The Importance of Playing House Shows

When most people talk about making it as a musician, they’re talking about being paid well for performing their original music. Usually, this is by way of well-attended shows and exceptional record sales. If they aren’t dreaming in dollar signs, many musicians are dreaming in influence, seeing themselves atop the illustrious “pop music hero” totem pole (or at least walking toe-to-toe with their influences.) Of course, this is all in the name of being able to play your instrument every single day, not just pure ego, right?

But what if I told you there was another way? One where you could simultaneously do exactly what you want as a musician, play night after night to enthusiastic crowds, and maybe even earn a decent amount of money for your performance. It isn’t a fantasy: It's the reality of musicians and artists immersed in the do-it-yourself house show scenes across the world.

The underground music scene has been around for decades, with house shows serving as a location for underground shows even longer, perhaps since houses and music first existed in time together. While the glitz and glamour of theaters, bars, and clubs can be enticing, their actual function as a support structure for any burgeoning musician or any kind of scene is more limited than ever. With unconcerned agents booking unfocused bills, meager payouts from high turnouts, and expensive covers for local audiences, many musicians have turned to those who throw shows in basements, lofts, apartments, backyards, and garages — wherever the volume can be loud. While many house shows are technically against the law, thanks to the internet and a wide-reaching network of actual humans, it is not hard to find excellent house shows on any weekend in any major city or town. Many people that can’t find any start their own.

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This is, of course, nothing new. The entire history of pop music has started with young, adventurous musicians and entrepreneurs working together to put on shows inside any facility that will have them. Muddy Waters had the juke joints and barns of the South, Bo Diddley had the Maxwell Street Market, The Beatles had the Cavern Club, The Ramones had CBGB. And while one could argue they could have played on the moon and still been successful due to their talent, you can also say a lot about musicians that prove themselves to be flexible, hard-working, down-to-earth, and capable of performing to a wide variety of people. Sometimes it’s not an intangible mysticism that becomes the difference between the professionals and the amateurs, but an earnest (and sweaty) effort.

So, why should any aspiring professional musician spend their time rocking out in a dark basement with two hundred sweaty people on a Saturday night? If you’re a serious musician playing any style of music while looking to develop your craft and advance your career, playing your best at house shows should be as important (if not more important) than breaking into the club and theater scene.

House Shows Are Run By Musicians and Fans, For Musicians and Fans

Forget about getting hustled through your show to hurry up or get out, and forget about getting nickel and dimed for a poor turnout. While I can’t say this doesn’t occasionally happen, house shows are set up by fans and musicians for fans and musicians. This means that you have a sympathetic partner to help make the show a success for everyone that’s involved. This could mean anything from getting a place to sleep after the show if your band is from out of town, to making sure that the performance area is free from any unwanted behavior that threatens the safety of the crowd and the space.

Generally, house shows can attract more people for their party atmosphere on top of the eager local fans that will hang on every note played throughout the night. This works out for the bands when it’s time to settle up. You will also find people and performers that aren’t concerned with the usual standards of society. This means being confronted with behavior and art that you might find unfamiliar and even challenging. This isn’t meant to start a fight – it’s meant to start a conversation.

Photo by Sean Pritchard

No Stage and a Crappy PA Means You Gotta Play Harder

Many house shows offer only a subpar PA and backline for shows. While this might seem limiting, it is actually a challenge. If you can put on a great show with modest technology to support you, then you are probably the musical great that you might think you are.

And if you think you’re an ace live performer and aren’t playing house shows, then you’re missing out on a chance to interact with your audience that you won’t find at your average club or bar. Considering the lack of stage keeps the audience and bands at eye level, there are many more opportunities for audience participation and general interaction.

Crowd surfing, moshing, things getting chucked at you, people running up to the mic – put on a great show while this goes and you will be the crowd’s favorite forever. And once you get comfortable with it, there are few things as fun as putting on a great show while the chaos of the party ebbs and flows around you. The intensity of an excited crowd at mainstream venues is normally reserved for established bands and performers. In the house show scene, you can find crowds that get more excited than they did for The Beatles, even if you’re a near nobody.

Expose Yourself to Genres and Styles You’ve Never Heard

The beauty of house shows is that they function as something that is a necessity of the community: a place for artists and musicians to congregate and do their thing, regardless of their skill level. This doesn’t mean you will be hanging out at amateur hour – this simply means that the bill on any given night at a house show spot will be varied out of necessity. Whoever is in town or looking for a performance might be assembled onto a bill. While this isn’t the standard at all house show spots, you can practically guarantee to see a much more thoughtfully curated show that will border on the eclectic and extraordinary. You will probably see something you’ve never seen before, and hear music that you didn’t know you had been waiting to hear.

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Meet Bands and People From Around the World

Consider how many bands there must be in the world. Now think about how many locations there are for them to actually play. Now you might understand the purpose (and resilience) of house shows across the world. They exist because they need to, because these bands and musicians are running on an urgent feeling that isn’t contained by a link to the usual money and glamour associated with mainstream arts and entertainment.

Because of the thriving worldwide underground that exists, bands can literally travel the world playing their music. They might not live like Mötley Crüe does while on tour, but they are able to perform and get from place to place. Fans and fellow musicians around the world can meet each other in a neutral and welcoming zone: the house show venue. Bands tour the country, and even the world through a network of helping hands and fans that are committed to spreading excellent music far and wide. If you find yourself at a house show and get to see an international band, consider yourself lucky. You are witnessing the hard work of a group of people that you don’t see very often, and arguably represents the core of what playing music is supposed to be all about.

Lead photo by Stephanie Rizzo

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