We had a lot of fun Friday with Wally Pleasant at the Harmonium House Concert in Charlotte. Of course, it was a holiday weekend so folks had many things they could do that night, but we literally filled the space by the end of the concert, with folks filtering in a little at a time as they finished with other obligations.

Folks keep asking what a house concert is. It’s literally a concert in someone’s home. This is our second one so far. We also did the Music in the Pines concert in Haslett, last September. The concerts allow a casual atmosphere where musicians can keep more of the profit (unlike most commercial venues) and thus can afford to have a smaller and more intimate show. It works well for us, since we’re just two folks who don’t need much amplification. Bands with a drum set don’t do well at house concerts!

Therefore, it was an intimate space (we estimated capacity at 40 seats). The seating was more dense than at the restaurant, with no tables and all chairs (and comfy couches in the back row, where most early concertgoers preferred to sit).

I was delighted to see some folks I knew, but who had not made it to our concerts before. Since Wally also performed, there were also a good number of folks we had not met before and that made it extra fun.

Mom came with her friend Fai. My friend Donna (who I dance with) brought 3 friends. Then some women I know from Working Women Artists and my church came. That was an extra-special surprise. Some of our regulars could not come, so we had a new mix but that made it fresh and exciting.

Bless her, my dear friend Donna did her best to take photos with my camera, but unknown to us the camera was on a last gasp with its batteries. She is always willing to be my photographer, and I am truly grateful.

Photos earlier in the show turned out best. She got this nice photo of Wally on guitar and Alisa on viola before things got shaky. The photo of Brian and I did shape up enough to post once I went over it with PhotoShop. And I just had to include this last shot, it’s so artsy… showing the space early in the set, before all the seats were filled. Love the pizza boxes and the tiki lights for a true sense of the environment. That photo looked nearly black except for one corner, until I did heavy levels adjustment in PhotoShop. I think it turned out pretty fun in the end!

We had a wonderful time. Thanks, Wally, for inviting us!

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