An Interview With Amy Speace

IMA Vox Populi Winner (Best Country Song) and International Folk Alliance nominee for emerging artist of the year Amy Speace offered to share her House Concert experiences. Amy’s latest effort, Songs For Bright Street (2006), is available on Wildflower Records.

AP: What first attracted you to house concerts? Did you ever envision yourself playing sold out shows in living rooms, or was the direction home something of a curveball?

AS: I wasn't aware of house concerts at all until I went to my first Folk Alliance Conference in 2003 and met a lot of folks presenting these concerts who were scoping for new talent. I was invited to open for someone at my first concert, which was a nice introduction to both the whole house concert scene and also the adjustment you have to make as a performer for these kinds of intimate shows. I guess you can say the direction was a curveball, but a really welcome curveball that has completely changed my entire way of looking at the relationship between artist and audience in a more organic, welcoming way that is more about community than consumer/product.

AP: How many house concerts do you play each year?

AS: Maybe 40% of my shows a year are house concerts. Maybe less. One or two a tour. They are Friday/Saturday night shows and the ones I play mostly book 6 months to 2 years out.

AP: How does dealing with a house presenter differ than dealing with a club booker?

AS: The difference is most club bookers are not physically at the club when you play so your contact with them stops at the booking. Also, it's easier to book a club solely on your press kit whereas 99% of house concert bookers have to see you perform in person before they will even take a chance on you as an opener. The other difference is that most house concert presenters are true fans of acoustic music, so as opposed to the "too cool for school" booker who rarely shows up and if he/she does, they hang at the back of the bar barely listening but counting ticket money, the presenter of the house concert is usually dancing and singing along.

AP: How does the house concert experience differ from the club/theatre experience?

AS: Totally different. Most house concerts are family-friendly, allowing parents to bring their kids, and not deal with smoky bars and loud barnoise while the performer attempts to sing. The audiences are there specifically to hear the performer. Most are unplugged, so there's an intimacy like a campfire that no club can offer. Plus, most house concerts are pot-luck suppers, too, and there's the opportunity to hang out with your audience, and have a real conversation before the show, at the intermission and after the show.

I find audiences who I've met at house concerts are the folks who become my true fans, the ones that will go out of their way to drive a few extra miles when I play a good club. And with this kind of informality, there's the opportunity for me as a performer to step outside of my staid "set" and try new things, try new songs, talk directly to the audience who I can see (as opposed to squinting through the darkness) and share some stories, like back stories to the songs I might not include in my regular show.

AP: What are the pros & cons of house concerts?

AS: Well, if you're the kind of performer who can excel without a sound system and who likes to interact with your audience, making new friends, etc., I think there are few cons. House Concerts favor folk or acoustic acts, smaller pared down shows, conversational freeflowing shows, rather than any kind of staged show. Most house concerts I've done are totally unplugged. I've done a few with PA systems and even some with my full band, but we have to pare our sound down quite a bit in order to keep it intimate. The pros: hanging out with your audience, being heard (not having to fight over bar din) and so the probability of selling CD's is higher. The cons: hanging out with your audience (if you're shy or antisocial), being heard (if you're not great without a mic).

AP: Is it possible to pocket more cash from a house concert than from a regular club gig?

AS: Absolutely. Tenfold. Most house concerts take only a small percentage of the door proceeds and keep no % of the CD Sales.

AP: How about artist/audience rapport- do you interact differently with a house concert crowd than you normally do with a club crowd? Is there a familial feel when you play in a family room?

AS: Totally. You aren't on a stage above your audience, but rather, hanging out in someone's living room or backyard with your audience. I talk more when I'm playing House Concerts, tell more stories. it's like a campfire.

AP: How do club bookers react when they find out that you have house concert dates in the vicinity of their venues? Do they mind?

AS: I've never had any problem with that.

AP: Should bookers feel threatened by artists playing house shows in their area?

AS: Not really as I think the folks who are regulars at house concerts, if they like you, would follow you to the club date, and if they don't, they probably wouldn't be going to clubs anyway.

AP: Could you recount your most memorable house concert? Any anecdotes? Yarns? Cautionary tales?

AS: I've had many. The band played at the Fox Run House Concert in Sudbury, MA, which was one of my favorite shows of the past few years. Great hosts who have become friends and a really amazing (and sold-out) audience. There are so many and different kinds...big houses with great big listening rooms, some have built a pseudo-stage. Some are small, a few folks in someone's living room. I've played Unitarian Church house concerts, basement house concerts, backyard concerts. Even NYC apartment concerts. My only tale was the house concert where the hosts had 15 cats and the house stank of the litter box and I'm terribly allergic to cats. I had a very hard time playing that one, but I didn't want to be rude. I've learned now to make sure to ask a lot of questions before going into someone's house. If the hosts offer to feed you, make sure to let them know food allergies or likes/dislikes. Pet problems. If they are hosting you for the night, ask if you'll be put up on the couch or in a bed. Also, find out if it's ok to advertise the concert to your own mailing list or if the host would prefer to keep the show closed to their own friends. And agree on the guarantee, if there is one, ahead of time.

AP: What are you currently listening to?

AS: Jonathan Byrd's album "This Is The New That". Anais Mitchell "The Brightness". Jud Caswell "Blackberry Time". Ryan Adams. Snow Patrol.

An Interview With Victoria Vox

DIY chanteuse Victoria Vox offers her professional opinion. Vox’s latest, "Victoria Vox and Her Jumping Flea" is available in stores now.

AP: How did you become a House Concert performer? What drew you to the venue?

VV: First starting out, I was rather turned off by the idea of playing in someone's living room. Now, I love to play house concerts or even private parties in a living room or backyard. It's the most intimate type of concert you can get. The attendees can truly interact with the artist on a level that they wouldn't be able to in a venue. Questions in between, hanging out for dinner, grabbing a drink ;) It's really great!

AP: What are the pros & cons of house concerts?

VV: House concerts are definitely the grass roots way to go. I think some people feel uncomfortable going to some strangers house to sit on their couch and listen to music. Many times, the house concerts can already have a build in audience / mailing list. If heading to a town for the first time, this is a great way to get your name out to some of the locals.

AP: Is it possible to pocket more cash from a house concert than from a regular club gig?

VV: Absolutely!

AP: How about artist/audience rapport- do you interact differently with a house concert crowd than you normally do with a club crowd? Is there a familial feel when you play in a family room?

VV: There is definitely a familial feel when I play in someone's living room. It's cool. Everyone is just "hangin' out.”

AP: Should bookers feel threatened by artists playing house shows in their area?

VV: I don't think so. I think it's a completely different market.

AP: What are you currently listening to?

VV: At the moment, i am sitting in silence next to a red light (that means "recording"). I'm at a writing retreat in Sturgeon Bay, WI with about 25 other writers. We all put in one hotel (just us as the only guests) and we played spin the bottle to team up and co-write songs. I already finished and recorded our tune... so i'm in the little hotel cafe, sitting very quietly. This week is about writing... though I am enjoying Feist's new album very very very much when I'm driving around!