House Concerts - Community Weblog

TONY FURTADO!?!?!

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 15:55:50 GMT

We just received an copy of Tony's latest CD - Deep Water. INCREDIBLE!!! After reading his wiki biography, I realized that we have a minor legend playing here in less than 2 weeks. Deep Water takes you from mind blowing finger picking (Bawds of Euphony) to thoughtful, almost spiritual, hip-grinding blues (Lighten Up Your Load). Now I understand all the disbelief when I've told people that he's playing here at the house! The reaction from our concert goers has been impressive - snapping up 12 tickets at a time?! I think we under-priced this concert...

The added bonus of Trina Hamlin is nothing to overlook either... She guest stars on 2 tracks on a ground breaking new genre of blues by Brixton Boogie "Urban Blues". Check out her music - complete w/ harmonica - here.

There are still way too many seats open for this concert. Take advantage of our pricing mistake & please spread the word?! Looking forward to seeing you here...

Demolish Those Winter Blues With Tony Furtado

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 20:06:42 GMT

One thing we always try to do is find the right mix of showmanship, monster talent & songwriting skills. We think that you will find all of this in Tony, right here at FHC in March! Usually we don't just copy from an artist's webpage, but we're announcing this show on with rather short notice. Take a look at Tony's videos or catch his music here and then decide whether or not this is dead on...

"From his teenage years until the present, Tony has wandered through genres and styles, never growing static and always evolving musically. He has toured tirelessly for over two decades and has garnered a great deal of respect from his peers, and has opened for and toured with acts such as Greg Allman, Susan Tedeschi, Taj Mahal, Leftover Salmon, Eric Johnson and he has shared the stage with the likes of Sonny Landreth, Keith Richards, David Lindley, Derek Trucks, Norah Jones, among many others. Like his vast catalogue of recordings, a Tony Furtado show has something to offer everyone. His music has taken him all over the country and into the hearts of many a music lover. Whether he’s playing with a band, or recording as a solo artist, his playing and considerable skills as a multi-instrumentalist and his strong songwriting prowess have led to him to be embraced on record and on stage."

Opening for Tony will be Trina Hamlin - with the following praise racked up about her...

"Trina Hamlin's music smolders sweetly just before it sets the place on fire. Add in that irresistibly twinkling grin and you've got the foundation for a wonderful time." --Marilyn Rea Beyer, WUMB Boston

"I have never seen anyone play harmonica like that. Neither has anyone else. Trina is truly one of the most compelling musical performers on the stage today." --Susan Werner

Upcoming Shows

Thu, 11 Feb 2010 19:53:35 GMT

Feel free to suggest the concert series to your friends who you think would enjoy it - but please DON'T add to others' spam!

Friends House Concerts
PO Box 38943
Colorado Springs, CO 80937
Tel: 719-329-1644

Tony Furtado with Trina Hamlin
Date: Friday, March 12, 2010
Time: 7:30 PM
Artist Donation: $20 made out to Tony Furtado

www.RockyMountainHighway.com

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 21:15:24 GMT

Courtesy of a couple of fans, we received a shout out just before the Eliza concert on www.rockymountainhighway.com . THANK YOU! It's a compilation website of "americana, alt-country, bluegrass, blues & roots music" shows all up and down the Front Range. We appreciated their keen wit in their write up of 10 reasons why one should go to FHC. You should take a look at their site from time to time to check up on concerts around the area.

Upcoming Concerts

Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:58:06 GMT

Feel free to suggest the concert series to your friends who you think would enjoy it - but please DON'T add to others' spam!
We had an issue with checks not arriving for the artist in time for Eliza, so please get your checks made out to Peter in the mail by December 2nd:

Friends House Concerts
PO Box 38943
Colorado Springs, CO 80937
Tel: 719-329-1644

Peter Mulvey with Carsie Blanton
Date: Saturday December 12. 2009
Time: 7:30 PM
Artist Donation: $20 made out to Peter Mulvey

Finishing out the year with Peter Mulvey

Mon, 16 Nov 2009 21:18:12 GMT

Our condolences to those of you who DID NOT join us for the Eliza Gilkyson / Nina Gerber concert. The show was remarkable. Eliza's vocals were complimented so perfectly by Nina's mastery of the guitar.

