The economy's been hit hard here in Indy, so it's no surprise that the flow of gigs has slowed. In place of readily available venues in which to play, house concerts have been popping up all over the place and they're way better than any bar or club!!  Here's how they work: somebody opens up their home for a designated evening (usually a weekend night, but not always), sends out a limited number of evites via email, sets a "suggested" donation amount for the Love Bucket which will be passed around at the party,and invites the band or group of musicians who will be the evening's performers.

Everyone brings a dish and bottle of wine to share with the hosts providing soft drinks and water. For the first hour, it's social time, and everyone usually hangs out in the kitchen. It's a great way to get to know people and all the musicians. At the beginning of the second hour the band starts.

Some hosts leave an open space for dancing. After the first set, everyone goes back to the kitchen to eat and drink more wine. There's usually one more hour and a half set to wrap up the evening.  People have a blast, the band makes decent money, sells CDs, and it's an incredible way to spend an evening. I've played two house parties with my band and I can honestly say it's far and above playing any other kind of venue. I hope more music lovers will consider opening their space to host a house party.

  Welcome to my new Blog! The blog is dedicated to freelance harpists and other musicians who are out there searching the world for a well- paying gig. The harp world as we knew it doesn't exist anymore, so we need to use every ounce of our creativity (and we are a creative lot, aren't we?) to find new ways to make money freelancing so we never have to work in an office. I'm going to explore everything related to our business: finding a gig, creating a website, marketing yourself, wedding gigs,making your own CD, recording tips, amplification and mic tips,exploring the world of jazz and classic rock,playing in a lounge or bar, fees, contracts, house concerts, how to dress for success, weathering the slow months, and a shoulder to cry on or bounce ideas off of.

I'd love to hear how you run your freelance business. Yes, this is still a business, and I'll be talking alot about how I run mine and how you can be more efficient in running yours.

   I look forward to hearing from you and getting to know all you freelancers!