Photo: Jim Coulter - Robin’s Nest House Concerts - Davis, CA

What is a House Concert?

We could go on and on about the many beautiful memories we have playing house concerts, the truth is that this style of performance venue continues to be one of our favorite ways to connect with music lovers all over the world. The definition of a house concert is a private show where the host opens up their home and invites folks to come in and enjoy a live music experience in a listening atmosphere where the music is the focus. House concerts are also built to support the artists exclusively because all the “ticket” money that is collected goes directly to supporting the band. And because the focus of the whole event is centered around providing a deeply intimate exchange between the performers and the audience, many people will walk away from a house concert feeling like it was the best show they’ve ever seen.

Photo: Dan Foldes - Echoes in the Valley House Concerts - San Francisco

House Concerts can be in a back yard or in a living room, we’ve even performed in a garage. Some hosts have built stages to accommodate their growing roster of musicians. But don’t worry, you don’t need a stage to host a house concert, just a space where we can set up and folks can listen. Our footprint is roughly about 8’ X 10’ and we’ve played in all kinds of spaces large and small. We provide our own sound gear and we can adjust to any volume that is appropriate for the space no matter what it is. The main thing you’ll need is some music-loving friends who are into doing something a little different with their evening or afternoon.

How Do I Plan a House COncert?

House concerts can be done different ways, but for us they normally fall into two categories: the most typical way is where the host invites friends and other guests, with the guests paying a suggested donation (usually somewhere between $25-30, often as a sliding scale to allow people to have some flexibility), with all of the proceeds going to the artist. We ask for a minimum of 25 people. There is no upward limit, we’ve played for as many as 100 people, though those shows have been in back yards where there is more room. It really depends on what the hosts are comfortable with in terms of attendance numbers. The other way we’ve done house concerts is when the host pays an agreed upon flat fee to the artist, and the guests attend for free. For those types of arrangements these fees vary and are also based on other factors like travel distance. Either way, house concerts help us immensely.

We are in an industry that is increasingly difficult to sustain financially and house concerts play a huge role in helping us keep going as well as offset our travel costs especially when we’re on the road. If you’re looking for ways to support your favorite independent artists, house concerts are a great way to do that and have a magical live music experience at the same time. It’s one of the best ways to bring people together, and everyone will think you’re cool. We certainly will.

Photo: Velvy Appleton - Backyard Concerts - Grass Valley, CA

Photo: Cassie Baugher - Bootleg House Concerts - Sacramento, CA

How do I book a House Concert?

Depending on where you live we may be traveling through your area so please reach out. You can get in touch with us at misnerandsmithbooking@gmail.com We are always happy to hear from our listeners! A great way to see what we’re up to is to sign up for our newsletter. Also, if you live in Northern California or along the greater west coast of the U.S. chances are we are coming your way at some point soon. Even if you’re not living in our area and your dream is to host a house concert with us, please get in touch, you never know what is possible.