The Aching Hearts

Our last house concert of the season was such a special night!  Ryan and Kelly were with us a couple years ago when Ryan performed a solo house concert.  Their joint project, The Aching Hearts, suits both of their musical styles so well.  The crowd loved the classic country twist that they brought to the show, and we all got a kick out of their onstage chemistry and stories. 

 The house was packed, and it was so great to be able to give Ryan and Kelly all the support they deserve. 

Of course the house was full of pickers, and it was truly a treat to have a fiddle player like Ryan join the jam afterward. 

 Ryan and Kelly are kindred spirits, and it was so great to be able to connect and visit with them again.  The fall house concert series ended in fine form with this band.  We continue to feel so thankful and lucky that we are able to host these concerts.  Sharing this music with like-minded music friends and family, and supporting these amazing musicians, is truly one of the most fulfilling things in my life.   

 

3 Penny Acre

The house concert we hosted in October was one that we've been looking forward to for so long.  We've been listening to 3 Penny Acre for years, and were so thrilled to host them this fall.

 It was a beautiful fall night, and we had a great crowd in the house.  Bayard, Bryan, and Bernice are three of the nicest people we have had the pleasure of meeting through our house concert series.  Their songwriting, playing, and their chemistry on stage was so captivating. 

 They shared so many sweet, touching, interesting, and funny stories from the stage, which is truly one of the greatest things about house concerts.  The intimacy and quiet of this setting allows musicians to share so much more with the audience.  I love that the artists feel like they can tell the extended versions of the stories that accompany their songs. 

We really felt like we connected with these new friends of ours and were so thankful that they were able to be a part of this fall's house concert series. 

Ari, Mia, & Owen

This show had been on the books for a long time and we were so looking forward to it!  Ari & Mia Friedman and their accompanying guitar player Owen Marshall were SO great and we felt so thankful to have them join us for our first house concert of the fall season.

It was a great night, the house was full, the stories were funny and touching, and the music was captivating.  It was the first time having a cello in the house, which was exciting too!

The jam after the show was certainly the highlight of the night for Brian since it was a true old-time jam, which we don't get to partake in too often...and since that's Brian's preference (or obsession I should say), that was a real treat for him to go round and round the circle playing along with the fiddle to his favorite old time tunes.

We enjoyed the show so much that we couldn't wait to pick Sadie up and take her to a kid-friendly house concert the following afternoon so that she could enjoy their music too!  And what a treat to be able to host them for one final night of their Colorado tour and to get the chance to visit, knit, and play a bit more before   they headed down the road!

Five Things Friday

1.  Tomorrow will be our second house concert of the fall season and I am oh so excited.  Probably means it's time to blog about the first of the season.  I due time.  Nonetheless, house concert nights are my very favorite nights of all.  Especially this time of the year.  It's cool and crisp outside, and warm and cozy inside.  The house fills up with friends (old and new) and family.  There are smells galore as people share their homemade goodies at the pre-show potluck.  There are smiles and hugs and laughter.  And then the music.  And the quiet and peace that falls over the crowd as we take in the beauty of yet another perfect night of acoustic music.  Ah.......

2.  I've been purging and organizing and simplifying and it feels SO GOOD!  It started with the guest room closet...expanded to the garage, then the pantry, the store-everything-that-doesn't-have-a-place extra kitchen cabinets, then the junk drawer.  And moved into my office yesterday.  I feel like a weight has been lifted off my shoulders.  Rather than spring cleaning...I find that I want to declutter and simplify going into winter.  I want my home to be clean and organized before I cozy up for the season.  And we're making some serious progress on this front!

3.  Last weekend we had the most glorious date night.  Dinner at a new to us restaurant, Fruition, and then the Todd Snider concert, which is always one of our very favorite live shows.  Such a fun night with my favorite person in the world.


4. This.  Nothing makes me happier....

5.  I'm on a mission for the following items for the house....
vinyl storage inspired by this
console table for the top of our stairs

Finnders and Youngberg

We definitely ended this spring's house concert series on a high note.  It was our first repeat performance, and it was by far the biggest crowd we've had yet, at nearly 80 people.  

After getting all our house concert chores done, we treated ourselves to a lunch date, and then a nap.  So we felt rested and excited by the time the crowd started showing up.

Our last house concert with Finnders & Youngberg was one of my favorites, and was the favorite of many of our attendees.  I always knew that if we had any repeat performers, it would be this band.  They are SO talented, so charming and engaging, and the songwriting in this band is some of the best in the business. 

It actually worked beautifully to have so many people in the house.  It was such a great night of music.  And quite possibly the best post-show jam we've ever had happened afterward.

As I always am after the last show of the season, I find myself thankful for a break for the summer.  But I know that without fail I will be ready to start up again by fall. What a lucky life we lead to get to host these concerts in our home and to know these lovely people who make such great music.

Evie and Keith

The house concert we hosted with Evie Ladin and Keith Terry was by far the most interesting, unique, and unexpected of all the house concerts I've ever seen.


Brian and I have been fans of Evie's for years.  We love the all-female old-time band that she played banjo for, and have listened to them for a long time.  On a whim, I emailed Evie about a year ago (or more) to see if they'd come play for us.

Over the course of a few emails, we agreed to host Evie and her husband Keith Terry as a duo show.

Evie's background is in Appalachian old-time music, and buck dancing.  Keith comes from a more jazz-based and body percussion background.


And the show that the two of them put on, and the combination of their unique backgrounds, is truly something to behold.  I think my face hurt by the end of the night from smiling so much.

This is how they started the show!


And then this happened....

Oh, and they were just the loveliest people.  I had no idea what we were in for with this show, and I was just so, so pleased with every single thing about the night.

