To host a Living Room Concert, please contact me: elizabethhummel (at) yahoo (dot) com
Elizabeth Hummel and Brian Castillo together are Waterwitch. We love turning ordinary living rooms and other spaces into transformative venues. Together with our hosts and their guests, we create a vibrant circle where magic and connection can happen. We bring the sound, the lights, the tunes, and have fun moving couches and lamps around to turn any living room into your own Carnegie Hall. We feel this work and this kind of community experience with others is more important than ever. We need to be with one another in real time and real spaces. We need laughter and love and intimacy. And we need music!
Elizabeth has been writing songs all her life, and has played in many living rooms, concert halls, bars and coffee shops across the country. Brian has been in numerous Seattle bands, toured Europe multiple times, and lately brings an entirely unique guitar style influenced by 1920s blues to the music. You can hear some songs at: https://elizabethhummel.bandcamp.com.
What other hosts have said about Waterwitch playing in their Living Rooms:
Having Elizabeth and Brian perform in my home gave so much more than any traditional concert venue could have. Friends of mine and people I didn’t know well who wanted that experience of a close, personal musical moment came together in an evening that was uplifting and soul-soothing. Elizabeth’s music took us all to an unnamed place that was more feeling and sound than anything else. It was heaven.
–Lisa Groening (Los Angeles)
Elizabeth and Brian (Waterwitch) have graced our home three different times with their music….but it’s not just “music”….it’s pure magic that emanates through our home and into everyone’s heart and soul. Elizabeth’s voice resonates with passion for what she believes in. These are not ordinary tunes, but each one is written by her. Elizabeth shares herself transparently, and we all go home deeply enriched and satisfied. Her music reaches way down, heals my heart, grounds me. My world makes sense.
–Mary Meyer, Olympia
Elizabeth’s events are like fires for people to gather around little sanctuaries where there’s light and people can see each other and celebrate in community the beauty they see. That’s important medicine, good work to bringing to the world.
— Michael Shohan, Olympia
For days afterward I felt a thrum and a glow from our house concert with Elizabeth and Brian. The music was at once familiar — Elizabeth’s voice and delivery — and fresh, and I went into a reverie, unaware of the passage of time. I didn’t want it to end! There was an alchemy to the performance that was created from the combination of our living space, the energy and emotions of like-minded people, the vibrant and still-urgent creativity of the artist. Pure magic!
–David Takami, Seattle
Who are the hosts? What does it take to host a house concert?
- Heart! Heart is probably the most important thing a host can bring to co-create a wonderful experience! Hosts with heart emanate love, kindness, and community values. People are drawn to that. Your open heart is absolutely essential.
- Friends! Hosts have a good circle of friends who they know would love to be part of a unique and magical house concert. A typical show will have 20-50 confirmed guests. Hosts are also people who are good with communication and follow up.
- A space with enough seating. We don’t necessarily need to perform in a living room! We can perform in any space that works, including backyards, offices, churches.
- Excitement! Living Room Concerts do involve planning and prep time, pretty much like planning any party. Hosts do this because they really want to: it’s fun and energizing and worth the time and energy to set it all into motion.
- A strong desire to support art and artists by promoting attendance and donations.
Other logistics:
- We only perform on weekends. Most often, we perform on a Saturday evening. Friday evenings and Sunday afternoons are also sometimes possible.
- With you, we usually begin promoting the concert 2 months in advance. Brian makes a beautiful and unique poster for the concert that you can share via email or social media or paper. We will make sure you have links, descriptions, and help as needed with the communications to your friends. We also invite people we may know in the area.
- Creating very firm RSVPs is essential, as most living rooms have limited capacity.
- Saturday events typically begin at 6:00 with a community potluck and social hour.
- Saturday evening shows starts at 7:00. We either perform one long set and end at 8:30, or (more typically) we perform two sets with a break, ending at 9:00 or so.
- If with a potluck, the hosts provide plates, napkins, silverware, etc.
- Alcohol can be served or not.
- We work on a donation/dana basis, nobody turned away. We’ll put out a sign with a “suggested donation, $10-20” by a jar. Hosts usually promote the donation jar a few times during the evening. We have CDs for sale as well.
- We come by in the late afternoon to “set the stage” and turn the space into a venue. We move furniture around and set up chairs. This part is fun (and a chance to clean that space behind the couch!) We set up the sound and lights. Voila, your house is a concert venue!
For more information about hosting a living room show, contact me at elizabethhummel (at) yahoo (dot) com.