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House Concerts

You say you wish I could come out to your place and sing for you? Guess what? I can!

One of the coolest and fastest-growing ways to enjoy music is to host a house concert. This is exactly what it sounds like: an intimate concert for you and 15-50 of your friends. Just like hosting a party, really -- except that, instead of everyone standing around waiting for the good hors-douvres or talking about which movies you haven't gotten to see yet, you get a concert by yours truly. I come to your house, and sing for a couple of hours right in your living room. No fighting traffic or parking, no standing in line, no expensive munchies (unless you provide 'em), no convention scheduling conflicts....

What You Provide

• A smoke-free, pet-free space for 15-50 people
  • You'd be surprised at how many you can fit into your living room, basement, or den. If you don't have enough chairs, you might be able to borrow some from your church or work, or rent them through a party-supply store (the kind that sells balloons and paper hats). In good weather, we can even do it outside, although the acoustics are somewhat lacking. ;)
• Local advertising, i.e., tell your friends, and maybe put up or distribute a flyer (I'll have an example up here soon)
  • Many house concert hosts send invitations in advance to friends and neighbors. Sometimes they ask for RSVPs, or even that tickets be bought in advance (some go as far as to set up special PayPal accounts). You can also choose to open up your house concert to the public, and even advertise it through local radio and newspapers. It's up to you. It works best when the host (you) is enthusiastic -- enthusiasm spreads.
• A suggested donation of $10-15 per person
  • The "suggested donation" is my base fee for coming to play for you. The wording is to avoid problems with running commercial functions at private houses; it's exactly the same as an admission charge or ticket price, just not called that.
  • I'm available for concerts in Michigan, Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, and Kentucky. If you are farther away, contact me; we'll talk. :)
  • It's up to you as to whether you want to pay the entire fee yourself or charge admission.
  • If you do charge admission, you also might want to allow $5 for kids and $20-30 for families.
• Snacks and non-alcoholic beverages
  • The out-of-pocket expenses for refreshments are pretty much precisely what they'd be for throwing a small party. (A general reminder of Murphy's Law: USE PAPER PLATES AND PLASTIC CUPS! If you use something good, it will break.) By all means, set up a jar for donations to the snack fund -- heck, even make it a potluck!
• A small table or counter to display and sell my CDs
• A spare bed or couch in a smoke-free, pet-free room

What I Provide

• A cozy performance for you and your friends, either two 50-minute sets or one 1:40 set, plus shmoozing, silliness, and sociality
• A free copy for the host of my new album (The Last Hero On Earth)
• Everyone in attendance gets $1.00 off every CD or CD-R

If you're interested, you should reserve a date. This calendar lists my current gigs, travel days, and days when I'm specifically not available; anything else is fair game. E-mail me to reserve a date.

Usually I do an all-comedy concert, but I don't have to stick to that. This is your concert. If you want me to sing something specific (and I don't just mean my songs -- I'll try to sing anything you want, but it works better if I know it), give me some advance notice. The only songs I won't do are those involving duet singing (to paraphrase Anna Russell, my duet singing isn't what it used to be) -- e.g., "Heat of the Blood" is right out. ;)

You might also want to check out these excellent resource pages:

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