Music Loving, Lovely People...

House Concerts are my favorite. The artist is there by invitation and is met with open, welcoming arms and smiling, happy faces. There are no loud talking people, shouted orders from the bar; no pool tables with balls clanking and loudly cracking together.  No one shouts, “keep it down up there, we are trying to talk!” 

As so many such gigs can take a heavy toll on the heart of musicians, house concerts and listening rooms are restorative to their very soul. All of the disappointments and discouraging situations from these “gigs from hell” are brushed away by these wonderful, caring, music loving people who open their homes and embrace original music.

Sunday, my son, Eric Erdman played one of my favorite house concerts. The people who hosted this event had seen him at Manci’s and then returned for another of his local gigs with friends in tow. They approached him about booking a house concert. I’ve never been to a house concert that I did not enjoy. This one was fabulous!

The people who booked him were some of the nicest you would ever care to meet. They have an absolutely gorgeous home complete with a two bedroom garage apartment that they use to house out of town musicians who come to their concerts. Their home includes the most beautiful view of Fowl River and everything about their home is beautiful. This includes their fabulous dog, Scarlet who greets you at the door and comes by for a little pat, scratch or tidbit of food if you are willing to share.

I learned that the hosts (Sue and Joe) are each from families of 11 children. So when they have get-togethers, the crowd is unlike any family gathering you could imagine as far as sheer numbers. Throw in a few friends or co-workers and you have a big party going on at their place.

Sue made a huge pot of seafood gumbo and she said that all the seafood included in the gumbo was caught by them. There was dozens of dishes of food to try and desserts were plentiful. One visitor made delicious petit fours that she topped with music notes on some and my son’s initials on the others! What a nice personal touch!

Mixed in the crowd were a couple of family members who are musicians. A brother who sings and plays guitar but is actually a veterinarian by trade. A sister who lives in Birmingham; she plays piano and organ for her church and she told some stories about that during the break and at the end of the show. She had us doubling over laughing as she told of a demanding, controlling priest who is 82 years old, very grumpy and is also her boss.

Another sister spoke of living in a subdivision on the Eastern Shore where my oldest son lived for years. We talked a while about the convenience of that location and the massive mall across the street that includes nice restaurants, a theater, a bowling alley, a Publix grocery market and a game venue in addition to all of the fine shops of all sorts. By the time we finished our conversation I felt like I had known her for years.

Sue and Joe come from the nicest families. The Sweeneys and the Steadmans were well represented at the show. These are people who are down to earth, personable, friendly and all of them love original music. 

House Concerts like this one are spirit lifting for the musicians and entertaining for the audience. It gives the musician the opportunity to relax, talk about his or her songs, then play them with pride. People laugh at appropriate points and applaud at appropriate points because they are actually listening to the music!

This event was a win-win kind of event for the audience and the artist. I would like to say "Thank You" to Sue, Joe and Scarlet for a fabulous evening!