Arts
Barn
Music
House Concerts and Home Music Studio
What is a House Concert?
If you have never been to a House Concert, you are missing out on a great musical experience! It is a chance to meet and hear performers up close and personal in a warm, intimate space. A House Concert is an invitation-only music performance in someone’s home, attended by the host’s friends and neighbors, and on occasion, fans of the artist(s) performing. It is NOT a business, and hosts do not profit from the event. Traditionally, artists are paid by a suggested donation requested of each guest.
I host house concerts because I love music, especially acoustic guitar music, and I want to share that joy of music with others. It gives me great pleasure to see a room full of folks captivated by music and enjoying themselves and each other’s company. This is also a very important way to help support independent artists and to give them another avenue to introduce new music and to make new fans.
FAQs:
Q. How do I find out about upcoming concerts?
A. I currently post events on Face Book to invite my friends. This website is a new venture in trying to get the word out so come back here often to check out what is coming up. I will also be starting an emailing list. If you would like to be on that list, please scroll to the “contact us” page and fill out a request.
Q. Are these concerts free?
A. Yes, they are technically free and you do not have to pay anything to attend, but a suggested donation (usually 20.00 per guest) is requested. You are welcome to contribute what you can. 100% of the money collected goes directly to the artist(s) in support of their work.
Q. Is this a public event?
A. No. This is a private event by invitation only.
Q. Where are you located?
A. We are located in the historic district in the Town of Herndon. Directions will be provided in your reservation confirmation.
Q. How long is the House Concert?
A. Most House Concerts generally consist of two 45 minute sets with an intermission.
Q. Is there food and/or drink available?
A. I do provide a complimentary selection of beers, wine and bottled water. I also provide some lite snacks. Guests are welcome to bring their own beverages and are encouraged to bring a dish of something savory or sweet to share during the break.
Q. Is the House Concert handicap accessible?
A. Unfortunately it is not. The House Concerts are held on the second floor of the barn and you must be able to climb stairs for access.
Q. Where do I park?
A. Parking is available on Center St., a half block from the barn and the municipal parking lot on Station St., a block and a half from the barn.
***Unlike going to a bar or a party, this is a “listening event” and guests are requested to silence their phones and refrain from talking with their seatmates during the performance. You are welcome to come early and stay after the concert to mix and mingle and there will be an intermission between sets.
***This is a smoke-free environment. Please respect my request not to smoke or vape inside OR outside the barn!
saturday
February 10 7PM
Tom Bodine and John Cantrell
Tom’s songs encompass the full range of human emotions from joy to sorrow, longing and hope, to heartbreak and redemption. On his “Bring Me Back” album released in 2012, Tom writes and sings of the wonders of the natural world, the importance of friends and family as we travel through this life, and in his case, the significant role of music on his journey. “Bring Me Back” was nominated for a Washington Area Music Association “WAMMIE” award for best contemporary folk album. Tom and Katheen Huber formed the musical duo Song Garden in 2016 and released their “Bluebird Dragonfly” album in 2018. Tom believes in the cathartic and healing power of music in individual lives and the larger world.
John’s early influences were America, Dan Fogelberg, Eagles, John Prine, Jimmy Buffet, Cat Stevens, Elton John, The Moody Blues and others. He decided the acoustic guitar was the right instrument and grabbed his older brother’s guitar that was collecting dust in the closet. Joining with friends and several older experienced guitarists, he learned to play. And songwriting began.
Bitten by the singer-songwriter bug he started performing around the University of Illinois campus. He purchased a Yamaha “portable” PA system (80 lb cabinet speakers) on credit, paying it off with gig money. New relationships and getting dumped were essential to songwriting inspiration during this time. Songwriting flourished. He helped put himself through college playing bars throughout central Illinois. Near the end of college, he met his wife (of 36 years) through music. Soon came career, marriage, and children. His guitar started collecting dust. Playing infrequently for over 20 years he found his guitar again when his youngest child went off to college. For the past 15 years he has been playing regularly and writing songs. He began performing again in late 2022.
His songs are a mix of adult contemporary, bluegrass, and country about love, loss, joy and sorrow, discovery, and protest.
saturday
march 23 7:30PM
Shenandoah Run
Shenandoah Run is an eight-member folk ensemble from the Washington, DC area. Formed in 2011, the band performs traditional and contemporary folk music in a manner that delights a diverse mix of music lovers of all ages.
SR showcases the spirited sounds of Americana, along with the occasional country or bluegrass tune, and delivers a rousing mix of music and styles. The members’ vocal and instrumental savvy, coupled with a strong desire to keep folk music alive and fresh, are key to the group’s success.
“…This was as fine an evening of music as I’ve experienced with any professional band. It’s impossible to choose the most impressive part: The soaring harmonies, the brilliant instrumentalists, the fantastic vocals by the ladies … wherever this band pops up next, do yourself a favor and get out to see them.”
thursday
april 25 7pm
Dirty Cello
From Iceland to Italy, and all over the U.S., San Francisco based band Dirty Cello brings the world a high energy and unique spin on blues, rock, and Americana. Led by vivacious cross-over cellist, Rebecca Roudman, Dirty Cello is cello like you’ve never heard before. From down home blues and rock with a wailing cello to virtuosic stompin’ Americana, Dirty Cello is a band that gets your heart thumping and your toes tapping!
“Dirty Cello’s music is all over the map: funky, carnival, romantic, sexy, tangled, electric, fiercely rhythmic, and textured, and only occasionally classical.” Oakland Magazine
“The band plays every style imaginable, and does some fantastic covers. (Their rendition of “Purple Haze” is incredible.) But what is most spectacular about them is hearing the depth of soul in Roudman’s playing—it goes beyond what most people would expect from the instrument. She plays it with so much heart, you’ll wonder why more bands don’t have a cellist.” Good Times Santa Cruz
“A five-piece string ensemble that truly pushes the envelope and breaks the barriers, they blend blues, bluegrass and world music sounds with roots in the world of European classical music in a style that is unique and refreshing.” Cloverdale Reveille
“The group seamlessly careens from blues to bluegrass and rock in a way that really shouldn’t make sense but somehow does.” LA Times
“The ensemble plays a range of eclectic tunes in ways you won’t hear anyone else dare to attempt.” – Argus Courier