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[jefflewis]

So my band just did some crazy shows down the east coast to north carolina and back up... along the way we played shows with some names that might be familiar to some of you... here's a brief report!

Wed March 30 - we played late at a house show in Virginia, exhausted after being up since early in the morning to pack and leave NYC and drive all day to get down south. Jack's friend whom we stayed with had a very nice dog who played catch with us from the top of some stairs, we could throw the ball up to her, she'd catch it in her mouth then drop it back down the stairs for us.

Thu March 31, we played a really cool nice venue next door/connected to a bookshop in Greenville, NC, with opening act PALEFACE and Mo! Great to see those guys, what a treat to hang out with them and MAN, they sounded awesome at the show - true proof that to get better at what you do, the secret is to just go out and do it and live it - they've been touring and playing way more shows since they moved out of NYC, and it really shows, they were working the crowd and played an awesome and tight and confident and rocking set to a dancing, clapping crowd of fans, a serious Paleface fanbase that they have built by consistent touring of those areas. Inspirational to see.

Fri April 1 - we played a great space at Duke University in Durham, with opening act The WIGG REPORT! They are on the Olive Juice label, and have organized a bunch of southern stuff with Schwervon in the past. I always thought they were just a sort of appendage to Olive Juice/Antifolk just because they were fans (like Brad Willis in South Carolina who used to run the AntifolkOnline website) and I didn't realize they were actually a really awesome rockin' antifolk band, in the tradition of Prewar Yardsale, if Prewar had an awesome sax player added. Distorted acoustic guitar, songs that recalled Velvets/Morphine/Yo La Tengo/Schwervon, just the sort of thing I really like, and very authentically performed, with passion and chops and zero nods to commercialism. Also they are super nice, and hosted us at their house and fed us and made it a nice night and nice morning.

Sat April 2, Harrisonburg, VA - a sorta disaster of a show, with DARREN HANLON and Shelly Short on the bill with us, Darren Hanlon is a great songwriter and indie star in Australia but mostly unknown in the US, despite touring the states opening for Billy Bragg and Magnetic Fields etc. I toured Australia opening for Darren a couple years ago, and he's very well loved all over Australia, he just played Bruar Falls in NYC on Sunday night, hope some of you might have seen him. His irresistible stage charm and serious songwriting skills didn't do him too many favors with this drunken crowd of students in a basement, a show for which he got paid zero. For headlining the show my band was paid about $3.67 (much of which in pennies) and of course someone spilled beer all over our merch, ruining many comic books. And of course someone barged into our room in the middle of the night cursing that someone stole his weed, and someone else was cursing outside our door because people were found fucking in the bathroom, someone pulled a knife on someone, etc, etc, a general debacle and the kind of house show that will put many a performer off of doing house shows...

Sun April 3, Washington DC - BUT this night's house show was MUCH nicer, organized by the wonderful SPOONBOY and also featuring recent DC supplant Daoud, AKA ART SORORITY FOR GIRLS, it was lovely to see him and he closed with a great Herman Dune cover too. A mellow show, nice little crowd, nice big dog walking around seeking pats. Glad to see Daoud doing great in his new city!

Mon April 4 we were in Baltimore, good show at the Bell Foundry basement space.

Then shows at Bard, and Vassar (with Cloud Nothings), and finally back in NYC, an awesome Brooklyn show at Silent Barn, with Preston Spurlock, and The Beets - a guy called El-G from France played too. Great crowd, and even though it's a punk house space it actually had the best sound of any place we played all week!

Anyway, point being, good times with old pals and new pals in all these random corners of the east coast!!!

[andylips]

jeeezz! what a horrible house show! Horray for Spoonboy! Spoonboy is ace! I set up a houseshow for him when he came to my town. i know a bunch of UK kids who would set up really nice shows/houseshows for you.
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[lauragek]

This makes me wonder what a house show actually is. I have never been to one. Is it organised by someone who invites friends over and has this musician/band play at their house for money, or is it just like normal shows with strangers coming to your house to see the artist, with entrance fees and stuff?

[jefflewis]

Sometimes house shows are pretty intimate, no amplification, and only friends of the household invited, and sometimes only a donation/tip jar passed around for the performers.
Other times a house show can be more of a "regular" show, with full-on bands, drums, amps, microphones, sound system, sometimes even a stage, and promoted to the public like a regular show, with a door charge. Some "house show" places are practically like clubs, but with the added benefit of all the money going to the performers (no club taking a big chunk out of the door money), or no age limitation on who comes by (instead of 21+ or 18+ like many clubs), or other advantages (like cheap beer or BYOB, or smoking allowed, or animals allowed, or other kinds of things that wouldn't be allowed at normal clubs).