Music fans in Niverville have a new option for experiencing live music. Since September, town residents Becky and Matt Burke have been hosting a series of monthly concerts in their home featuring musicians from across Canada.
The Burkes are participating in a program called Home Routes, which connects musicians with people willing to open their homes to both artists and an audience. There are tour routes across the country, including three in Manitoba, and each route has 12 stops. Niverville is part of the Agassiz Route, which also includes places such as Selkirk, Altona, and Glenora.
“My parents had been participating [in Home Routes] up in Ashern for about seven years,” says Becky. “We always thought that when we had the chance, we would do this, because it’s such a cool opportunity to hear some great music and meet new people—both the musicians and the local people who come out to hear them.”
When they moved from Norway House to Niverville this past summer, Becky and Matt decided that it was the perfect time and place to step up as concert hosts.
“As hosts, we provide the concert space, dinner and breakfast, and a place to stay for the night, so the cost to the artists is minimal,” Becky says, adding that most of the artists who participate are lesser-known performers who are trying to get their music out there and connect with an audience.
The hosts are also responsible for finding an audience. In the Burkes’ case, that means putting up posters, advertising on social media, and getting to know their neighbours. It has also meant providing a space for neighbours to get to know each other.
“If you haven’t been to a house concert, it might be a weird concept to grasp, but it’s really great. It’s like going to a bar to listen to live music, but more intimate and laidback,” says Becky. “You get to really listen to the music, and you get to meet the artists… my husband and I also work hard to make sure that everyone is welcome. We introduce people to each other, we provide snacks—socializing always needs food!—and by the time the show starts, you’re all friends, whether you knew each other coming in or not.”
The intimate setting is something that also appeals to the artists who performed November’s concert. Ontarians Kelly Lefaive and Joëlle Westman form the folk duo Georgian Bay, and they have thoroughly enjoyed the laidback setting of house concerts.
“I think that what’s so special about these shows is the kind of intimacy, the connections you make right away with everyone there, the community aspect,” says Westman. “You’re literally in someone’s house and you’re just a few feet away from where the music is happening, and that’s pretty unique.”
Lefaive agrees, noting that she’s heard from several people that they’ve met good friends through house concerts.
“In a world where technology rules supreme, this is a nice change—such a cool way to meet people,” she says.
The two musicians also enjoy the opportunity to connect with the audience on a personal level, and talk about how and why they wrote each piece. In Niverville, they reminisced about growing up in small towns with the audience. They also invited the two youngest attendees, Becky and Matt’s sons Brody and Logan, to identify the various instruments they were playing.
The Home Routes schedule gives both hosts and artists a break for the holidays, but the Burkes are already looking forward to their next concert on February 3, which will feature Celtic- and jazz-inspired duo Early Spirit.
The 2018–19 season will be rounded out with folk/country artist Abigail Lapell on March 6 and folk band Rube & Rake on April 4. Admission for each show is $20 with the full ticket price going directly to the artists.
