I hosted my very first house concert a week and a half ago, and I'm still savoring the good time that was had (evidently) by all.  We had a house full but still had room to get by each other.   The guests were as attentive for the most part and those that weren't were not a distraction...all part of the plan.  Everyone had a lot of fun with the caricatures my co-worker Mike Barnett did, in his spot in the "balcony" section, which was the den area overlooking the "stage" in the living room below.  One guy even took pictures of most of the caricatures and then posted them on the 'net for the other guests to match up with their subjects.  And of course it was a good time to do the Hair Pictures.  The fun just never ends!

Our performers, Audrey Hatcher and Terry Thompson, were the ultimate pros, and made me look good (taste-wise, if not performing-skill-wise!).

I knew it would be a challenge to my nerves to try to host and perform at the same deal--I've been presenter and performer before and it was not easy. But of course I didn't want to give up the chance to show off--uh, I mean, "minister" to my guests.   So next time I'll rehearse more and prep the house sooner!

That choice between "doing my own thing" and promoting other people's activities is one I've dealt with many times before.  I enjoy performing, of course (when it's going well, anyway) but I also enjoy envisioning how to present and promote talents I admire, and seeing other people enjoy that talent, and come away as refreshed and inspired as I knew they would be. 

I think sometimes I've neglected my responsibility to make the most of my own gifts and resources, because I've spent my time coming up with some "brilliant" wording for an e-mail to send out to let everyone know why they really need to see my friend do a few songs at a club somewhere, or to design a poster for said event.  I'm afraid there have been times when I've crossed over from being an "enthusiastic supporter and friend" to being a pest.

And I'll admit my motives for promoting other musicians are often as selfish as my motives for promoting myself.  Either way I get to have some attention, I can pretend I'm having some significant influence over my world, and I can assume I'll share some of the credit for the good experience my friends might have at the show, and also have the gratitude of the performer for the support.  And maybe someone will do the same for me when I'm in the performer role.

Of course there's no harm done really, and maybe some good; even if my motivation is selfish, the result is mostly the same.  When the disciples told Jesus that a man was helping people in his name and they had told him to stop because he wasn't part of the "entourage," he said they shouldn't bother (Mark 9:39).  And Paul had the same philosophy of "hey, as long as the Word gets out, it will do its good, regardless of the motives of the messenger (though it might not do him so much good)." (seriously paraphrasing here).  Not that music and the Ultimate Truth are on the same level, but the comparison is there.

One thing that is nice about promoting other people is that I don't have to (pretend to) be humble about them; I can brag all I want!  And I do enjoy putting my communications degree to work now and then.  I'm either too gregarious, or too multi-faceted, or just too scatter-brained to be as focused on my own music as I suppose a successful artist has to be.  "And that's...OK" (to quote codependent 12-step-program enthusiast and TV host Stuart Smalley from SNL).

This difficulty of keeping my attention on my own work goes back quite a long way.   I can remember having a note sent home from an elementary school teacher, which my older brothers delightedly assured me was a sign of trouble.  Turned out she was letting my parents know that I was finishing my work before the other kids and then talking to them (thereby keeping them from finishing--come to think of it, not a bad competitive strategy!).  So she was assigning me extra work to shut me up.   Probably not the only time that's happened in my life, just the most obvious.  

So, despite all this fretting and hand-wringing, I'll probably continue the schizophrenic performer/promoter thing.  I enjoy it, and it doesn't seem to hurt (and there are a couple of rare instances where I can say I definitely helped).  Hopefully I'll be diligent to do both as well as I can, and follow those passions where they lead.   So be prepared to read more e-mails intended to persuade you out of your easy chair and into an audience somewhere...and come over to my place for the next evening of schizophrenic fun.

Mark

*A line from a great Stevie Ray Vaughan song:
"If the house is a-rockin', don't bother knockin'
"If the house is a-rockin', don't bother knockin'
"If the house is a-rockin', don't bother, come on in!"