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House calls

Home-based concerts prove downright neighborly

Marc Shulgold, Rocky Mountain News

Published February 24, 2006 at midnight

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Mainstream rock shows featuring screaming electric guitars and screaming fans have their place - in sports arenas. But what if you're a bit old (or mellow) for such massive, ear-splitting spectaculars?

What if your musical tastes lean toward quiet folk songs sung by a guy in a plaid shirt strumming an acoustic guitar? Where do you go?

Try checking around your neighborhood.

Along the Front Range, dedicated folk fans regularly convert their homes into concert venues, where itinerant musicians perform for intimate gatherings.

They're called house concerts, and they're springing up in living rooms from Connecticut to California.

Not that the concept is new - in fact, it's as old as music itself. In the Renaissance, wealthy artisans entertained dinner guests with live music; in the early 19th century, Schubert hosted house concerts he dubbed "Schubertiads;" and in the mid-1800s, music-lovers gathered in private, candle-lit rooms to listen to Liszt or Chopin play the piano.

Today, folk music is the main attraction for home-based concerts. But it's more than the music, local presenters insist.

"Beyond supporting the musicians, we feel that we're building community," said Debbie Ching, who with her husband, Greg, hosts the Aspen Meadows series in their home outside of Boulder.

The couple moved here 10 years ago, and began searching for a house big enough to hold concerts. Fittingly, the Chings had first met at a house concert in California.

After they found a suitable home, Debbie recalled, "it took a while to get up the gumption" to launch their own series. "We started out as a folk B&B for traveling musicians."

Finally, in 1996, they hosted their first concert here, with singer-songwriter T.R. Ritchie. This June, Aspen Meadows will present its 100th show.

It's not all about the music. Many house concerts start with a pot luck and finish with more mingling.

Each one usually begins with a pot luck. The music, it seems, is only part of the attraction: Concerts often become social gatherings.

"It's not just a concert," said Dwight Mark, who hosts a series in the Highlands neighborhood. "It's a way to connect with your community. People want to be a part of something in their neighborhood."

Like the Chings, Mark's house-hunting centered on finding a space suitable for concerts. "This was a dream of mine," he said of the home/concert hall he found near Speer and Federal boulevards. "I had to knock out a wall, but it has turned out just right."

For presenters, house concerts are about the music and friends.

"To be honest, these programs are a little self-serving," said Jon Eckhard, who hosts the Front Porch series in Boulder with his wife, Luana.

"We enjoy getting to know these (performers) we admire. But it has since evolved into a community thing, and a way to introduce our friends to these artists."

Beyond the warm-and-fuzzy feelings of the format, there is the hard reality for itinerant folk musicians, for whom these series are simply a financial necessity. There are precious few places for them to perform their radio-unfriendly music.

Most Denver folk fans are familiar with concerts at Swallow Hill Music Hall. And many house-concert performers have appeared at that respected Yale Avenue facility. But there are only so many dates available there.

A performer's take at a house concert can total $600 or more (for income-tax purposes, presenters must hand over all proceeds to the musicians). That's not counting CD sales. In addition, traveling performers get much-appreciated lodging for the night and - perhaps most important - a chance to play for people who'll actually listen.

Guitarist Kraig Kenning performs at house concerts and libraries exclusively, Mark noted. "He told me he's been doing that for 15 years. He got tired of playing in noisy bars."

The proliferation of house concerts is nationwide, and the Internet has played a key role in linking folk musicians, concert presenters and audience members. Individual house concert Web sites announce events, provide videos of past concerts and post links to artists' home pages.

"I think I was the first one around here to put up a Web site," said Bruce Blew, who hosts the Acoustic Avenue series in his Longmont home with wife, Dale. He added that the lines of communication between presenters have remained open and that there's been no cut-throat competition to book bigger-name acts.

"We'll announce other house concerts on our mailings," Blew said. In that spirit, Mark recently created , listing numerous other series.

With so many traveling folk-singers playing in so many homes, it's up to the host to screen out the crowd-pleasing performers from the duds. Presenters such as the Chings and the Eckhards travel to folk festivals and the annual Folk Alliance conference, held recently in Texas.

Presenters understand their responsibility to audiences.

"Most people don't know who these artists are," Eckhard noted. "So they have to trust our taste.

"Lu and I will only have (performers) we are passionate about and have seen in person."

Indeed, they've learned that hosting a house concert is about more than just gathering friends and family in a spacious living room. They now demand plenty of time and commitment from presenters.

"It's a labor of love," Eckhard noted.

Best seats in the house

Where to find intimate concerts across the Front Range

• Acoustic Avenue - Presented monthly by Bruce and Dale Blew, the Longmont series will present James Lee Stanley (March 26), Scott and Michelle Dalziel (April 29) and David Lamotte (May 18). Information: 303-859-9783 or 303-859-9838, or visit .

• Aspen Meadows - Deborah and Greg Ching host concerts in their Nederland home west of Boulder. Upcoming: David Jacobs-Strain (March 5), Peter Mayer (April 10; sold out), Carrie Newcomer (May 4; sold out). Information: 303-442-8855 or visit .

• Front Porch - This Boulder series is hosted by Jon and Luana Eckhard. Upcoming: Arthur Lee Land (March 4), Peter Mayer (April 6) and Cliff Eberhardt (May 6). Information: 303-673-0965 or visit .

• Highlands - Local musician Dwight Mark hosts a series in his newly renovated home in Denver's Highlands neighborhood. Upcoming: Laurence Juber (March 4), Mollie O'Brien and Rich Moore (April 1), Kraig Kenning (Sept. 15), Boulder Acoustic Society (Oct. 14). Information:

• Other series - Folk-oriented house concerts are presented in Lyons, Fort Collins, Salina, Golden, Pagosa Springs and Boulder. Schedules for other regional series can be found at and .

Marc Shulgold is the music and dance writer. or 303-892-5296