As venues become harder to get into and the world becomes more oversaturated with bands and musicians than ever, I have come to one conclusion. House shows are the future. You don’t need to go through the trouble of working with a promoter or booking a venue, just play at one of your friend’s houses.
Of course, some bands may still be a bit iffy on playing at a house. What if no one shows up? It really doesn’t matter, because in a house you’ll definitely be able to find a room that will look packed even if there’s only two people watching you play (the bathroom for example). Seriously though, as long as you play in a town with a healthy music scene or one with a university and/or college (such as Guelph), there will always be a decent-sized crowd that will show up to any house show. People love the intimacy of seeing an amazing band or heartfelt acoustic troubadour play in a living room or on a back porch, and being able to talk to them after as if they are hanging out with them at a party. The artists will love the instant cred-boost they will get from playing house shows (they’re in touch with the fans, man), and the sound quality is always surprisingly good. Plus, there is guaranteed to be an abundance of cool photos and videos taken of you that you can put up on your Facebook page for months of use. House shows also operate on a pay-what-you-can/pass-the-hat type of system, and people are generally more inclined to be generous while sitting on a couch than if they’ve been paying for drinks all night in a bar.
House shows are definitely the future of live music, and once you’ve been to one where a 10-piece band is playing in a tiny front room and you’re with friends, dancing on someone else’s furniture, you’ll be inclined to agree.
-Scott Kendall
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