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For Bookings, email mgmt@seanmccarthy.com

House Concerts

In between solo and full band shows, I’m also playing House Concerts. Not sure what they are? Here’s the short version…followed by the long version…

Got a livingroom, or a space resembling something of the sort (garage, backyard, finished basement)? Wanna host some live “me” for you and 10, 20, 30 or more of your friends, family and/or co-workers? Cool. Here’s the skinny…

You make me an offer, and if I can make it work, I’ll come to your house & play either a couple of 40 minute sets with a 20 minute intermission, or an hour and fifteen minute set straight through- you pick. It’s all donation based. We can discuss the details, but you can either foot the amount yourself or ask for donations of $10-20 per person to cover the cost of my performance. Simple, right?

Here’s a bit of the longer version that will hopefully answer questions you might have….

House Concert vs. House Party
Certainly not to dampen the mood, but there’s definitely a difference.  This is a performance….and, an intimate one in your home.  This isn’t about some background music playing while everyone does jello shots and shoots pool.  I’ll be playing and singing for you and your friends and everyone has put up a little money for this, and you’ve got some time invested in making this happen.   It’s important that those that you invite understand this.  

The Place
Seriously- your livingroom. It’s a House Concert. I don’t take up much space and you already have plenty of room. With two or three rows of chairs, or, some moving around of furniture and everyone sitting on the floor, we’ll be good.

Worried that you really don’t have enough space in your livingroom? No worries. Garages, finished basements, backyards, decks, barns…..anything of that sort will work.

The Audience
This would be by invitation only.  You hand pick who you want to be there.  Friends, relatives, co-workers….anyone that you’d like.   Once you & I work out the date and details, hit them up on Facebook, email them, send them a postcard, call them up- whatever works to get in touch with them to let them know that you just got even cooler (as if it were possible) and are hosting a House Concert!  Also, all-ages is fine with me.  Kids are cool- I have them myself.

The Money
Oh yeah, that dreaded topic.  Turns out, it’s not really that hard to talk about in this situation.  You make me a reasonable offer.  If the amount works out for me based on where you are and when you want me, we’re in!  You pass along to those that you invite that in order to cover the cost there’s a $10-20 per person donation.  Maybe do $20 per couple?  You’ll know how many people you’ll need to invite to cover the cost of the performance.   Since chances are that you and I don’t live that close to each other, I’ll have to get to your city or town, and ultimately, your home, I’m going to have some expenses.  The goal is to get all of that wrapped up in the amount agreed upon by you and me.  I’ll also sell some merch as well (CDs, posters, t-shirts, etc.) so that people can leave your House Concert with a little something extra.

Food & Drink
Since you’re hosting an event, it’s usually a good idea to offer some hors d’oeuvres.  There doesn’t have to be a full-blown dinner party before the show, but that’s totally up to you as well.  If there’s to be alcohol consumption, since this isn’t a “party”, try to suggest to your guests that they stick to a glass or two of wine or a couple of beers.  It’s no fun if someone gets out of hand or starts getting loud and makes it so that others can’t enjoy the performance.

Smoking
The chances are that the space isn’t going to be enormous.  With that said, if you could have those that smoke do so outside while I’m there, it would be greatly appreciated.   I’ve spent countless nights in smoky bar rooms wondering how I’d make it through the next night afterward.  It’s tough.  I’m also a quitter, proud to say, and I’d like to stay on the road to recovery!

The Space
As I said, I don’t take up much room, but I’ll need a “stage” of sorts.  That can be anything from the area in front of your french doors or in front of your fireplace, to a cleared out corner of the room.  Arrange the seating so that it faces the area that you’ve chosen for the stage.  In regard to seating- do you have enough chairs?  If not, can you borrow some?  Or, will floor seating work?  Maybe a combination of seats, the floor and some standing room?  Whatever you choose, make sure it’ll be comfortable.  75 minutes doesn’t seem like that long, until you’ve sat on a 5 gallon bucket the entire time with no cushion.

Sound System
If you’ve seen me perform live as a solo artist before, the one thing that I’ve said over the years many times, is that if you unplug me, I sound exactly the same…only lower.  So, depending on the size of the room, there may be absolutely no need for anything other than you & your friends, my guitar & me.  If it’s outdoors or you have a large space, chances are that I’ll probably need a small PA system that you may have to rent for the show.  Depending on where you live, I may be able to bring my own.  Again, details that we can discuss.

A Basic Schedule
Once the show is booked, it’s a good idea to do the following….

