soft drinks, desserts, paper plates, paper cups, napkins, flyers, postage and more. We also spend a great deal of time for the planning and set up of each show. (NOTE: Many hosts borrow chairs from their neighbors, who are invited attendees anyway, and also have a ‘potluck’ dinner before the show. House Concerts can take the Economy out of the Social equation.)
What do your neighbors think? We encourage our neighbors to attend and many (if not most) of our neighbors have attended our house concerts over the years. Some of our neighbors are among our most regular guests at these evenings.
As a courtesy to our neighbors, our shows are nearly always on Saturday nights and end at a reasonable hour. We also limit ourselves to no more than one show per month. Our house concerts generally begin at 8:00 P.M. and end by 10:30 P.M… although sometimes they do go a bit later.
What kind of environment is the evening? Casual. We go for the warm and cozy feel. Dress is “California Casual”. Our home is a smoke free environment. We ask everyone to honor this and please keep all cigars, pipes and cigarettes outside. We also insist NO DRUGS OF ANY KIND… chocolate not withstanding!! We have a nice coffee and dessert buffet that includes all types of cookies, cakes, and pies along with coffee and soda. We do NOT provide any alcohol. However, if people wish to bring wine or beer, we are fine with that so long as people use their own discretion; anyone who appears intoxicated in our home will be asked to leave and not to return. We are happy to say that in our first decade of hosting house concerts, this has never been a problem.
For the past couple of decades I have been “Living the Dream” of an active professional musician and I enjoy a very successful private teaching practice in the San Francisco Bay area.
I lead the Atmos Trio, an instrumental guitar trio which features myself, Joe Shotwell and Drew Waters. We gig frequently in the region and hire ourselves out as sidemen for recording and performance purposes. You can find our music on iTunes or on CDBaby.
I do music and music technology related clinics. Also a fair amount of consulting with audio pros who find themselves cussing and fussing with their gear too much. Apparently, I can string a sentence or two together as I occasionally do work as a freelance writer for music magazines. If I can be of service, give me a call.
Rob Michael has been “Living the Dream” of an active professional musician and has enjoyed a very successful private teaching practice in the San Francisco Bay area.
Rob & Joe w/ Cliff & Cynthia - Olive & Vine14301 Arnold Dr, Glen Ellen, CA 95442 (United States)http://www.oliveandvine.com707-996-9150 Doors: 6:00 PM Ages: All Ages Price : No cover Purchase Link : http://www.oliveandvine.comAdditional Information: These shows have been "Standing room only." Reservations are highly recommended. Questio […]
For the past couple of decades I have been “Living the Dream” of an active professional musician and I enjoy a very successful private teaching practice in the San Francisco Bay area.
