Paul’s Brooklyn House Concerts

I started hosting house concerts in Sunnyvale, California in 2002. The series later moved to San Francisco, California and Brooklyn, New York. Over the course of 80 shows, I’ve had the good fortune of having some of my favourite musicians play in my living room.

Frequently Asked Questions

So what is a house concert, anyway?: It’s a wonderful way to experience music. You hear an acoustic sound in an intimate setting. There’s no smoke, no drunks, and no obnoxious suits.
Will there be house music?: No.
Is this a house party?: No.
Is this a “house series”?: Huh?
Where is the concert?: In my living room. Really.
How many people come to these shows?: Usually about 25.
When should I arrive?: Arrive somewhere between 30 minutes and 5 minutes before the show starts. If you’re late, don’t ring the bell; text, and I’ll let you in.
What time does the show end?: The performance last for two hours. You are encouraged to stick around after and mingle (and eat dessert).
Is the food vegan?: Sorry, no. The cake’s got eggs in it. And milk.
What about parking?: Who drives in New York? Well, there is some street parking nearby. There are also parking garages.
What if I don’t have a car?: My apartment is easily accessible from the 2/3/4/5 (Nevins), 2/3/4/5/B/D/N/R (Atlantic Avenue—Barclays Center) and A/C/G (Hoyt-Schermerhorn) trains.
Do you have pets?: Yes -- Denley is a medium-sized mystery dog who looks like a Catahoula.
Can I bring my pet?: No.
Can I smoke in your house?: No.
Should I take my shoes off?: Sure, if you want to.
Will there be dancing?: Nope. But I wouldn’t stop you if you tried (assuming you could find room).
May I take pictures?: Yes, but please keep flash photography to a minimum.
May I record the show?: That’s fine with me; check with the performer beforehand.
Is there an age requirement?: People of any age are welcome. However, it’s important that everyone remain quiet throughout the performance. If you plan to bring young children, talk to me beforehand.
Can I blog about this concert?: Sure.
How much are the shows?: The suggested contribution is $20, but you are welcome to give more.
Who gets the money?: The performer. Every cent.
Will there be CDs and merch for sale?: Indeedy.
Who should I bring?: Bring a friend! Bring a date! Bring your Mom! Bring all three!
What should I bring?: Drinks and snacks will be provided, but if you’d like to bring something to share, I’d be really grateful.
Anything else I should know?: Please turn off the ringer on your cell phone.

Other house concerts

If you’re interested in finding a house concert in another area or hosting your own show, check out Russ & Julie’s House Concerts and Concerts in Your Home.

House concerts in the New York City area

House of Love Concerts in Red Hook, Brooklyn
Kathryn’s Space House Concerts in the East Village, Manhattan
Hear at the HOMe in New Haven, Connecticut (on hiatus)

House concerts in the San Francisco bay area

Brask House Concerts in Fremont
Gwen Fuller in Menlo Park
Phil Gelb in Oakland (world music and experimental music)
KC Turner, also in the north bay
The Sounding Board in Cupertino
Daniel Steinberg in Mountain View (Important: traditional and world music only. no singer-songwriters.)

About me

Do you play any instruments?: Dear lord, no!
Did you take those pictures?: Yes.
The ones on the web site?: No.
Which ones?: The ones on my wall.
Who are you?: I’m Paul Schreiber.

About the web site

This is an open source web application built with Ruby on Rails. The nifty tabs came from A List Apart and Andrew Wooster. Tantek Çelik showed me how to do microformats and lose some tables.

House concerts website is licensed under CC BY-NC 4.0.

About my house concerts