Meeting of the Minds, the annual pilgrimage of Parrot Heads and the Trop Rock phaithful to Key West, is just around the corner. In addition to tons of parties and performances from many of the best known artists of the genre (many of whom you can read about on this very blog) the event calendar includes the 2011 Trop Rock Awards. This year, a category has been added for “House Concert Venue of the Year”. House Concerts have become an integral part of Trop Rock – in some cases the ONLY way people in some geographical regions of the country would get to see their favorite artists without travelling to a festival or phlocking. One of the five nominees for HCVOTY is the Bat Cave, which I wrote about a couple months back. I thought it would be a good idea to also feature some of the other nominees, for those who might not be familiar with all of them. For those not going to MOTM, I also hope the venue owners might share some of their insights into hosting House Concerts – to encourage others to do the same (and maybe make it onto next year’s ballot! First up is Terry & Marianne Higgins, of Parrish Florida.
The Higgins moved to the Sunshine State from the Midwest back in 1996, following Terry’s love for sun, sand, and tropical tunes. They joined their local Parrot Head Club as soon as they settled in and are currently members of the Charlotte Harbor club. Terry claims the first artist he liked that played what might be considered island music was Bertie “Key Largo” Higgins (no relation), but says he didn’t really get into what would currently be called Trop Rock until about 2005. Jim Morris was the first Trop Rocker he saw perform live. When I asked Terry why he and his wife started hosting House Concerts, he replied simply “We like to host gatherings and share the love of the music”. And share the music they have, hosting shows over the last six years by Sunny Jim and John Frinzi, Rob Mehl, Matt Wahl, Kelly McGuire, Mark Mulligan, Hugo Duarte, Keith Sykes, Jerry Diaz, Leo Dean, Gary and Kerri, Jimmy Parrish, John Reno, Brent Burns, Island Bill Haughey, Don Middlebrook, John Patti, and Scotty Bryan and Dan Hower (aka The Drunkin’ Monkeys).
The two Gulf Coastal Parrot Heads generally host their shows outside. Terry notes that they can seat about 30 people in their lanai and around their backyard pool. One of the things their events are noted for is the great food. Marianne offers up a full spread inside the house and guests are also encouraged to bring dishes to share. Unlike some House Concert venues, the Higgins have a top notch sound system on site, so all performers need to bring is their instruments and mics.
One of the questions that always comes up when I get asked about hosting a House Concert is who to invite and how to get them there. In the Higgins case, they draw most of their guests from local Parrot Head Club members in the surrounding Bradenton/Sarasota area – and as far away as from Tampa. But, Terry is quick to point out that, while they do send out emails to clubs in the area, word often spreads by mouth and the invitation is always open. If someone knows someone else who might be interested in seeing and hearing an artist, they are welcome to come. Quoting Rob Mehl, Terry says “It’s all about the music”. Unlike most House Concert venues, Terry and Marianne don’t charge a cover. They pay the performers from their own pocket (Terry is in the Horticultural business and works full time as the VP and GM for a company).
As for suggestions to others who might be thinking about hosting House Concerts, the Higgins offer two tips: First, make sure you have the space to hold 30-50 people or more comfortably and secondly, be sure you have a large enough network of friends and Trop Rock fans to pull from if you are going to try to cover the entertainer’s expense with a cover charge.
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