Small Music is Big

"Small music is big!" declared presenter Paul McIntosh as he introduced Ridley Bent and his sidemen for the evening.

Ridley Bent - photo courtesy Marcel Desilets

The venue, a house concert at friends Shawn and Tony's, was filled to capacity with forty lovers and fans of intimate, live music. Just one week prior, I took in Sarah Harmer's Winnipeg concert in a venue with a 750 fan capacity. Harmer delivered a very fine concert. But for my money and from my perspective as a  singer-songwriter - I much prefer the more intimate house concert setting.

Why?

At Shawn and Tony's I was able to get a front row seat (and even if I hadn't - I still would have been close). I could hear Ridley's every word (and believe me - you want to, because this guy can pen a lyric!), and I watched every lick as guitarist Chris Dunn wowed the room on his fretboard; with his eyes mostly closed, he seems to have some sort of telepathic connection to those six strings. And I don't know how he wrangled it, but co-host Tony - an accomplished player himself -  played the upright bass on every song except for the one on which he played 5-string banjo (great job Tony!). The whole concert was rounded out by the super smooth pedal steel and dobro of Ken Campbell.

With only one practice under their belt in this configuration, the tight foursome needed to do little to win over the packed house. Of course - that's another thing I like about house concerts: the choir of fans is already sold on the venue and the artists. There are no tire kickers there; they're polite, attentive, and respectful. And I got to meet Ridley, Chris, and Ken in person and chat about their art.

Finally, house concerts offer gigs to artists who are enroute to larger centres, and provide small communities with a live music experience they might not get otherwise.

On the other hand, at Sarah Harmer's concert there was a steady stream of people walking past me throughout the whole show, and subsequently a steady interruption of my sight lines. And then one couple, for whatever reason, thought it would be a good idea to stand in the aisle for a time, completely blocking the sight lines of several people in my row. I get that the atmosphere is different and that fans go for different experiences; it's just not what I need to get out of a live music experience.

Small music IS big. If you want to host a house concert, there are some great sites that tell you everything you need to know. Singer-songwriter Bob Bossin has a particularly helpful (and entertaining) page. If you're hosting an entertainer, banjo artist Danny Barnes has an insightful rant on the dos and don'ts of hosting performers. And if you're looking for a house concert circuit, check out Home Routes.

And here are a few additional helpful links:
Are house concerts the next big thing? (Toronto Star)
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About House Concerts But Were Afraid to Ask
Come On-A My House...Concert (CBC Radio 2 Blog)