“LISTENING TO LIVE MUSIC IS SOMETHING THAT USED TO BE UBIQUITOUS IN OUR CULTURE. BEFORE RECORDED MUSIC WAS WIDESPREAD CONCERTS WERE ATTENDED, BALLS WERE HELD AND THERE WAS AT LEAST ONE PERSON IN EACH FAMILY WHO KNEW HOW TO PLAY AN INSTRUMENT.” – Jenny Williams, blogger for Wired.

In the days before music became an “industry” that may have been the way it was, but not any more. An intimate musical event is one that most of us, but not all, no longer have the opportunity to experience. Generally speaking, musical performances are larger scaled  events and music is some what confined to the concert hall or the bigger venues. The idea of a music as an intimate affair is almost, but not quite, unknown. The notable exceptions in this area are The Beannick Subscription series, The Homegrown Coffee House and Locals Coffee House series and the occasional House Concert.  “House Concerts”  are not new.The most notable historical example are the famous Harlem “House Rent parties” of the 1930s that were a hot bed of jazz piano. Piano giants like James P. Johnson, Lucky Roberts, and Willie ‘The Lion’ Smith would play in apartments in Harlem and the money collected went towards the owners rent. In more recent times there has been a resurgence of House Concerts. The idea is that a musician can play a concert in a private home, either for a nominal fee or donations, usually they then have a place to stay and something to eat. The owner of the house can invite interested patrons to attend for a nominal fee. Usually the performing groups are either solo acts or small groups that play acoustically or with minimal amplifications. The audience usually number less than 40. Over recent years Beth Crawley and Sharon Routley, on separate occasions, have hosted House Concerts. We can add Darin  and Jen Welch to the list of music patrons willing to host House Concerts. They have just completed a winter series  in their Driftwood Concert House in Kimberley. They are about to launch their Spring – March/April series that will include the following performers:

Thursday, March 28, 2013:  Belle Plaine from Saskatchewan. Check her web site at Belle Plaine

 Friday, April 19, 2013: David Newberry w/- The Nautical Miles from Vancouver. Check their websites at David Newberry  Nautical Miles

Sunday, April 28, 2013: Christa Couture w/- Jess Hill from Vancouver. Check their websites at Chris Couture  Jess Hill

There are 40 tickets per concert and at $12 they sell out fast. To reserve your ticket contact Darin at the following email address    driftwoodconcerts@gmail.com

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