• One month before the show – Tell everyone!  Create a Facebook group and invite everyone that you think would want to come.  They don’t have to know who I am.  Also, even if your friends are all into heavy metal, classical music, hip-hop or blues, they all like music.  This is a cool thing that you’re doing- it’s a concert…in your home.  Trust me, they’ll be into it.  Email them, text them or call them up!  Keep a list of who’s coming.  Maybe set up a Paypal account so that they can buy “tickets” in advance and explain that you just want to cover your costs with the donation amounts.  If you can afford to knock a couple of bucks off the admission for those that pre-pay, it will make sure that you have some of the money up front.  Another option is to open up a Square account.  You can accept credit cards on your mobile device when people show up or beforehand.  Note that there is a small percentage fee for each transaction.   The money is then deposited into your bank account.  See https://squareup.com/ for more details if this seems like an option for you.  For just a few guests, it might not be worth it.  However, it would allow you to get your donations up-front for the show and not have to be concerned about collecting money and let you focus on hosting the event.  (Note- I have no affiliation whatsoever with Square).A good rule of thumb is to invite twice as many people as you have room for.  If you get enough people initially agreeing to come to fill your room and have more that want to come, you can either see if you can squeeze a few more in, or put them on a cancellation list (keep reading).
• Two weeks before – Send out reminders- follow up with everyone and let them know that everything is still a go.
• One week out – One last chance to hit everyone up again to make sure they’re coming.  Unfortunately, things come up- it’s life.  People have to cancel even with the best intent.  So, getting a last minute head count will let you know where you stand so that you can determine what you need for food, drinks, seating and also to see if you’re short on money to cover the performance.  Also, this is a great reason for that cancellation list I mentioned above.  It’s a good time to let others know that you were able to find some space for them.

My Arrival
I travel pretty light and will be delighted that I managed to find your house without issue.  I’ll do my best to get there an hour or so before showtime.  I usually don’t eat before I sing, so don’t be offended if I decline.  However, even though this is a House Concert, it’s also a chance for me to spend some time with you and your friends.  So, if there’s some food left over at the end of it all, I’d love to sit and chat over a quick bite.  Two or three bottles of spring water would be greatly appreciated along with a separate room for me to tune my guitar and warm up a little.  I’m easy to please.  I trust that you’ll do a great job with the stage and seating and we can check it out together when I get there.  

Showtime
I’ll be playing either a single one hour and fifteen minute set or two sets of music that are about 40 minutes each with a short break between (about 20 minutes) so that people can stretch their legs, chat, have refreshments, visit the bathroom, purchase CDs, etc.(more about this in a minute).  At the break you might want to have light refreshments on hand, things like coffee, tea, sodas, chips and dip, etc.  Maybe ask a few friends to bring home-baked treats as well. In fact, it’s a good idea to enlist a volunteer to oversee some or all this chore (remember – you don’t have to do it all!)

Also, you’re the Emcee!  You’re doing something really cool here- Before I get up to get started, stand up and say a few words.  Let everyone know what the expectations are, where the restroom and smoking area are, thank them for coming! 

Volunteers – It’s a usual perk to grant free admission to the people who help out the night of the show, such as your refreshment coordinator and a person to collect money at the door and help with CD and other merch sales.

Money
Since not everyone will send a check in advance or pay you via PayPal or Venmo, it’s best on the day of the show to have a volunteer sitting strategically close to the entrance with the guest list at hand. Then names can be checked off as donations are made.  

Because it’s always possible for folks to slip through the cracks, it’s also a good idea for you to make an announcement regarding donations at the beginning of the show and again after the break, making sure that everyone is aware of where the donation jar/hat/basket is located.  These things will make sure that you’re not left with having to cover any more of the performance than you’d planned.

Parking
Your guest will either be there before I get there, or shortly after I arrive.  You’ll definitely want to have a place for everyone to park.  You may want to suggest some carpooling if you don’t have street parking available.   Also, if anyone that has driven has had too much to drink by the end of the day/night, please make sure that they have a designated driver or a safe place to stay for the night.

Neighbors
We all have them.  Good, bad or indifferent.  It’s a good idea to give them a heads-up that you’ll be having your event at least a day or two before the show.  Maybe they’ll have some extra parking spaces that you can use?  This is an acoustic performance that shouldn’t create any cause for alarm or break any noise ordinance, but it’s always nice to let people know so they aren’t concerned about the extra people showing up in the neighborhood all at once.

That’s pretty much it!  If this all sounds fairly straight forward, it’s because it is.  It would be my pleasure to come and play some music for you and your extended family.  Shoot me an email at  mgmt@seanmccarthy.com if you’re interested and we’ll see what we can work out!