For the Artists
"Dear Matthew, you inspired me to say yes to more house concerts."
Walter Parks
Walter Parks
Thank you so much for checking out my website! I appreciate that you are interested in performing on this series. I've written here some information that can help you decide if a Passion House Concert is a good fit for you. I am confident that all of the artists who have already performed on this series will give me a great reference. It is my mission to provide an ideal concert experience in every way, both for my audience and you!
What I offer:
To date I have hosted nine successful house concerts including seven under the "Passion House Concert" name.
Attendance has ranged from 20-35 people. I'm hoping to grow my audience this year as more people become familiar with the series.
Huntersville, NC is 20 minutes north of Charlotte. It is near Asheville, Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, Winston Salem, Greensboro, Columbia SC, and Charleston SC. It is four hours from Atlanta and six hours from Nashville. It's a great location to add if you are touring the Southeast. This region of the country is growing fast and hungry for quality music.
If you need a minimum income, I am happy to discuss it with you.
I also offer full overnight accommodations to artists. You will have a quiet, clean, Airbnb-quality bedroom and bathroom to yourself for as long as you need to stay. You'll also have access to my great practice studio upstairs if you need a private room to warm up or practice.
I sponsor a songwriting club at the high school where I teach, and I may be able to organize a workshop on songwriting, guitar, or performance if that interests you.
What I would like from you:
Usually artists on this series perform two sets with a 10-15 minute intermission. 45 minutes followed by 30-40 minutes is ideal. I will assume this is what you'll do unless you ask for a different arrangement, which I am happy to discuss.
Let me know when you book the show if you are playing solo or if someone is accompanying you. Let me know also if you need your own amplification or have a stage plot. I have several quality amps (Fishman Loudbox, Henricksen Bud, Goodsell tube amp) and a Fender Passport P.A. system, two Shure SM 58 mics, cables, DI box, and various other gear I can devote to the cause if necessary.
Finally, while I definitely don't expect you to fill the house with your own audience (I hustle to bring in a great audience for you), I do ask that you make a good faith effort to publicize the show in whatever way you are able to. That means putting my concert on the tour page of your website, letting your mailing list know about the show, and maybe doing a shout-out or two on social media (Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram) about the concert. In the past I have had some artists ask to do a concert with me in 'secret' so they can also pursue larger venues in the area that require them to avoid performing nearby. Some house concert hosts are ok with this, and I do understand how this can work well in certain situations. However, I have decided that this arrangement is not a good fit for me. If you commit to performing a show on my series, please make it public and allow me to publicize it to the best of my ability.
For artists I haven't seen live:
Since putting up this web site I have started receiving between one and five emails a week from touring artists and managers seeking to book concerts. I am very flattered, and I wish I could book all of you! I apologize for not responding to every inquiry. I am very intentional about who I book. The series is not a regular thing; it depends on who is in town and on my own work/life schedule. Also, I rarely book acts that I haven't first seen live. If you or the artist you represent is playing in my region, let me know and I will do my best to go and see them. It is possible that I will book an act that I haven't seen live if I'm really impressed by their music online, but it's less likely. Promoting these concerts takes a lot of work, and I call the series "Passion House Concerts" because I need to be passionate about every artist I bring in if I am going to convince my audience to take a chance on a musician they likely haven't heard before.
Also, the artists I book are not the most well known names, but they are professionals of the highest caliber. While many of them play music that can arguably fall in the singer-songwriter genre, they are highly proficient on their chosen instruments. Many have been featured in Acoustic Guitar Magazine. Click on the Youtube clips featuring David Jacobs-Strain, Vicki Genfan, or any of the musicians featured on this site. So far Sean McGowan is the only pure instrumentalist I have booked, but every musician on this series could easily play a full house concert on their instrument alone. And most of the artists on this series are triple threats: They can play, sing, and write at a professional level. They have developed a mature and unique artistic voice. This is a high standard, but if you believe that you meet it, feel free to drop me a line, invite me to a show, or suggest a concert date. And best of luck out there!
What I offer:
To date I have hosted nine successful house concerts including seven under the "Passion House Concert" name.
Attendance has ranged from 20-35 people. I'm hoping to grow my audience this year as more people become familiar with the series.
Huntersville, NC is 20 minutes north of Charlotte. It is near Asheville, Raleigh/Durham/Chapel Hill, Winston Salem, Greensboro, Columbia SC, and Charleston SC. It is four hours from Atlanta and six hours from Nashville. It's a great location to add if you are touring the Southeast. This region of the country is growing fast and hungry for quality music.
If you need a minimum income, I am happy to discuss it with you.
I also offer full overnight accommodations to artists. You will have a quiet, clean, Airbnb-quality bedroom and bathroom to yourself for as long as you need to stay. You'll also have access to my great practice studio upstairs if you need a private room to warm up or practice.
I sponsor a songwriting club at the high school where I teach, and I may be able to organize a workshop on songwriting, guitar, or performance if that interests you.
What I would like from you:
Usually artists on this series perform two sets with a 10-15 minute intermission. 45 minutes followed by 30-40 minutes is ideal. I will assume this is what you'll do unless you ask for a different arrangement, which I am happy to discuss.
Let me know when you book the show if you are playing solo or if someone is accompanying you. Let me know also if you need your own amplification or have a stage plot. I have several quality amps (Fishman Loudbox, Henricksen Bud, Goodsell tube amp) and a Fender Passport P.A. system, two Shure SM 58 mics, cables, DI box, and various other gear I can devote to the cause if necessary.
Finally, while I definitely don't expect you to fill the house with your own audience (I hustle to bring in a great audience for you), I do ask that you make a good faith effort to publicize the show in whatever way you are able to. That means putting my concert on the tour page of your website, letting your mailing list know about the show, and maybe doing a shout-out or two on social media (Facebook, Twitter, and/or Instagram) about the concert. In the past I have had some artists ask to do a concert with me in 'secret' so they can also pursue larger venues in the area that require them to avoid performing nearby. Some house concert hosts are ok with this, and I do understand how this can work well in certain situations. However, I have decided that this arrangement is not a good fit for me. If you commit to performing a show on my series, please make it public and allow me to publicize it to the best of my ability.
For artists I haven't seen live:
Since putting up this web site I have started receiving between one and five emails a week from touring artists and managers seeking to book concerts. I am very flattered, and I wish I could book all of you! I apologize for not responding to every inquiry. I am very intentional about who I book. The series is not a regular thing; it depends on who is in town and on my own work/life schedule. Also, I rarely book acts that I haven't first seen live. If you or the artist you represent is playing in my region, let me know and I will do my best to go and see them. It is possible that I will book an act that I haven't seen live if I'm really impressed by their music online, but it's less likely. Promoting these concerts takes a lot of work, and I call the series "Passion House Concerts" because I need to be passionate about every artist I bring in if I am going to convince my audience to take a chance on a musician they likely haven't heard before.
Also, the artists I book are not the most well known names, but they are professionals of the highest caliber. While many of them play music that can arguably fall in the singer-songwriter genre, they are highly proficient on their chosen instruments. Many have been featured in Acoustic Guitar Magazine. Click on the Youtube clips featuring David Jacobs-Strain, Vicki Genfan, or any of the musicians featured on this site. So far Sean McGowan is the only pure instrumentalist I have booked, but every musician on this series could easily play a full house concert on their instrument alone. And most of the artists on this series are triple threats: They can play, sing, and write at a professional level. They have developed a mature and unique artistic voice. This is a high standard, but if you believe that you meet it, feel free to drop me a line, invite me to a show, or suggest a concert date. And best of luck out there!
