While each concert is different, here’s a rundown and things you may want to know when you come to a house concert at Forest of Bliss.
About concert day
The room and capacity
Our living room is full when everyone who has a ticket shows up, but we max out at 37 seats.
What’s the vibe?
This is a relaxed hang with friends, neighbors, and music lovers, which describes you, whether we have met you before or not. Come a little early, get a good seat, meet some new friends. And usually, the artists stay for informal chat afterwards.
It’s BYOB and share with others. We’ll have cups and water for you. And Laurelyn bakes (outstanding) cookies. She used to bake them as her full time job, so these are not your mother’s cookies! If you want to bring a snack to share, we’d love that. No obligation.
There’s no real Talent / Audience divide here. In fact, we think these afternoons are a way to connect folks, because we’re all kind of amazing in what we share and ways we’re different. You’re welcome here.
Sometimes we may be introducing young artists you don’t know. We like it when that happens. But we continue our own musical education, and more than a few folks who have been honing their craft for years are willing to play a house concert. We only wish we’d heard them earlier.
We’re interested in supporting musicians on their way in the world, people that we think bring genuine feeling to their writing, playing, and performing. We hope there will be some happy surprises.
How should I make my suggested donation?
One hundred percent of the donations – a.k.a. “tickets” – goes to the artists. So, cash is king!
Bring some folding money with you when you come. If you love the music you can tip the band. Think of it as tax-free gift to the artists.
Will there be merch? You know, tee shirts, CDs, vinyl, stickers?
We hope so! We encourage artists to bring their recordings and any other cool stuff they’ve produced for sale. Get ’em signed? I bet you can. This is one of the most profitable parts of concerts for some musicians. By all means, get a CD and a tee shirt.
What if I can’t make it?
Life is not under our control. You’ve probably noticed. If your plans change, let us know. And, please understand, we don’t offer refunds or exchanges. This policy helps us make sure the musicians get paid as well as possible. Consider it a donation, or offer it to friends.
If someone is coming in your place, please let us know.
One of the questions I gingerly ask musicians who play here is, “How’s it going, this making a living thing?” Honestly, I worry about these folks. They work so hard, have accomplished so much, and offer us much more than I can give them. A lot of the other music in our lives is a commodity – unlimited and “free.” But we started hosting artists here because we want to have a relationship with these folks and their music.
Accessibility
Parking is on the street. The driveway inclines to the house. There’s one step to enter the house and four steps up the living room where the music happens. If you want help negotiating this terrain, let us know. We’ll do anything we can.
More questions? Go to Contact and send us a note.
