This photo was taken by Louise Taylor in the middle of her show.
From the
Artists' perspective
Dave & Tracy had these warm comments about our venue:
Welcome to Kelli's place -- a cozy, candle-lit home full of attentive listeners, all of whom seemed to know each other, or maybe that's just the wonderful way house concerts work -- you're all friends by the time the show's over. Kelli is a very attentive hostess, and she and her roommate Stephanie did a wonderful job of making us feel at home, even though we arrived late and frazzled because (as usual) we got lost on the way to the gig. Still, the show went off without a hitch or a terrible sense of "hurry" and the Board of Directors (Bill, Dave, Leah and others) kept us in chocolate cheesecake and chuckles at the end of the night. Odd, I thought we were supposed to do the entertaining!Naturally, we loved having a quiet, intelligent, listening audience, and appreciated playing in a space big enough to hold about 35 people, but not so big that we couldn't be heard. It was a very comfortable show and we thank Kelli and her crew for having us.
Sloan Wainwright generously offered these comments:
I feel particularly lucky having had the distinct pleasure of playing Kelli's' Get In The House concert series twice! I admit, that next to the Art Institute, Kelli's living room is my favorite place to be in Chicago. This time around, I was joined by my dear friends, Steve Murphy on guitar and Cary Brown on keyboards. NY singer-songwriter, Ina May Wool split the evening with us. It was a wonderful evening of music -- enjoyed by all. Kelli and Stephanie's comfortable apartment is a perfect venue for an acoustic concert. The performance space is inviting and intimate. Candles burn in the corners of the room. Chairs, couches and pillows patiently await the listeners. Once again we were generously welcomed with open arms by Kelli. She had a scrumptious Mediterranean dinner waiting for us. Dave arrived to help set up, armed with the most outrageous iced brownies. We had a little time to catch up on the past year, which was nice.House concerts are a wonderful tradition. Opening the home to share music with family and friends is a true gift for the audience and the performers. As a traveling act, we have learned to love performing House Concerts. We can let down a little bit and relax. It is a great way to meet people, make new friends and a remarkable way to put forth the music. Without microphones, amplification and a stage there is a certain purity and excitement in the show. The audience members we have been with at Kelli's have been so encouraging and open. They are the one who create an incredibly supportive environment for the music. It is together that we all make something so memorable happen, with a true give and take between the audience and the performers. The energy in the room is palpable and it shifts with the journey of the songs in a set.
I am so grateful that we have been part of Kelli's Get In The House series. It has been an amazing way to have our music heard in a city that we all love. We're going for a three-peat.
See you soon.
Sloan
Anne O'Meara Heaton had this to say about our house concert venue:
Performing at Kelli's house was a warm and enjoyable experience. I would highly recommend it to any performing singer-songwriter. The people are very nice, the room is comfortable (and acoustics good), and the food is very very yummy! I had a great time!
I can't say enough great things about the "Get in the House" series. I must have played more than 60 house concerts in the past 2 years, and few have even approached the wonderful experience I had at Kelli's. The setting is warm and intimate (good lighting is key at house concerts! DOWN with flourescent!!), and it's almost as if the living room were set up specifically for performances. The crowd was the perfect balance: totally silent during songs, and so responsive when the songs were over (a singer-songwriter's dream audience!). Everyone was so supportive and helpful -- and did I mention the FOOD????
We had a wonderful time at "get in the house"...there was a great atmosphere in the room, which was filled with candles and sweet people.
House concerts.....Get In The House.....Kelli, Dave, Bill and a whole host of others come together to create a wonderful atmosphere for an evening of music. The beauty is that the audience as well as the artist seem to have an equally great time. And i must mention the dessert of the eve - chocolate-raspberry-sour cream cake. That my friends is worth travelling for(:Seriously, I've played many venues as well as house concerts and "Get In The House" is as good as it gets. Thank you for keeping independent music alive and growing!
Kelli's Get In The House concert series is surely one of the best out there. It's a daunting prospect to bring your favorite artists into your home and try and provide the what they need to do a good show. For the artist, it's equally daunting to "intrude gracefully" on someone's living space. At Kelli's, however, everything was easy. The room was set up thoughtfully and comfortably, the ambience better than most clubs, the food fantastic, and if all of this were lacking, the warm and generous presenters and audience would be more than enough to make the concert a highlight of any performer's schedule. I hope they have me back!
