Annabelle Chvostek & Myshkin (wrap-up)

By Greg Pool
Host, TreeHouseConcerts.org

Here's a wrap-up of the visit by Annabelle Chvostek and Myshkin to the Tree House (pictures and after-show interview/encore):

* Annabelle started the night, using a gutair, fiddle, and mandolin. Myshkin opened the second set with both a standard and tenor guitar.

* I think the best instruments in the house were their voices. So much control and playfulness.

* One CD Annabelle didn't have with her is Firecracker by the Wallin Jennys, her former band. Pick it up for both her songs "Devil's Painbrush Road" (which she played tonight, strumming her fiddle) and "Firecracker."

* Myshkin came to our attention in 2003 from a Folk Alliance sample featuring her old band, The Road Dog Divas. The song was "Coot," and it featured three strong voices in harmony with irreverent lyrics about a loopy guy, Alcatraz, and a cheerleader's convention.

* They both arrived at our house needing showers from camping in Big Sur. And yes, they attracted some attention singing around the campfire. There's an idea for a concert!

* Each met and decided to tour because of their booking agent, Jessica Byers, who books a lot of similar artists in the Portland, Oregon, area.

* Myshkin gave us her album, rosebud bullets, which features the song, "Annabelle" on track 10. No relation, but it was fun to hear her play it tonight.

* Annabelle gave us a copy of her album, Resilience, which also features a co-write with fellow Canadian, Bruce Cockburn.

* Folks are still talking about the eastern European song Annabelle sang ("Boom Boom"), about a naughty girl who likes to drink beer and .. well, you know.

* I stumped Myshkin on playing "Why Do All The Country Girls Leave?" but you should at least read the lyrics. The song is hysterical. I so wanted to point out the Carmel Valley hills the next morning and say, "see how the mist it clings to the hills the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen."

* I mention I loved the You Tube video that Annebelle did with Rose Polenzani, and Annabelle said she'd put in a good word for us with Rose.

* We talked later that night about a trip to Las Vegas (they got lucky on Wizard of Oz slots), and they didn't know about Garage Ma-Hall, a fantastic house concert venue off the strip. Annabelle vowed to play it!

* We had 34 seats filled tonight, which is remarkable for our first Friday night in Carmel Valley. I never thought folks would come so far out after dark, so thank you! Back to our Saturday afternoon schedule in July, in the backyard!

RIP Monterey Live

Monterey Live is dead. Long live Monterey Live!

The four year-old club on Alvarado Street in downtown Monterey closed its doors after last night's show (5/31/2009).

Prior to 2005, the kind of artist that regularly came through Santa Cruz to play at Henflings or the Kuumbwa (e.g. Greg Brown, The Waifs, Slaid Cleaves, Kris Delmhorst) never came through the Monterey Peninsula.

I had been heading north to see those Santa Cruz shows years before I met Juliet, but we got tired of the two hour round trip. We'd come home after midnight and never be able convince our friends to come, too. It was the big reason we started Tree House Concerts in 2003.

FILLING THE GAP

When Monterey Live opened, I thought house concerts were dead. All the artists would want to play the club instead of someone's home. But that didn't happen. All of a sudden the Monterey Peninsula became a way station for the level of artist who wouldn't play a house concert but could never draw the Sunset Center or Golden State Theater.

A lot of the early success was because of a partnership between Monterey Live and Tom Miller, who had moved his bookings from the old Henfling's to Don Quixote's International Music Hall in Felton. Tom could double the artist's exposure by booking them both in Felton and Monterey, knowing the two markets really don't overlap.

Unfortunately, it didn't last long. Tom realized that Monterey Live wasn't marketing well enough, and nobody was coming to the Monterey shows, unlike the Felton shows.

VOTE WITH YOUR FEET

Since then, Monterey Live changed ownership, and it slowly died. Over the years, I was contacted twice by their marketing professionals about partnering (i.e. using my 200+ mailing list to promote). I turned them down and then tried to explain how their 20-century marketing techniques (e.g. CoastWeekly ad or story in the Monterey Herald) wasn't going to cut it. And the 21st century ideas I freely gave away never sunk in.

I had also seen how you all voted with your feet. In 2004, we had Peter Mulvey stop by, and it was our biggest draw still to this day. In 2005, I told that same mailing list of 200+ people that Peter was coming back and playing Monterey Live. I was one of five people to show up.

It's hard enough to compete with all the entertainment in someone's home after 8 p.m., but residents of the Monterey Peninsula really don't like coming downtown to see music. You'd come to our home in Pacific Grove, however, so that was high praise.

