Step into "The Yard"

The 2011 Trop Rock Awards are happening on Friday, November 4^th at the Casa Marina in Key West, Florida. One of the most recent categories to be added is “House Concert Venue Of The Year”. I’ve covered The Bat Cave and the home of Terry and Marianne Higgins in earlier posts. Now, meet Mark and Sharon Leverett, long time Trop Rock fans and proud owners of 2010 winner, “The Yard” in Tampa, Florida, nominated again this year.

Mark – who has lived in the area all his life - and wife, Sharon, (she moved there in 1976) are members of not one, but TWO Parrot Head Clubs in their little corner of the Gulf Coast, Tampa Bay and Charlotte Harbor. When asked how long they have been into songs about sand and sea, they answer “All our lives,” and point to Jim Morris as the first Trop Rock artist they ever saw perform live. Like many fans, the Leveretts say it’s more than just steel drums and lyrical escapism that draws them to Trop Rock, saying, “If you don’t feel it in your heart, you won’t understand the love of music.”

As to how they got started hosting House Concerts, it all goes back to Mark’s talents with a hammer and saw. A retired General Contractor, Mark began by building a large tiki hut in their back yard.

Shortly after it was finished, they were approached by Texas troubadour, Kelly McGuire, about hosting a concert in their backyard. They agreed, Kelly played. That was in 2008 and they haven’t looked back, hosting a veritable who’s who of Trop Rock artists over the last three years, some of whom have played the venue more than once: Jim Morris, Jack Mosely, Hugo Duarte, Brent Burns, John Frinzi, Latitude, The Trop Rock Junkies, John Friday, Jimmy Parrish, Captain Josh, the late Troy Allen, Doyle Grisham, Jerry Diaz, Loren Davidson, Rob Mehl, and Mike Miller, to name just a few. By the end of 2011, they will have hosted nineteen concerts just this year (Scott Kirby is scheduled for December 3^rd). Mark’s building bug didn’t stop at the Tiki Hut. The Leveretts have added outdoor bathrooms and are in the process of putting in a bunk house, so visiting artists have a place to crash after they perform.

 

With plenty of space – there is room for up to 100 people in their one acre backyard – and comfortable accommodations for both audience and artists, it’s easy to see why the Yard has become such a popular spot. “We started with mostly Parrot Heads from the two clubs we belong to”, say Mark and Sharon. “We would send emails out” to the membership. Club members would bring friends, who enjoyed the music and atmosphere. Then, they added a Facebook page and started getting people from there. “Plus, the artists have their own fans. Now, we have about 50/50, friends of the Yard and Parrot Heads coming to the shows.” The have never had a problem with the “open door” policy – “The type of people who come just want to have a good time listening to the music.”. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own food and beverage of choice, with a $15 donation to the artist collected at the door.

“Artists love House Concerts,” the couple says. So, it’s not hard to find Trop rockers willing to play. If you’re thinking about hosting one, they suggest you start by inviting local Parrot Head friends, as they did. They also believe you should, “find something unique about your place” and name it after that. “People like to associate a name with a place.”

One of the other unique things about a show at the Yard, is your chance to take home some handcrafted artwork or jewelry. “Mark makes a wooden sign for each show, with lyrics from one of that specific artist’s songs,” Sharon told me recently. “I make jewelry. During a break in the performance, we’ll do a raffle and the winner gets what we have made.” For a long time, proceeds from the raffle also went to whoever was performing but, recently – with encouragement from the artists – the Leveretts began using that extra money to help offset the costs of putting on their shows, as well as for the extra construction. “Although it’s a lot of work, we love the music and musicians. That is what makes it all worthwhile.”

House Concert Of The Year Nominees: The Higgins

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.