About Hosting House Shows..

So as some of you may know I (alex) host house shows here in Berkeley. We play many house shows on tour and I'm going to be presumptuous here and post some guidelines I gave to a house recently that was starting shows.

Some stuff about hosting house shows: finding bands, hosting, before and after the show, money/food.

Finding Bands: they find me most of the time. sometimes I ask bands to play if I see they need help in the bay area. I'll probably start referring people to you. Put your house up on dodiyusa.org and other listings of houses that do shows.

Hosting: If you have an audience, there will be lots of people (hopefully) and with that you have to be careful of your stuff, roommates stuff etc.. Leave out cups for people to use for water or else people will be invading your kitchen and going through your stuff. Make your alcohol and drug policies clear, remember the legal reprecussions of them if the police show up (which they will at some point). Be careful with people hanging in the front or wherever the easiest access to the street is. Lots of noise is produced there and it could get you in trouble.

Before the Show: People will NOT show up on time. Say the show starts earlier than it probably will. Offer food, entertainment, or something for people to do before the show so they arent sitting around bored (we're actually not very good about this at our house..). Make sure you tell the band what goes on, the order, the money situation, the time situation, make sure they are set for the night (place to stay, know what they are doing the next day etc..) and INTRODUCE THEM to people and the opening bands. House shows are a small intimate things where people should get to know each other and form a community.

After the show: Figure out what you want to happen and make sure it does. After our shows I like people to maybe hang out for a while quietly, and generally I like people to disperse from the front yard since we live on the quiet/study side of berkeley. I make sure the band has everything they need for the night (we have one couch here but I keep lots of blankets for the band to use. I dont provide breakfast but you can if you want. Most people I know dont except big houses with lots of people that have lots of food (aka not ours). Also figure out when they are leaving so you cna lock up or leave instructions for them to lock up if you have to leave in the morning before them.

Money and Food: ALWAYS collect donations, even if there are no touring bands. You will have random things to pay for int he future and shows that bomb so have extra cash to give to bands, buy food, pay tickets, buy better things for the space (related to music). Don't just "pass the hat" that doesn't work anymore. Every show I've played or hosted where the hat was just passed for donations you end up with not a lot of money cause people think someone else will donate instead of themselves. Give a speech, be a host. Go up to every person there and ask (that's what I do) because a band isnt going very far with 15 to 20 dollars. People will have excuses, people might have fresh booze in their hands when you ask, but dont be a jerk, be kind when you beg for other people haha. And make it obvious that you will be asking for donations. Put it on flyers, mention it on your myspace. This community survives on donations. Not everyone is Michael Runion (that's so cool he played your house by the way) who can draw people. Most of these bands that will ask you have ZERO draw so it's up to you and the openers to get people out. One thing that's interesting about house shows, if every person there could donate 2 dollars (at least at our shows) bands would leave with at least 40 to 50 dollars plus merch sales! I don't know why people don't understand that and won't even donate a dollar but whatever... I won't tell you what to ask for in donations BUT always have a firm dollar amount or sliding scale. I know people that ask for 5 to 10 dollars and here we ask for 2 to 3 dollars typically (since this is a college town and what's worse than college students for trying to get donations? College students who spent their money already on booze.)
Feed bands, and feed the show attendee's if you want, but mostly Feed the Bands. It sucks (I know this from touring to 50+ house shows last year) when you have a crappy show and you weren't even fed food. That is the low of lows on tour. IF we have a crappy show, at least I know I took the band to the dining hall where they could eat all they want and steal food from there if they wanted as well (which I encourage them to do if they can haha). Make sure to ask if they are vegetarian or vegan if youre preparing food. Sometimes they wont show up ontime and will be eating at the show so ask beforehand. When I toured as a vegeatrian is sucked to roll up to a house where they had food prepared but it was a lot of meat.. (worst time being "fed" was showing up to cold chicken and cheese filled hot dogs without buns.. ugh).

Give them your contact info.
Be prepared to possibly have to entertain them for a few hours, I'm really terrible at this and it makes me feel bad everytime someone has to sit around for a few hours while I do homework or something dumb..
Make a flyer, something else I dont do enough of.
Make a facebook event/group/page for your show/house.
Put your events on bay area entertaiment calendards (something I don't normally do cause of my landlord situation).
Know the law about noise limits and disturbing the peace ordinances (that one gets us here in berkeley).
Be open to different bands and styles.
Make sure you know and inform the band of your noise limits, don't be afraid to say no to loud bands.
Be honest and forthright about what you think you can do moneywise, soundwise, audiencewise, promotionwise. Don't give the band high expectations, its better to have an unexpectedly good show than bad show.

Don't host more shows than you think you can provide a good show for.

Most of all, meet and greet people as well as the band. Everyone wants to have a good time and for bands it's so hard being in a completely new place trying to integrate with tons of new people.

AND HAVE FUN as well as respect.

-alex