I have long been a proponent of house concerts. When my wife and I built our home 13 years ago, we had a house concert to help celebrate by means of a “house warming”, the place that we had laboured to build over a couple of years. 60 people showed up that wonderful day – friends, acquaintances, and those who had helped build the house. The band – upright bass, guitars, voice, mandolin – was deeply appreciated by everyone. They had fun. We had fun.
We recently received a post from friend and songwriter Mark Berube (based out of Montreal) who has a stellar band called Mark Berube and the Patriotic Few. At one of the morning workshops this year at the Winnipeg Folk Festival, they received a standing ovation! Mark has been through our place several times. He brought our attention to this short video piece from CBC TV – The National, about House Concerts across the country
Since that time, we have been having house concerts, at first on an infrequent basis. Then, more frequently when our daughter and partner Toronto based-bass player Michael-Owen Liston (Check out his unique piece Carry On Crow – beautiful melody), kept introducing their cross-country traveling musical colleagues and professionals to “stop over” in Manitoba at our home, as they traveled east or west doing various gigs. When they “stopped over”, they would play a house concert. We were hooked on doing this on a regular basis.
Then, one day, we heard CBC and Mitch Podolak talking on Winnipeg CBC Radio One about introducing a new concept to the prairies – house concerts on a circuit, where songwriters would be able to be guaranteed of a dozen homes or so on a two-week circuit in the fall and winter months. We called in and shared our perspectives about why we loved House Concerts. Called Home Routes, artists stay with hosts over-night, being fed and watered. Our “house concert guests” have brought richness into our homes. As my wife says…”their spirits are dancing around our home adding to why our home feels so good”.
When I reflect on what makes this part of “The Canadian Experience”, I think that this is part of the quintessential essence of Canada where small, intimate settings are available to re-connect with friends and community (regardless of whether it is rural or urban). To appreciate our Canadian artists, to appreciate music, to slow down.
I have to tip my hat to Mitch Podolak, founder of the Winnipeg Folk Festival, who seems to make a habit of “founding” new Canadian musical experiences on a continuous basis all across this country. Mitch founded Home Routes, to which we have belonged, since its inception two years ago. Six house concerts in eight months. Stellar artists – Tom Wilson, John Mann, Rose Cousins, Bill Bourne – we love meeting these people, learning from them, and being close to them and their music.
Tom Wilson - member of Blackie & The Rodeo Kings and Lee Harvey Osmond
But, the thing that I enjoy just as much is that our home becomes ” a community” within our community for a night – where music lovers gather to listen and soak in the deeply personal stories, music, and performances. This is the nature of experience – authentic, first-hand, deeply personal, and we each leave a little bit moved or transformed or enlightened. If you have time, we invite you to sit back with a coffee or a glass of wine and take in this marvelous 20-minutes of high def video with Stephen Fearing who brought poetry, incredible guitar playing, and a warm-ness of humanity into our home for a couple of days.
