Victoria’s House Concert Scene

A musician spontaneously sings a song about the colour of a woman’s dress in the audience. Another recounts his successful quest to find his Canadian music idol, which was aided by a kayak rental. One musician shares his struggles recovering from cancer and hugs a nurse in the front row. One more tells a story that involves smoking pot, while his mother listens from the back row. These are all moments witnessed at a local house concert venue here in Victoria. Anything can and often does happen at a house concert.

House concerts have been garnering more attention in recent years, and one venue in particular, Victoria House Concert B (VHCB), run by Andrew Briggs, has become a destination for many musicians to share more than just music. It’s also a chance for musicians to connect with music fans.

House concerts are extremely intimate, to the point of the audience being spitting distance from the artists themselves. A full house at VHCB means the front row is often less than two feet away from the performer, which can understandably invoke a certain amount of uneasiness from the artists’ point of view. One artist was on cloud nine before his debut performance at VHCB; another was utterly terrified.

Bryan Potvin – VHCB

Bryan Potvin, solo artist and singer/guitarist for the Northern Pikes, who performed his first house concert at VHCB in May of this year, talks about this uncertainty. “Trepidatious” was how he felt. “I wasn’t sure what to expect.” Potvin recalls the real immediacy to this type of performing and felt as if in the span of three hours he went from feeling as though he had been invited to a party where he knew no one to feeling as if he’d known all the attendees for years.

Australian musician Jason Lowe, who became a fixture at VHCB, plus other venues like the Cornerstone Café and Breakwater Café and Bistro during his residency in Victoria, echoes this point of view. He references the comfort zone, a separateness of space, which often characterizes playing at much larger public venues. After doing numerous house concerts he notes, “I came to prefer them because of their intimacy.”

Jason Lowe – VHCB

Why have house concerts gained popularity? One reason is the restructuring of the music industry, which has shifted to a digital format and has blurred the line of ownership of artists’ material. “The model of income generation for musicians is changing faster and faster, and live performances are one thing a musician has control over,” says Hemant Rao, a Montreal-based musician. Potvin shares this view and adds that online contact with fans on social media platforms such as Facebook facilitates the organization of house concerts. Add the fact that artists walk away with 100% of ticket sales at VHCB and it becomes clear that attending house concerts equals complete support of musicians.

The lack of support of musicians that has emerged is something Tom Hooper, singer/bassist of the Grapes of Wrath, has noted. “Musicians over the last decade have had to change the way they do things. The old ways are gone. The money isn’t there like it was. The record sales don’t exist. There are no record stores. There are lots of DJs.”

Caesha McCollum – VHCB

Hooper agrees with Rao on house concerts giving the performer more power. Hooper adds, “You don’t have to deal with a night club owner. You don’t have to wait to play until 2 am to keep people drinking.”

With artists receiving 100% of admission in addition to selling CDs, which at VHCB invariably results in getting them signed by the artist(s) themselves along with a photograph, house concerts just make financial sense. Artists make more money and music fans know who their money is going to.

Economics aside, artists prefer the sense of intimacy and community that house concerts provide. Caesha McCollum, one of VHCB’s youngest alumni, names eye contact as conducive to connection with the audience. “One of the best parts of having people so close to you is that you can actually see the faces of the members of the audience.”

Sam Weber, another local talent, says it’s a real listening environment on par with a theatre or café, but it differs in that it is exponentially more personal. “The people in your audience are more likely to know one another because of the implied friendship they have with the owner of the house.” Potvin takes this further, comparing a house concert event to a fraternity. “The one thing that stood out to me was how communal if felt. Friends getting together to enjoy live music.”

Sam Weber – VHCB

Yes, it’s about the music. Many artists who have played VHCB have played much larger venues, including clubs and bars, where unfortunately the music isn’t always the focus. Hooper likes playing for music fans, not just people looking to party or get wasted. Hooper says, “The idea of playing in a living room with people right in front of me was scary but after playing a few songs and having everyone in the room appreciating my songs and stories it was a very enjoyable experience.”

From a listener’s perspective, Briggs as owner has obviously seen all the house concerts and can recall a few favourite moments, and his answers show that sometimes the best moments occur when the main show has finished. He speaks about Ash Grunwald, Australian blues musician, who often migrates to the kitchen and continues performing until the early morning for anyone who wishes to stay. Briggs realized that one Canadian rock star was a normal human being when he dropped a vegetable from a platter and bent over giggling about the 5-second rule.

Ash Grunwald – VHCB

Perhaps house concerts can be best summed up by music fan Kim Cameron, who has been a regular attendee of house concerts for ten months. “True support for musicians is falling to the sidelines in the age of digital ‘everything.'” Knowing that the money I pay at the door goes directly to the artist(s) only makes me want to go back time and time again because I know I’m helping put food on someone’s table and helping them continue doing what they love so much, as opposed to lining the pockets of a giant record label and concert organizer by buying albums in stores and attending bigger events.”

Photo Credits

Sam Weber, courtesy of Andrew Briggs
Jason Lowe, courtesy of Andrew Briggs
Ash Grunwald, courtesy of Darryl Finlan
Caesha McCollum, courtesy of Darryl Finlan
Bryan Potvin, courtesy of Andrew Briggs

Guest Author Bio

Alison Dacia Brown
Alison Dacia Brown keeps busy as both an ESL teacher and a master’s student in the Intercultural and International Communication program at Royal Roads University in Victoria, BC. Unsurprisingly, when Alison is not teaching or studying, you can find her at many of the local live music venues supporting Victoria’s amazing musicians of which there is no shortage.

Alison is also a fan of Jane Austen, and in addition to being a member of the Jane Austen Society of North America, she also writes for their newsletter. A few times a year, she can be seen sporting some regency gowns at various Jane Austen events throughout the year, looking remarkably like Elizabeth Bennet.

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