I remember booking Jimmy Chickenpants in 2006. The brand new bluegrass band from Santa Cruz didn't have much of a web site, and I had no music clips to send to anyone when the invitations went out. It didn't matter. 30 of you showed up anyways, and we had never booked bluegrass prior to that night.

Amazing to me, you never cared what music I was booking. You just wanted to come over to our house. Even when the club downtown might have seemed cooler, you still came to our house. I booked unknown bands who's music you never previewed, and you still came to our house.

SAD BUT FILFILLED

I'm sad that Monterey Live has closed. I knew the two different owners tried hard, but they were up against a mindset on the Peninsula that was against coming out of their homes after the sun goes down. Traditional marketing didn't make a dent, and we all went back to our lifestyles and missed some great music.

Regardless, I'm also feeling a little fulfilled. Tree House Concerts continues to be an underground, off the radar, non traditional, non commercial, stealing of moments, and nobody else knows how much fun we're having.

Could we turn it into a business? Probably not. But knowing I could book a cross dressing Hungarian harmonica band and you'd still come?

Priceless.

Keith Greeninger (wrap-up)

By Greg Pool
Host, TreeHouseConcerts.org

Here's a wrap-up of the visit by Keith Greeninger to the Tree House (pictures and after-show interview):

* This was our first house concert since moving in 2007 and then finally finding a house in 2008.

* Keith was actually a last-minute addition for Beth Amsel, who was scheduled to come but had to cancel. We'll have her back, and she was fantastic at our house in 2004.

* Instead of the traditional 7:30 p.m. start, we changed things up with at 3 p.m. start. Well, more like 3:45 p.m., because everyone was having so much fun hanging out.

* Despite the sunshine, there was still a cool breeze from all the fog hugging the coast. I made the last-minute decision to hold the concert inside, but when summer kicks in that patio is going to be a great place to hang out.

* I actually had the patio set up, but the only artist that got to use it was our white cat, Denali.

* Our daughter Sonoma feel asleep two songs in, during "Red Tail" of Wind River Crossing. It's on her Sleeptime playlist, though, for going to sleep at night.

* The kids had a great time playing with the five chickens and two chicks in the backyard.

* Many thank to Aileen (the Traffic Queen on KPIG) for bringing old friend, Sherry Austin. That made for two former Tree House performers in the audience, Keith and Sherry.

* Keith took full advantage and convinced Sherry to come up and sing Kate Wolf's "Give Yourself To Love." Sherry's working on an album called "Kate And Me" of just Kate Wolf songs, and if you get a chance to see her band, it's a great time. Very country and upbeat.

* It was great to see some old friends of Tree House Concert come out, and we made some new friends in Carmel Valley, too. Including our neighbors!

* For the record, that homemade apple pie was my sister, Kelli's, who also lives down the road. Wait until her four peach trees start producing later this summer.

* Keith was nice enough to let me sing "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" on my Kamaka ukulele, while he sang backing vocals. It's a rip of Iz's version, which is in 4/4 time, but I did it in 3/4, which is the universal constant for producing sleep in my family.

* That monkey suit Sonoma was wearing is for her dance recital. We picked it up that morning, and she really wanted to wear it for you. The song she's dancing to is "I Wanna Be Just Like You," which is our house is the Waybacks' version.

* Long after the show was done and dinner was ate, we sat down with Keith for a little chat and an encore performance of three more original songs.

* That first song Keith heard Dave Carter and Tracy Grammer perform at that Kerrville songwriting competition was "When I Go." Here's a version three years later in Portland OR, with Dave much less nervous and a very cool intro. Wait for the lyrics.

* Towards the end, little Ainsley came in to ask if she could have some "brain berries." That's how we trick them into eating blue berries.

* There were a couple of good photographers in the audience, including Steve Zmak. Look for some pictures to show up if they find some good ones.

Holding House Concerts in Carmel Valley

Now that Juliet and I are living out in Carmel Valley, we think we have to make a few changes to how we hold a house concert.

Since 2003 and until we closed in 2007, we always had them at night and on any day of the week.

Now that we live 11 miles further from our target audience of Monterey, Pacific Grove and Carmel, we're not sure you'll want to see a show that starts in the evening, because of the long drive home.

SATURDAY HOUSE CONCERTS

Starting with Keith Greeninger's house concert on May 23rd, we're only going to book a house concert on Saturdays. Between work and a young daughter, it's just too much to have to set up and tear down the house in the middle of the week, even though that's when most artists would be available.

