Musicians Find New Places to Perform

Musicians Find New Places to Perform

Enjoying a musical performance no longer requires a costly¹ ticket or a trip to a theater. These days, musicians are performing in private homes, at hair cutting shops, at airports…even on ferry boats.

Musicians like house concerts. At music clubs, they often have to perform over loud conversation or deal with people who have had too much alcohol. People at house concerts are more focused on listening to the music.

Just a few hours before the Bombadils started singing at the O’Hair Salon², Lindsay was cutting hair and Tamera was doing facials.

Then, they moved chairs and microphones to create a small performance space. The Bombadils made music in the front part of the hair salon, near the hair dryers³ and make-up table.

“This is our first show at a hair salon,” Sarah Frank of the Bombadils told concertgoers at last week’s performance. Frank said she and band members Luke Fraser and Kaitlyn Raitz had a great time “interacting” with the audience.

“Maybe one day we will play bigger venues⁵,” Frank said. “If that is the case we hope our experience playing in small venues will help us remember the real reason we are playing music.”

Concerts in people’s homes, or small businesses such as O’Hair’s, are becoming more popular, musicians say.

“There is a more relaxed atmosphere,” said Domenic Cicala, a musician who opened up his O’Hair Salon to concerts. “People really get to know the artists.”

Kat Parsons is a Maryland-based singer songwriter who enjoys performing at house concerts.

“House concerts have an intimacy⁶ that is so rewarding as a performer,” Parsons said. She said performers can take their time, tell stories and talk with concertgoers.

For Parsons, that usually means lots of laughing. She explains that one of her songs, “Talk to Me,” is based on an ex-boyfriend who was unwilling⁷ to say what he was really thinking.

Being a singer-songwriter is a great way to have the last word on a failed relationship, she joked.

At house concerts, people get time before and after concerts to meet the performers. Often, the hosts or guests will provide food and drink.

Libbie Schrader is a New York City-based singer songwriter.

“House concerts are the best possible way to tour for independent musicians,” Schrader said.

At music clubs, the owners take a share of money made from ticket sales, Schrader said. But all the money goes the performer when people pay to attend a house concert.

“At a house concert, the host is usually doing it for the love of the music.”

Often, the crowd, will pass a container to fill with donations. Schrader said the performers get the full amount.

Matt Hart and Aubrey Zoli make up Local Strangers, a folk-rock group based in Seattle, Washington.

The duo often performs at house concerts. But they also have performed at more unusual places. For example, they sang for travelers at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport. They also made music on a former ferry now used for boat tours of the city’s lakes.

Hart loves house concerts. He describes it as “showing up at a party and not knowing most of the people.”

“People really like listening to music in the living room of a friend,” Hart said. At many such concerts, the duo does not need microphones. Yet, every word of their songs can be heard.

People at house parties often are more likely to buy music and other products from performers because the audience can get to know the artists.

That extra money is important for musicians, most of whom struggle to make a living.

Words in this Story

venue⁴ – n. the place where an event is held

facial -- n. a beauty treatment to make a person's face look and feel better

microphone -- n. a device into which people speak or sing in order to make them sound louder

relaxed -- adj. calm and free from stress, worry, or anxiety

intimacy -- n. emotional warmth and closeness

rewarding -- adj. giving you a good feeling that you have done something valuable or important

tour -- v. to travel around places to perform

ferry -- n. a boat that is used to carry people and things for a short distance between two places

echo⁸ -- v. a sound that is a copy of another sound and that is produced when sound waves bounce off a surface

1 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

2 salon   

n.[法]沙龙；客厅；营业性的高级服务室

参考例句：

• Do you go to the hairdresser or beauty salon more than twice a week?你每周去美容院或美容沙龙多过两次吗？
• You can hear a lot of dirt at a salon.你在沙龙上会听到很多流言蜚语。

3 dryers   

n.干燥机( dryer的名词复数 )；干燥器；干燥剂；干燥工

参考例句：

• Men also have hair dryers and, if they suffer from baldness, they use a growth stimulator, buy hairpieces, or have hair transplanted from the hirsute part of the scalp to the bare areas. 男士也有他们的吹风机，而且如果他们秃顶的话，还会用毛发生长剂、买假发，或者把头发从密集的地方移植到谢顶的地方。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The dryers can be automated. 干燥机可以自动化作业。 来自辞典例句

4 venue   

n.犯罪地点，审判地，管辖地，发生地点，集合地点

参考例句：

• The hall provided a venue for weddings and other functions.大厅给婚礼和其他社会活动提供了场所。
• The chosen venue caused great controversy among the people.人们就审判地点的问题产生了极大的争议。

5 venues   

n.聚集地点( venue的名词复数 )；会场；（尤指）体育比赛场所；犯罪地点

参考例句：

• The band will be playing at 20 different venues on their UK tour. 这个乐队在英国巡回演出期间将在20个不同的地点演出。
• Farmers market corner, 800 meters long, 60 meters wide livestock trading venues. 农牧市场东北角，有长800米，宽60米的牲畜交易场地。 来自互联网

6 intimacy   

n.熟悉，亲密，密切关系，亲昵的言行

参考例句：

• His claims to an intimacy with the President are somewhat exaggerated.他声称自己与总统关系密切，这有点言过其实。
• I wish there were a rule book for intimacy.我希望能有个关于亲密的规则。

7 unwilling   

adj.不情愿的

参考例句：

• The natives were unwilling to be bent by colonial power.土著居民不愿受殖民势力的摆布。
• His tightfisted employer was unwilling to give him a raise.他那吝啬的雇主不肯给他加薪。

8 echo   

n.回音，共鸣；vi.发出回声；vt.模仿，附和

参考例句：

• She shouted on the mountaintop and listened for the echo.她在山顶上大声喊着，然后聆听着回声。
• I should like to echo the words of the previous speaker.我想重复前面一位发言者的话。