A. If only I had $1 for every time someone asked! 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 few venues where people can go to experience great music in an up-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.

A. There is some debate on this, but we would trace House Concerts all the way back to the Middle Ages when “wandering minstrels” would go from manor house to castle to farmstead trading stories and songs for an evening’s room and board. Certainly in the 1800s, “parlor parties” were a very popular form of entertainment in the United States. The more modern “House Concert” probably evolved in the mid 1900s.

A. Yes, it costs us money to host these concerts. We spend money for coffee, soft drinks, desserts, paper plates, paper cups, napkins, flyers, and more. We also spend a great deal of time for the planning and set up of each show. Plus all the time sending and reading emails, talking to performers, agents, etc, etc. Luckily, for some of the bigger shows where we need some reinforcement, we have friends that help out. Of course, there is also the “wear and tear” on the house… If you want to come over and vacuum and clean before or after, let me know!

A. We pick our performers with a combination of the following five methods:

We get unsolicited CDs, press kits, and EPKs from musicians around the world. Some weeks we get three or four contacts from artists as far away as Australia and Ireland. We do listen to every CD that comes our way (send more please!!) There are an amazing number of talented people out there, and there is no way we can accommodate them all…

We have many past performers who have expressed an interest in coming back. Or more than likely, we WANT them to come back! Its just a matter of scheduling and availability!

We get lots of referrals. Referrals from past performers account for a good percentage of the artists we’ve hosted. We give them extra consideration. We also get referrals from people who have attended our shows. Sometimes we even get referrals from local venue owners. If there is someone you would like to see us host a house concert for, or know an artist that you think would enjoy the opportunity, feel free to let us know.

Part of our schedule in recent years has come from artists we’ve met at the Folk Alliance  conferences. These conferences give us the chance to see and hear the artists performing and to get to know them. www.folk.org. Check it out!

Lastly, we do sometimes contact musicians who we would like to host a show for. There is something special about hosting a show for one of our long time favorite artists. And having been on the road with Lowen and Navarro for many years, as well as being a musicjunkie, I know a LOT of performers!

A. Each house concert series is a little different from all the others. Most seem to focus on a particular genre of music. Many of the house concerts we are aware of focus on folk music to one degree or another. Some are more singer-songwriter oriented, or as Ellis Paul would say, “WG^2– white guy with guitar”. Over the years, This Old Houseconcert has hosted pop, folk, rock, country and such. Obviously, we try to provide a variety of musical styles. (Although we’ve never hosted any classical music, there are house concerts that focus on that genre as well.) We lean primarily towards the singer-songwriters and folk-rock styles. The common thread in the artists we host is that we both have to really enjoy the music and the performer before we’ll consider booking someone.

A. Casual. We go for the warm and cozy feel. Dress is “Cozy 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 dessert buffet that includes all types of cookies, cakes, and pies along with coffee and soda. We do not generally provide any alcohol, but anything that is leftover from previous shows goes right back out for the next one. Well, we generally finish off the wine… but anything unopened gets saved! 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 probably asked not to return. We are happy to say that in our two decades of hosting house concerts, this has only been a problem once, and she knows who she is!

A. Used to be in Berwyn, sometimes in Naperville. Plus we have helped and co-hosted houseconcerts in other people’s houses.

Right Now? We are in Oswego, IL. This is the verrryyy far west suburbs of Chicago.. But the corn fields are quickly being turning into subdivisions.

(When you RSVP for a House Concert, we’ll send you specific directions.)

A. We average between 40 and 50 people for most of our house concerts, but the number fluctuates a bit. Unlike commercial establishments, there is no legal limit to the number of people that we can put in our home… so long as our neighbors don’t complain and we don’t break any laws. We find that 40 or less people fit quite nicely and is really the maximum before it starts feeling too crowded. And we are working on adding a bathroom to the basement listening room!

We have a large amount of folding chairs for these evenings…. with some taller, padded, and comfier chairs in the very back. If you want a ‘good’ seat, you need to get here early. (Our house concerts usually start at 7 or 8pm and doors open 30 minutes prior)  It’s a casual atmosphere and most people who attend aren’t really that concerned with seating. It’s a fairly nice room without a bad seat in the house.

We will save seats for people with special circumstances. If you are handicapped, pregnant or in need of special seating for a physical reason, please let us know in advance so that we can reserve a space for you. Quiet and well behaved children are welcome. We share the house with Murphy The Dog, in case of allergies.

IMPORTANT NOTE!! Our music listening room is in our basement. That means stairs. Please keep this in mind.

A. We generally have a “voluntary suggested donation” of $25-$30 per person at most of our House Concerts. Some concerts might be a little more, some might be less. The reason we call it a “voluntary suggested donation” is that we are not a business. This is our home. We can’t really call it an “admission fee” or “ticket”. Turning this into a business would create all sorts of extra work and expense on our part. We are simply having a party!!

However, our “voluntary suggested donation” is still as close to being mandatory as we can make it. Without it, we could not get the caliber of musicians who have graced our living room.  We work on the honor system and need everyone’s participation to keep our series going. We find that nearly everyone puts in the suggested amount and some people even put in a little extra. Remember 100% of the donations go directly to the performers.

A. OH YEAH!!! At each of our concerts we have a pot-luck style dessert buffet. While it is not required for guests to contribute, it is encouraged. The more we have, the more fun it is!! We contribute a limited amount of coffee, soft drinks and desserts each month, so there is always something to enjoy. How big the buffet is depends upon how many people contribute that evening.

Over the past few years, we have accumulated some beautiful bowls and platters that people have left here. And some not so beautiful ones as well… Please try to remember to take your bowls and platters with you. If you think you have left one here, please let us know and we’ll see about getting it back to you. Put a mailing address sticker on the bottom, so we know who it belongs to!