Having not seen The Mynabirds in concert since 2012, I was thrilled to see they were doing a house concert tour - with a stop in Shaker Heights! What a great space and a great show. The intimacy of it all makes taking photos and video a little uncomfortable, hence the poor quality. But the show was anything but.
I’ve been waiting to Laura Gibson at a concert, after her amazing performance at Nelsonville Music Festival back in 2019. I became a little concerned when I saw the dates scheduled (Columbus / Akron) overlapped a camping trip I had already scheduled. Luckily schedules aligned and I was able to bring a friend along to the Columbus show, on our way camping (thanks Cassie!).
The house and the host were both delightful. Laura brought us all into the den area with only like 8-10 folks in attendance for an incredibly intimate experience (hence no video). Her songwriting, storytelling, and overal presence was designed for a house concert. This one will go down as one of my favorite performances of all time.
Getting a chance to see other house concert venues in the city is always a treat. This time I was able to catch the performance of Buck McDaniel + Jacob Kirkwood over at the Emerald City World Fair in Old Brooklyn. This one was quite different with a blend of performances throughout the house. Quite interesting. The focus of the night was a performance by Buck McDaniel + Jacob Kirkwood in the small basement stage. A great performance, great sound, and a colorful audience (additional photos below).
Some additional photos from the night:
Family time continued after my niece’s visit, heading back home for my nephew’s graduation party. While this would have not traditionally made my music blog, we were all treated by a performance by a family friend! I had caught a short clip of him singing on social media a couple weeks back, and was surprised to even know he was a musician! After some setup hurdles (note the mic stand!), Nick performed quite a few songs for us - including some of my favorites below! Nice job Nick!!
I need to keep this article on file when I’m courting my next musician to play in my living room. Luckily it’s been a pretty easy sell so far!
"When musicians set out to dominate the world with their music, they usually envision playing to sold-out stadiums and amphitheaters of screaming fans, not living rooms in front of only a handful of attentive listeners. But believe it or not, for lots of artists, house shows end up being more beneficial and sustainable than ones played at traditional venues, and organizations like Sofa Concerts are trying to connect more artists with even more opportunities to everyone’s benefit.
If you’re an indie touring musician who’s used to a certain type of environment, and you still need some convincing, here are six great reasons why you should play more house shows."
(Via 6 Benefits Of Playing House Concerts Over Bar Gigs - MTT - Music Think Tank.)
After my last house concert (Mike Edel 5/3/18), I was a little concerned I might've set the bar a little too high for myself. Thankfully I ran across Oliver Hazard, and they were totally down for coming back to Cleveland for a house concert. Not only are they great guys, but they’re great performers as well. The songwriting was fun and the harmonies were “intoxicating” (as one of my friends put it). 🙂
They played their latest album, and are working on some great material for the next one. I’m looking forward to following these guys and seeing what they do next. I’ll definitely be seeing them again when they come back around. I’ll keep you posted.
I’m thrilled to be announcing my 8th house concert! My last show with Mike Edel in May was so good, I was actually nervous about hosting another one that could match that experience. As soon as I saw Oliver Hazard opening for Mt. Joy at the Beachland Ballroom, I knew these could be the guys. I chatted with them after the show and they seemed amenable, but they also have a lot of things coming up for them. Luckily, we were able to work this out!
Please RSVP on my FaceBook Event. (If you don’t have FB, please email me at thezenderagenda@gmail.com)
I have limited seating, so reservations are necessary! I couldn’t be more excited to be hosting these guys, and I hope you can come!
Get to know the band!
Some press:
"‘We got so much acclaim from people at the bar that it made us think maybe we were playing good music,’ says Belazis, who returned to California and stayed there for most of 2017. 'We have played one special show about every three months, but it worked out because we haven't burned out our fanbase and we have seen measurable growth.’"
(Via Waterville's Oliver Hazard Turning Heads With Its Twangy Tunes | Scene and Heard: Scene's News Blog.)
"The three friends, who together make up the indie/folk band Oliver Hazard, announced in January they were put on the bill to play this summer’s annual Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival, a three-day event that had more than 90 acts including Eminem, The Killers, Paramore, Bon Iver, and Khalid at a 700-acre Tennessee farm.
The gig was the biggest show Oliver Hazard has ever played. Yet, when the band walked on stage at 9:30 p.m., the trio had played no more than 20 shows as a band."
(Via Notes from Bonnaroo: Oliver Hazard celebrates biggest gig so far | Toledo Blade.)
Wow. This was such an amazing experience. Mike, Jeremy & Brennan showed up to my house around 6:30pm and immediately began setting up for the show. These guys could not have been any more nice. We discussed setting up a PA system for the show, which I suggested wasn’t needed - but I’m so glad they did. The sound was amazing, and I have to thank my neighbors for being the coolest. Hopefully the people walking down the street and turning their heads also enjoyed the show.
The songs, stories and banter were genuine and delightful. They talked about how they’ve basically been playing these rock & roll shows, but it was a nice change of pace doing something like this. I hope it was for them, because it was a delight for all of us. Friends brought food, drinks and an amazing vibe. I don’t often have parties at my place, but this is how I want them all to go. Luckily I had plenty of room for the band (and some friends) to crash for the night. After the show we were able to just hang outside and enjoy the great weather. Everyone had a great time and the next day it was fun to see all the social media posts about the show and the band. Now we all wait for the new album to come out.
