Where does Jeffery do these shows?

Jeffery performs a lot of his house concerts across the Canadian prairies and more recently has done them right across Canada. These shows are something you can book ANYWHERE! Send your suggestion to us – tell us where you are, and we’ll see if we can make it work. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world so don’t be afraid to ask! When you send in your booking info (using the easy booking-form on this page) be sure to mention WHEN you might be thinking you want to host. If you are in an area that Jeffery isn’t yet booked to travel to, it might mean we need to set up a few additional shows in the area to make it work. But we will work with you to make it happen.

What does the host have to do?

As the host/ess you will invite the guests (ie: audience) into your home for the concert. 25 is the smallest group that makes this work, and the largest group that works is usually about 40 (it depends on the size of the room you’ll do this in in your home). Jeffery has done house concerts for up to 60 but you obviously need to have the space (in your chateau) to do that.

Where do the guests sit?

You should have a room in your house that will fit the guests, seated. Couches, chairs, kitchen chairs, floor, & cushions become the audience seating. Bring up those random chairs from the basement or asks your guests to bring their own! In the summer, people have opted to do these in backyards, on a patio deck, etc. This can work too.

Do I need a stage or sound system?

If your house concert will be indoors for a group of 30 or less, then you do not need a sound system. Jeffery brings a digital piano and small PA/mic. He plugs into an electrical outlet and that’s pretty much all that’s needed. If you have a piano, and it’s tuned (!) – he’s happy to play that too. If you’re interested in an outdoor deck concert in the summer, there is a small additional cost for the outdoor PA (speakers). It’s approximately +$45 for that rental that the hosts pays

What is a good time to start?

Typical start time for the music is 8pm. You usually invite guests to arrive after 7. The music is in two 45 minute sets with a break between. This allows for a decent end time and for socializing before, at break and afterwards.

Do guests need to bring anything?

Usually guests bring a drink and a snack – unless you want to provide refreshments yourself. People mingle before the first set, at the break, and after the show. Guests can also bring extra seats if needed! House concerts can have alcohol or not – that’s up to you.

What does the audience do during a House Concert?

House concerts are very intimate ‘listening’ performances where the audience has a chance to listen to the lyrics and Jeffery’s stories between songs.

These are not ‘house parties’ where the musician sings in the corner while people talk and party. In that case you can just play a CD and get the same result! This is a concert in its direct form. People won’t get up and move around/talk during the concert – and Jeffery is pretty good at setting that up at the start of the show if you’re concerned. Often the host gives a bit of an intro at the start of the night and mentions this.

Who should I invite?

Guests can be anyone you know: friends and their partners, co-workers, family, neighbours, people from your sports team or choir… Sometimes hosts allow friends to invite their friends (and so on…) to get a good group together. Go through your e-mail list, address book (remember those!), go through your Facebook + twitter friends – you’ll usually find that getting at least 25-30 people is pretty easy. If you think you can round up 40, then go for it.

Will CD’s be available for guests who discover Jeffery’s work?

Jeffery brings CDs and other merchandise to sell if any of the guests would like to take some home with them.

What is the cost to host a concert?

There is no cost to you – as long as at least 25 people attend the house concert, and pay their admission fee.

The house concert tradition sees guests pay their admission to the show like they would in any other venue. Admission per person is usually $25. If you want to propose an alt. admission let us know. You’ll be able to best assess what your guests would be comfortable paying for an evening of entertainment, and tell them the cost when you invite them. You’ll make a commitment to having a min. # of guests at time of booking (ie: “I want to host a house concert, and I’ll have 30 guests”). When you invite people, you need to have them commit that they’re indeed attending and when they show up they pay their admission. Usually hosts have a list and a little container/basket to put money in, right at the door – sometimes it’s even self-serve.

What if some people don’t show up?

From time to time there are ‘no shows’ (ie: people who end up not attending). It’s actually not that common but sometimes emergencies happen. It’s not the end of the world but keep in mind that 25 people is the min # of people to make this work. What we ask is that if there are a lot of no-shows bringing the total attendance to less than 25 that the host makes up the difference. We’ve run this past people across the country and they’ve told us it’s a fair way to approach it. Without this we could end up doing a show for 9 people in a living room and that’s not good for anyone!

Keep in mind, that no-shows are uncommon and you are likely not out of pocket one penny. We’ve seen that as long as the host does a good job of telling invitees that a yes is a ‘FIRM’ yes (emphasizing commitment!) that people usually don’t back out. Based on a lot of experience, this has proven to be the best way to prevent last minute cancellations.