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.