The internet is always urging us to make connections. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, each one implores us: Connect with your friends! Connect with your family! Connect with your favorite bands (or, if you are a band: connect with your fans)!
Is there something going on here? Are we being urged to overcome the feeling of being more and more disconnected?
Nothing beats real human interaction when it comes to connection, and that means being present with other people in the same place, at the same time -- preferably away from our devices and electronics.
Have you ever been to a house concert? Have you ever hosted one, or thought about it? House concerts are the sorts of happenings that provide real connections. I've been invited to perform a bunch of them over the years, and I count those shows amongst my most memorable musical experiences.
Not much is needed to make a house concert happen. A room, some places for people to sit, some people. You can encourage folks to bring food and drink. Kids are welcome (and universally love the experience). Anyone there can hang out with the band before and after the show. You can even record the concert for posterity and have your very own, private, live album.
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Bianca Garza, who shot photos of me and the band performing at the Black Swamp Arts Festival in Bowling Green, Ohio last September (that's her photo her, of me playing a show with Etienne Charles, Nathan Peck and Mazz Swift) has an extraordinary series of House Concert photos on her website. I urge you to have a look -- her photos convey the power of these experiences far better than I can with these words.
Think you might be interested in hosting a concert in your home?
Shoot me an email. Let's work it out.