I continue to be amazed and full of gratitude for the opportunities that we have to meet these musicians from around the country and call them friends moving forward.

The Railsplitters

Here we are, mere days away from our last house concert of this season, and I have yet to blog about the first of the season, which happened all the way back in March!  Well, life has certainly been busy since then....

But it has still been one of the best seasons yet!  What a great time we had with The Railsplitters.  Sometimes we book bands for a house concert without ever having seen them live.  Sometimes I have a lot of anxiety about that...it's a bit of a gamble.  BUT...I had no worries about this show...I just knew it would be great, and that our concert attendees would absolutely love it.

And they  did!  There was so much admiration, love, and energy in the room during this house concert.  The Railsplitters are a relatively new band, but it's like they are MEANT to be playing together.  I can tell how much fun they are having on stage together, and how much love they have for the music they are making.

The house was packed, and there were a lot of new faces in attendance, which is always nice.

And a killer pick ensued afterward...which is always such a great way to finish a house concert night.

I cannot wait to see how things develop for this band....they have so much potential!  They're on their way to releasing their first album, they're booking more shows all the time, and they're getting more attention locally all the time.  So thankful that we had them play as part of our series...before they're too big for our little living room!

Waiting On Trial

Preparations for this house concert started out a bit (a lot, actually) differently than every other house concert we've hosted.  It all started when Brian left for Nebraska on Friday morning.  And I was left with a three-year-old, an old dog, 4 out of 4 grandparents in another state, my closest neighbor friend and helper laid up from back surgery, and 60 people on the list for the house concert.  Oy.  I was in for a rough weekend on my own.  And I won't lie and tell you that I was feeling confident about the situation.

Brian and his family were on their way to Nebraska to mourn the passing and celebrate the life of his maternal grandfather, Grandpa Sharp.  As he drove away, I was still feeling conflicted about whether or not I should have been in the car with him. We had talked about it at length.  We agreed that Sadie is both too old (to be oblivious) and too young (to really understand) to take to a funeral.  We know that 20 hours over 3 days with a three year old in a car is rough (to say the least).  We didn't have anyone to leave her with in Colorado if I went with Brian to Nebraska.  We decided that it would be best for me to stay home with Sadie.

And then I thought, hey, if I'm going to be in town, I should go on with the house concert, right?  The band is coming all the way from Durango.  We booked this show over 6 months ago.  Over 60 people have RSVPed.  We love to do this.  I'll have plenty of help.  It'll be fine!  Positive thinking!

I won't get into all the variations of plans I had for Sadie.  Needless to say, by the time the house concert began, I was on Childcare Plan E or F.  And wasn't even sure how that would go.  

But I made a plan.  On Thursday night, Brian and I did all our house concert preparation "stuff", which is usually done on Friday night and Saturday morning, and includes moving all our furniture and earthly belongings into the garage (obviously I couldn't do this on my own). 

Sadie and I spent Friday and Friday night outside and upstairs.  I slowly finished getting ready for the show.  I picked and set up the rental chairs, and finished getting the house ready.  I fretted about whether the band (who are young, carefree, hard to get a hold of, and were traveling through a snowstorm) would actually show up. I missed my husband and grieved for his loss.  And I drank beer at lunch.  In front of the neighbors.  Oh well....

After Sadie woke up from her nap on Saturday, I took her to my saint-of-a-neighbor who had swooped in at the 11th hour, offered to miss the house concert, and agreed to bake cookies and color with Sadie and hopefully get her to bed at her house.  I was already exhausted, still having mild to moderate anxiety about the whole situation, and tried to lie down and chill out.  I was as ready as I could be. 

I'm probably sounding a bit dramatic here.  What's the big deal?, you might be thinking.  Well, here's the thing.  This happens to me whenever I'm away from Brian in situations where I'm used to having him by my side.  I'm a confident, independent, perfectly capable woman.  I can parent, and host parties, and camp, and adventure, and road trip, and navigate the world very well on my own.  But what makes me feel like the luckiest girl ever is that I found a man who makes all that easier and better and more fun when we do it together.  It's not that I can't do stuff on my own (and do, a lot), I just like it better when we do some things as a team.  Like house concerts.  Not only are they logistically a two-person job (seriously), but I just feel like they go so much better when we do it together.  We make the house concert magic happen as a team.  And he was far away, and he was sad, and I was exhausted, and my kid was sort-of a mess, and I wanted him with me.  Wah!

Anyway, that was my mind-set going into the night.  And then it happened.  The house concert thing.  The magic.  The sparkle and beauty and fun and community and warmth that fill my home when we host these house concerts took over.  And it was the best night ever.  Just like every other house concert night is the best night ever.

I may have been a bit emotional.  I may have gotten a little tipsy.  But these friends and acquaintances and strangers and musicians and family were all there.  And we got wrapped up in each other and the music for a few hours.  And it was such a good thing. 

The boys from Waiting on Trail DID show up (on time)!.  They were the loveliest boys (I call them boys because they are.  Young bluegrassers from a college town.  Oh they were so cute and sweet).

They picked their hearts out.  They figured out that playing for a quiet room of music lovers (rather than a noisy bar full of drunks) has its perks.  And I think they found their footing and some inspiration in this new, quiet, respectful type of venue.

There was a lot of great food, great conversation, great beer, GREAT MUSIC, some heart-to-hearts, some Scamper tours, some pickin', some yelling, and some dancing.

I finally crawled into bed at the neighbor's house with Sadie around 3 a.m.  I got a few hours of sleep before Sadie was up and at it early the next morning.  I somehow got the house put back together and cleaned before Brian came home that afternoon.  I didn't want him coming home to mayhem.  He'd had a harder weekend than I had.  But I was sure happy to have him by my side again.