Booking Policies

Many folks ask us how we book our concert acts. Below is a short primer covering how we decide who to choose and what we offer.

How we choose acts:

• We book primarily singer-songwriters performing contemporary folk.
• We book mostly solo acts, though we have had duos and trios.
  (We don't have room for a big band, but thanks!)
• We only book nationally-touring acts.
  (Click here for a list of previous performers, which should give you a better idea of what we're looking for.)
  And
• We almost always (95%+) only book folks we've seen perform live, though there have been a few (a very few!) exceptions.

How many concerts we book per year:

• We book anywhere from six to ten concerts a year, roughly once a month from September through May, though those details have been known to vary.
• We usually book a year or more in advance.

Where to find us:

At least one of us usually attends Folk Alliance, as well as the regional Folk Alliances in Texas (SWRFA, the Southwest Regional Folk Alliance), and California (FAR-West). We also attend the Rocky Mountain Folks Festival in Lyons, Colorado, and the Founder’s Title Folk & Bluegrass Festival in Utah. If you're going to be playing in any of those places (or in or near Salt Lake City), please let us know and we'll try and catch your show. (The more lead time the better.)

What our venue is like:

• It's a private house in an older residential neighbourhood.
• Our concerts are almost exclusively acoustic (that is, no mic or amp).
• We do have a tuned piano with a Bosendorfer action available.
• We usually draw between 30 and 40 people. Max is about 55.
• We ask for a suggested donation at the door — all that money goes to the performer.
• Performers may sell product at our concerts — all that money also goes to the performer.
• Generally our artists do two 45 min (approx) sets with a flexible intermission for CD sales and noshing with the artist.
• House Expectations: Artist will mingle with audience and be sociable. :-)
• Audience is diverse, musically aware, and quite willing to be "interactive".
  Expect smart-ass comments (but not heckling) if artist provides an obvious opening. Politically our audience tends to the liberal-progressive end of the spectrum.
• The house does have cats and dogs living in it, but they will not be in the performance space or artist's quarters.
• We may be able to arrange housing, either here or elsewhere, for a performer.
• We'd be glad to have you join us for a meal or two if you're playing here.

In conclusion:

We have a long list of performers we'd love to get here, plus an equally long list of folks we'd love to bring back, so we're not exactly looking for new performers. But we'd be glad to consider you if you fit into the above requirements. You can contact us here: booking_AT_magpiehouseconcerts.com