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Next event: The Welcome Matt, Radio Astronomy and Rebecca Cross in SF on May 27 |
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Hello! Welcome to the online home of Bay Area House Concerts, a series of acoustic music parties I host in various living rooms around the San Francisco Bay Area. Check out this year's upcoming shows. To attend, call (415) 706 3800. Thank you, KFOG 104.5 FM! Peter Finch was kind enough to stop by our 8th Notes From Underground show at Bazaar Cafe on March 25 to interview KC Turner and me about the house concert community that's taking root here in the Bay Area (and all over the country as well - check out Fran Snyder's excellent site Concertsinyourhome.com.) Thanks so much to Peter and the folks at KFOG who are so incredibly supportive of local music. Peter's Fogfiles report on house concerts can be heard at myspace.com/drewpearce At the top of my playlist: Sally Jaye's Amarillo My favorite record of the year so far is Amarillo by Sally Jaye. If you have a taste for the music of Ryan Adams, Patty Griffin or Lucinda Williams, I highly recommend checking this record out. At the moment, my favorite tracks are 750 One Dollar Bills, When The Cocaine Wears Off, Junkyard and Amarillo. But honestly, there's not a weak song on the album. It's on iTunes. Download it now. You won't regret it. If you have a room that can fit 40 people, I can help you host a house concert It's easy. It's fun. It's the best way to experience acoustic music and support independent musicians. As a contributing writer for Acoustic Guitar magazine, I've had the good fortune of being introduced to independent music made by people who operate below the radar of mainstream radio. A few years ago, I decided to help the musicians I admire get greater exposure by creating alternative venues in homes around the Bay Area. Every month, more people are joining this community of house concert hosts. If you'd like to be one of them, let me know. Watch house concert highlights on YouTube I've been busy with the camcorder lately, capturing as much of the house concert action as possible. Check out the highlights from recent shows by clicking the link below. Click here to watch the videos. Introducing 8th Notes From Underground, a Fundraising Concert Series the Last Tuesday of Each Month at Bazaar This year, my friend KC Turner and I are co-hosting a new series of showcases at the Bazaar Cafe called: "8th Notes From Underground" The shows will combine music performances with information about causes championed by local charities. We'll be open to ideas from all of you about which charities and causes to highlight each time. So if you have any suggestions, email me: drew at drewpearce dot com. The name of the series, 8th Notes From Underground, is a play on the title of the book by Dostoevsky Notes From Underground, whose main character is a bitter existentialist who lives a life of "conscious inertia." But since this is a series designed to "activate" the activists, our We want these events to be about something more than just listening to music. So in addition to raising awareness and building community, half of the money raised at each event will go to food banks, local charities and non-profits. To participate, call me at 415 706 3800 or just come to our first show at the Bazaar Cafe, 5927 California Street in San Francisco.
Thank you for making The Leap Year Event a blast Man, what a great night. Thanks to all of you who joined us on February 29 at Sweetwater Station. Happy to see so many longtime friends in the audience. For those of you who weren't able to make it out to hear Jim Brunberg, Ashleigh Flynn and Rick Hardin do their thing, please do yourself a favor: check out their music online and hightail to their next show down in the SF Bay Area. Here's where to find them:
ashleighflynn.net Also, a big thanks to the Leap Year Event Songwriter's Workshop participants and open mic musicians Putnam Murdock - Winner of the Competition
Interview with Brett Dennen in Acoustic Guitar magazine I had great time talking with Brett about his songwriting process and learning more about his
non-profit organization The Mosaic Project. Read all about it on page 60 of the December 2007 issue of
Acoustic Guitar magazine. Check out The San Francisco Songwriters Coalition Thursday nights at 12 Galaxies, 2565 Mission Avenue in SF On September 1, musicians Jeff Symonds and Jerry Barker staged the opening night of their new ongoing event, The San Francisco Songwriters Coalition. From what I hear through Stacy Kray, it was a hell of a party. The first show featured performances by local heroes Megan Slankard and her band, Ryan Auffenberg, Joel Streeter and the SFSC All-Stars performing The Beatles' Abbey Road. I absolutely love the idea and the fact that these guys are taking matters into their own hands to create more grassroots support of the local music community. With Bay Area venues closing left and right, musicians have to make their own opportunities wherever they can. Thank you, Glen Phillips Of the many highpoints I can remember over the past 3 years of hosting house concerts, having the leader of Toad the Wet Sprocket perform in Diana Parker’s living room has to be the pinnacle. I’ve been a fan of Glen’s music since I first heard the album Fear back in 1991. For smart, subtle songcraft, Glen has few equals. Sometimes his songs are hilarious sometimes they're uplifting . But no matter what he’s singing, it always sounds authentic and true. He simply has one of the most distinctive voices in pop music. It was actually a bit surreal to hear that voice coming directly from the man himself singing without a microphone in a living room (rather than on TV or your iPod or a giant PA system at Great American Music Hall)—probably the aural equivalent of seeing an actor at the grocery store when you're used to seeing their face two-dimensionally on the screen. As he was singing and chatting up my roomful of friends, I kept thinking what a lucky music fan I am to get to present a show like this. I owe a big thanks not only to Glen for including this house concert in his tour, but also to Diana and Craig Parker for opening up their home and making this special event happen. Thanks also to all of you who attended.
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Marissa Levy at 8th Notes From Underground
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