You can catch the full house concert here. If you wanna hear how this show came about from Mike’s perspective, you can catch it at the 17:33 minute mark.
Even Bergen enjoyed it:
If you’ve been following my FaceBook page, you’ll already know I have a house concert coming up soon!
I met Mike Edel when I went down to Akron to see him perform at Annabell’s back in 2016. Unfortunately he didn’t end up performing that night, but we had a nice long chat at the bar anyway. Fast forward 2 years and I get contacted by Mike who’s going a tour and remembered my talking about hosting house concerts. I told him I would love to host him and his band!
There will be some firsts for this show, including there being 3 performers “on stage” and a PA system! They’ll actually be doing a stripped down show, differing from the rest of their stage tour. I believe this is the only house show on their tour - and might be one of the best shows I’ve hosted yet!
If you haven’t already, please RSVP on the FaceBook Event, or just send me an email at thezenderagenda@gmail.com to hold a seat (of which I only have 30!)
Check out some of my favorite stuff by him below:
I’ve always been curious about these Sofar Sounds shows, but they have eluded me - so far. :-P I’ve also been curious about their seemingly meteoric rise into so many cities - which now makes sense knowing they had millions in venture funding. However, only compensating artists with just a video is unacceptable. I was once optimistic about this organization, but that is waning.
"This unpermitted, homespun gig probably sounds familiar to participants in independent music. Unusually, though, it was coordinated by a start-up underwritten by millions in venture capital, Sofar Sounds. And though each attendee paid $15-$30 to attend, the artists will be compensated with some footage of their performance."
(Via Is Sofar Sounds The Uber Of House Concerts? - hypebot.)
My best house concert yet! Tom Brosseau was so kind, gentle, and has such a smooth voice. I couldn’t believe that I was even able to pull this one off. His next stop was going to be Prairie Home Companion! I’m hoping to be able to post the whole concert on my YouTube channel soon.
This was supposed to be a “House Concert” but this show actually took place in the Superelectric space at the 78th street studios. Alex Ounsworth was as a little sheepish as usual, but talented as always. Wasn’t necessarily a great space for an acoustic show, but overall worth it! He is still one of my favorite songwriters and vocalists!
Mechanic Street House Concerts had a late call for Arc Iris to perform yesterday, but they were still able to pull in a full crowd for this show. No openers, but two sets by Arc Iris proved to be quite a treat. They came out on stage looking like a futuristic, folk gypsies - and had the music to match.
Oh - and that set…
The House Concerts have been popping up all over Cleveland Heights lately. This one was in a great house near Cedar-Fairmount, on a Sunday night… and as a first, there were openers! Seeing Frontier Ruckus in such an intimate atmosphere is the best way to see them. The conversations, the sound, the saw, the dog that humped everything that moved… it was all spectacular. And big thanks to that guy randomly passing out beers. The only downside was the lighting for photos, as I didn’t want to use a flash. (iPhone vs. DSLR)
My first house concert of 2014! I was so excited to find Austin Craig, and that he was willing to come and play for a bunch of strangers in my living room. I ended up with a decent turnout for a cold Friday night in January. Not technically a full house, but just the right number of people to keep everything manageable.
Austin’s voice just soared in my living room…
He also really seemed to enjoy the format, and having the time to play a longer set for people. We liked it too, turning out some gems like Springsteen’s Atlantic City.
I’m ready for my next one… I think Oslo enjoyed it too.
One week before I host my next house House Concert - I was able to head over to a random house in University Heights to catch Alec Ounsworth, the lead singer of one of my favorite bands (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah). He’s using that Undertow service to host an all house concert tour - what a great idea. This show left me thinking even more highly of Alec and his talent. His voice in this setting was amazing… Getting to hear CYHSY songs in this new format was a real treat.
I’m excited to have my next house concert planned! Save the date of Friday, January 31st. Austin Craig will be my 5th House Concert. Austin is a singer/songwriter from Akron (I believe) - at least Akron felt like his home town when I first caught him opening for Joe Pug at Musica. It didn’t take me long before I thought he would be great for my next show. I then got to catch him again at the Beachland. I think you guys will really like him.
Same rules as always. All proceeds go to the artist. I’ll have beer. Bring food if you’d like to share. Please RSVP on FaceBook - or email me at thezenderagenda@gmail.com. Hope to see you there!
A surprise performance at a friend's house, Lucy Wainwright Roche stopped by Avon, OH on her way to her performance at Oberlin. Having missed that announcement, I was so happy to catch her on this night. Having already seen her father, brother & sister… I can almost say she's my favorite out of her musical family dynasty. Funny, insightful, and an angelic voice. I can't wait to see her headline a show at the Beachland Tavern sometime (or maybe my own house concert!!)
The 4th installment of the Princeton Road Sessions took place the night before Easter to a "sold out" crowd at my house. I couldn't have been more thrilled with how it turned out. I was really glad to hear Drew Gibson had a great experience too… Thanks to all who came! Here's a clip:
(watch the entire concert here)
One Week Away! Please RSVP if you're interested in attending…
