House Concerts
****Hi! A quick note about house concerts before you read the rest of this page. I recognize you may be continuing to take precautions against the Coronavirus pandemic. I'm glad to work within your comfort zone to make a safe house concert happen for you and your audience.
Already know you’d like to host a house concert with WILBR? Great! Reach out to booking@wilbrmusic.com and we’ll get started planning a wonderful evening together.
Still need some convincing? Read on!
What is a house concert?
A house concert is a concert… in your home! Or in your backyard, on your deck, in your church’s basement - any space you have access to that can fit a kiddie pool (not required) and a music-loving crowd. Creativity is an ally here… my friends have even played on a roof (The Honey Badgers… check them out!)!
A house concert is also a gathering, a coming together of friends and/or strangers in a time when it is all too easy to feel disconnected from our fellow humans. They are cozy, intimate evenings to enjoy music and each other.
Why house concerts?
Having attended house concerts as a performer and audience-member, the atmosphere is completely unique to those sorts of shows. The nature of house concerts is to allow and encourage connection and togetherness. And we’re all about that. House concerts are rooted in community. And also… they’re really fun. Friends, food, drink, live music, real conversation - what's better than that?
From an artist's standpoint, house concerts give us the chance to reach new fans and to really connect with our audience. We write songs that are thoughtful, passionate, grieving, joyful, wondering, and we want you to feel them. Don’t get us wrong, we deeply enjoy playing in bars and breweries, but many patrons there are feeling the beer more than the music! :)
What's needed from the host?
- A space where your friends can comfortably sit down for an hour or so.
- A minimum of 15 attendees who want to listen to original music.
Think you’d like to host a house concert? You probably have a few more questions. Like…
Do I need a mansion to host this thing?
Nope, not at all! Cozy living rooms work perfectly. As long as there is space for me to stand and for around 15 people to sit, you’re golden.
Does it cost money to host a house concert?
Yes and no. I do not charge an upfront fee for house concerts. Instead, I rely on donations from the audience. It’s helpful to communicate to your guests ahead of time that it will be a donation based concert. I also ask that you make an announcement regarding donations during our performance. I'll walk you through it, don’t worry!
How many people should come?
House shows can be incredible with a small group of 15 people, a crowd of 100, or anything in between. It’s up to you to decide how many people you would be comfortable hosting. I do ask for a minimum of 15 attendees, for two reasons: 1) 15 music lovers is when it really starts to feel like a special event and 2) with less than 15 people, traveling to perform is less financially viable.
Once you’ve decided how many guests you’d ideally like to have, I encourage you to invite at least double that amount. Based on past experience, it seems that approximately 50% of the people you invite will actually end up coming to the concert!
Do I have to provide food and drinks?
Not necessarily! You are free to set out a whole spread of food and drinks if that’s what floats your boat, but it is not at all required. You can make the event a potluck, you can provide snacks and make it BYOB, or you can set out a pitcher of water and a pot of coffee and call it a night!
I’m worried about planning an event like this.
I will walk you through every step of the process, and ideally there won’t be a ton of effort required from you. We’ll need to pick a date together, and a start time. You’ll make a Facebook event or send out an invitation (email or snail mail), and if you like, I can provide you with a template for the event or invite. For the actual concert, think of it like hanging out with friends! We’ll mingle, play some music, mingle some more - that’s it!
Will there be strangers coming to my house?
Again, not necessarily. Your house concert can be completely private if you prefer. I will list the date on my website as “Private House Concert”. Sometimes fans may reach out and ask if they can attend. This is entirely up to you - I’ll pass along your address only if you are 100% comfortable with it.
What is the order of events for the evening?
Generally the order of events is as follows: Your guests will arrive and mingle for 30 minutes to an hour, then listen to the music for around an hour or a little more, and then usually another half hour of guests mingling with each other and myself and purchasing stickers, t-shirts, and other things I offer for listeners to support the work. We can nail down the specific timing of the evening together.
Do you need a place to crash?
Hey, thanks for asking! If you have an extra bed or a floor for a sleeping bag I would feel so grateful for somewhere to rest my head. The cost of housing can make it difficult to break even financially while on tour. You would be helping me so much by giving me a place to sleep. I promise to be well-behaved. :) That being said, there is NO PRESSURE to house me. I'm totally fine packing up and getting on the road after the show. I appreciate you so much just for hosting a house concert for WILBR!
Will you play some background music for my house party?
That’s a little bit different than what I'm describing here. My hope with a house concert is that folks are listening, engaged, & that the music is the central focus of the event, just as if you were going to an actual concert. So, if you're looking to have an event where people are socializing while I'm providing background music, feel free to shoot me an email about your party, and we can discuss rates!