We still have one more concert this year - just a couple of weeks away. After completing his 1100-mile concert tour by bicycle in September, Milwaukee singer-songwriter Peter Mulvey is back on the road, performing songs and spoken-word pieces from his new CD, LETTERS FROM A FLYING MACHINE (Signature Sounds). His 12th album intersperses new songs with spoken word readings of four letters to his young nieces and nephews (written on airplanes) with his thoughts on the state of modern civilization. "The entire record is about time and love and responsibility - great big ideas. I'm the kind of guy who thinks a lot about why we're here and what we owe each other. Frankly, it's all tied up together." Over the past 20 years, Mulvey has pursued an eclectic path as a writer and musician, performing on the streets of Dublin, the subways of Boston and now, touring as a headliner. The Irish Times: "Peter Mulvey is a phenomenal performer with huge energy, a quick fire, quirky take on life, and an extraordinary guitar style. A joy to see."

Eliza Gilkyson & Nina Gerber

Mon, 02 Nov 2009 20:18:21 GMT

Join us in a week from this Thursday for an intimate evening here at the house with Eliza Gilkyson & Nina Gerber. We're so behind bringing Eliza here that she has brought out 2 CDs since her concert here in 2005. The most recent, Beautiful world, has garnered some great reviews:

New York Times
"lush and passionate...edgy lyrics with piercing imagery"

Austin Chronicle
"cathartic to the point of jubilation, brimming with radio-polished tunes"

When the Great Correction Comes , the song that inspired the recent CD turned out (unfortunately) to be rather prophetic. Graham Green provides a thoughtful review here. You might also want to check out a recent concert review here.

(Whitney confesses that one of her all time favorite songs remains Gilkyson's Requiem written in the wake of the Katrina.)

Eliza will be joined by a true musician's musician, Nina Gerber. Nina's mastery of the guitar is evidenced by her accompaniment of any of the following artists: Kate Wolf, Nanci Griffith, Greg Brown, Lucy Kaplansky, Mollie O'Brien, Dave Alvin, Karla Bonoff, John Gorka, Cheryl Wheeler, Tom Paxton, and many others.

Upcoming Concerts

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 18:46:14 GMT

Feel free to suggest the concert series to your friends who you think would enjoy it - but please DON'T add to others' spam!
Mail all checks made out to the artist AND dated
the month of the concert to:

Friends House Concerts
PO Box 38943
Colorado Springs, CO 80937
Tel: 719-329-1644

Eliza Gilkyson & Nina Gerber
Date: Thursday, November 12, 2009
Time: 7:00 PM
Artist Donation: $25 check made out to Eliza Gilkyson

Peter Mulvey with Carsie Blanton
Date: Saturday December 12. 2009
Time: 7:30 PM
Artist Donation: $20 made out to Peter Mulvey

SOLD OUT, SOLD OUT, SOLD OUT

Sun, 27 Sep 2009 17:00:14 GMT

Please DO NOT send any more checks in for the Willy & Natasha concert - Sunday October 18th, 7:00 PM. We are more than sold out! There are still seats for Eilza Gilkyson in November and Peter Mulvey in December - but don't wait too long...

A City Worth Fighting For

Sat, 19 Sep 2009 16:56:20 GMT

On another related note, Ballot Initiative 2C, we're looking for your vote, not a donation...

Quality of life was the overriding reason we moved to Colorado Springs back in 2000. There are so many outstanding aspects to this incredible city at the foot of Pikes Peak. We sincerely hope that Friends House Concerts has added to the quality of your life over the last 6 or so years. We know that your presence in our home has lifted our spirits time & time again.

At the moment, our city government is in a very tight spot. Significant cuts are slated for the fire & police departments as well as the Parks, Recreation & Cultural Services Department. All city-funded transit services will be completely shut down in 2010. Click here for a full listing of the proposed cuts for 2010. Recent events involving the mayor & the council have fueled cynicism among the electorate, but the fact remains that these cuts will affect the functioning of this city we love. Slower emergency reaction times could actually increase your homeowners insurance rates. That alone might be more than the actual cost of the requested mil levy.

While it won't completely fix the state of the city, there is a mil levy 2C, that will allow the city to continue providing some of the services that are now in danger of disappearing. I hope you will study and eventually support this issue on the November ballot. Here's a quick video on the issues and a facebook page to support... Mail in ballots go out in Mid-October, so we need to gather as much support for the initiative as possible before then.

December - Peter Mulvey!

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 23:44:39 GMT

Our last concert of the year will be an evening with the incredible musician Peter Mulvey:    master guitar wizard, erudite song writer and just all around great guy. The depth in any Mulvey song is incredible from the mastery of tune & rhythm, to the lyrics, even down to the concept of his albums. (Remember that Peter recorded 10,000 Mornings in the Boston subway, complete with the sound of trains coming and going.)