We're also going to start earlier. Much earlier. 3 p.m. start, with two 45-minute sets.

Then at 5 p.m., we'll have a potluck. Many of you in the audience have said great things about the mingle time, especially with the artist, so we think this will be a plus.

Then sometime between 6-7 p.m. I'll set up the microphone to do a live "in studio" interview with the artist, something that will last no more than 15 minutes and might include another performance by the artist. This is something I always did after you all left for the evening, and then I put it up later as a podcast.

WEEKNIGHT INTERVIEW/PODCAST

During the week, if an artist still wants to come by, I would just do the interview/performance for 15-30 minutes between 7-8 p.m.

It's a weeknight, so we don't want to be up late, and we don't want you to have to drive home in the dark. You can come out, but we don't expect anyone to show up after dinner for a 15 minute show.

So there would be no expectation of a studio audience, but we'll throw out the invitation anyways. We won't go to too much trouble setting things up, because we have to work the next day, but we'll make you comfortable.

Afterwards, we'll let you mingle and I will put up the podcast for everyone to listen to that night.

THOUGHTS

Does that work for you? Leave a comment below or write to us. And thank you for the years of music experiences we've shared!

Hootenanny

Something special happened today in Carmel Valley, California.

Around 40 people who for years got together at a funky little house in Pacific Grove drove 10+ more miles to plan the next version of Tree House Concerts.

It was a combination housewarming and hootenanny, and in the end, I think we successfully revived our tradition of acoustic music in an intimate setting on the Monterey Peninsula.

Singing "American Pie" with gusto.

[ Photo by Tracy Henderson ]

[ More pictures ]

SETTLED IN

Juliet and I sold the original Pacific Grove Tree House in November 2007 and rented in Carmel Valley for about a year as we studied its real estate market. In January 2009, we closed escrow on the exact home we were looking for, within walking distance of Sonoma's eventual elementary school.

MUSIC

Tonight we probably had three different "sets" of music, from bluegrass, to blues, then folk. In between we had a taco bar, a great view and just a tad bit of rain (aka liquid sunshine).

But it sure was fun to see the lil' ones dancing around to all the acoustic music. That's the way I would have like to have grown up!

STAGE

I quizzed quite a few of the guests on where they want to sit next time for an actual house concert, and I think there was general agreement that we could hold a concert both inside or outside.

Outside it seems like folks agree that the patio to the right of the deck would work, but I know I would have to purchase a small PA (public address system) for most solo performers. Many thought the stairs at the edge of the patio that lead up to the gate would be a good spot for a stage, making the performer high enough for the crowd.

Inside everyone thought it wasn't too small of a space to host a solo or duo act standing in front of the fireplace. Making the pathway to the bathroom through the kitchen, having folks enter the house from the backroom, and removing the dining room table ... we could probably fit 30-40 comfortably. I'm inspired but admittedly I was skeptical at first.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Steve (banjo) and Bill (slide) started things off with some straight ahead bluegrass.
• Young Duncan was channelling Woodie Guthrie throughout with his version of "This Land is Your Land" on his pink ukulele.
  
• We got Pamela to take a few turns on her C harmonica, until she got a little winded!
• The kids that stayed later all got faces painted, so the dancers became a little more wild and crazy as the evening wore on.
  
• Don (guitar) wore his Kate Wolf Festival t-shirt and started to play a lullaby that my daughter, Sonoma, listens to every night, played by Nina Gerber, who was part of a Tree House Concert in 2006. Turns out Nina is Don's guitar teacher!
• JP (guitar) and Don (guitar) were both catalysts for many guests to start singing, aided by Greg and Sharon, who brought some song books. You know, artist Brian Eno thinks that makes you live longer!
  
• Don finished up the music with some very nice folk selections, including an inspired "Give Yourself To Love" (Kate Wolf), assisted by lyrics shown on an iPod Touch.

I think if we do this again, I'd love to find a way to project a laptop screen so we could show lyrics and chords for everyone in the room. Like hootenanny karaoke!

GIFTS

Thanks for the housewarming gifts. You weren't supposed to bring anything other than a musical instrument and your voice, but we appreciate it so much.

• Thanks to Greg and Sharon for the ice wine. New to us!
• Thanks to Pamela for the beautiful flowers.
• Thanks to Audrey for her gourd artwork. She's made some for you, too!
• We had some guests make quite a drive to see us, and that's high praise. Many, many thanks to Bev and Greg, who came down from San Jose from their house concert series, and to Don, who came from Mountain View. Wow!