Peter's latest album that just hit the market this month, Letters From A Flying Machine, again piques our interest.   The frame for this recording is the letters that he has written over the last decade to his nieces & nephews from the road, complete with readings from planes.... The release date was just last week, so I'm not finding any reviews for this press time, but we will update as we find them.

Here is a great recent recording of Peter up at KBCO Studio C up in Boulder.   There is another Youtube video with almost 16,000 views - proving what an incredible player Mulvey is...

Escape from the craziness of the holiday season and join us where you will NEVER have to fake having a good time!

November - A Taste of Texas

Sat, 15 Aug 2009 22:16:45 GMT

Years ago it was too hot to do concerts here at the house, so at the last moment we moved Eliza Gilkyson & her band over to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. We've wanted to have her back here at the house ever since. For those who have faithfully watched for her return - your wait is just about over.

Join us in November for an intimate evening here at the house with Eliza Gilkyson & Nina Gerber. We're so behind bringing Eliza here that she has brought out 2 CDs since her concert here in 2005. The most recent, Beautiful world, has garnered some great reviews:

New York Times
"lush and passionate...edgy lyrics with piercing imagery"

Austin Chronicle
"cathartic to the point of jubilation, brimming with radio-polished tunes"

When the Great Correction Comes , the song that inspired the recent CD turned out (unfortunately) to be rather prophetic. Graham Green provides a thoughtful review here. You might also want to check out a recent concert review here.

(Whitney confesses that one of her all time favorite songs remains Gilkyson's Requiem written in the wake of the Katrina.)

Eliza will be joined by a true musician's musician, Nina Gerber. Her mastery of the guitar is evidenced by her accompaniment of any of the following artists: Kate Wolf, Nanci Griffith, Greg Brown, Lucy Kaplansky, Mollie O'Brien, Dave Alvin, Karla Bonoff, John Gorka, Cheryl Wheeler, Tom Paxton, and many others.

Upcoming Shows

Wed, 12 Aug 2009 23:02:24 GMT

Friends House Concerts
PO Box 38943
Colorado Springs, CO 80937
Tel: 719-329-1644

Willy Porter w/ Natalia Zukerman
Date: Sunday, October 18, 2009
Time: 7:00 PM
Artist Donation: $25 made out to Willy Porter

Eliza Gilkyson & Nina Gerber
Date: Thursday, November 12, 2009
Time: 7:00 PM
Artist Donation: $25 check made out to Eliza Gilkyson

Peter Mulvey
Date: Saturday December 12. 2009
Time: 7:30 PM
Artist Donation: $20 made out to Peter Mulvey

October - Willy & Natalia - Tickets Gone

Sun, 12 Jul 2009 15:20:56 GMT

Quick Ticket Update: Concert is SOLD OUT

What better way to return to concerts than a MIX of our old favorites? We snagged Willy Porter who released his new CD this summer: How To Rob A Bank. If possible, this release is garnering even more praise than usual including the following.

World-renowned guitarist Greg Koch had this to say about Porter's new disc: "you get the same feeling listening to it as you do from one of his solo gig's...that you are in the presence of greatness..." Each song is a fresh cross-pollination of styles, genres and musical forms. In the Woody Guthrie-informed, would-be bank robber's pre-heist confessional title track:

[Porter] sings the bailout blues: 'You can't walk in there brazen with an Uzi like Patty Hearst /I'm gonna secure myself a seat on the board of directors first / That's how you rob a bank.' Given the cyclical nature of corporate scandals, it's likely that How To Rob A Bank — and the rest of Porter's new album...will remain timely for years to come... (The Onion)

This review covers his gig at the Grammy museum with Raining Jane last month. He's' obviously making waves and we're excited to have him here in October.

Just because she's SO fantastic, a quick word about Natalia Zukerman. She's been through a couple of times before headlining evenings. If you haven't seen her - you won't want to mis what has been called "A voice that can coax orchids into bloom and a guitar that can open beer bottles with its teeth?!"

Pssst... They're Ba-a-ack!

Sat, 27 Jun 2009 16:38:58 GMT

Friends House Concerts is gearing up to return to great music, intimate surroundings and memorable evenings. There is so much more music available here in Colorado Springs than there was when we first started back in 2001, that we have modified the series a bit. Changes include:

Fall and Winter concerts only

We're going to offer less seats

We’ll see how it all works out, but we’re very much looking forward to live music here again up on the hill...

We hope you’ll join us here AND we ask that you selectively pass our email on to new people. Don’t forward this to folks who don’t love music, we don’t want to end up in trashcans all over the internet. We think that many email addresses have changed and that we may not be getting the word out to people who are interested in the concerts, so we appreciate your help! Anyone can sign up for the newsletters here.