So glad you’re here.

Our home is most alive when filled with friends and friends-to-be. That’s where the idea for East Grace Street was born. Hosting intimate concerts sets the stage for spectacular, independent musicians to bring their talents to our friends and acquaintances. This is exactly how we want to spend our summer evenings, and welcome you to join us.

We offer all the musicians an opportunity to explore, push their edges or just do their already fab thing. We’ve personally invited a variety of performers we’re sincerely interested in—and think you’ll be jazzed about, too. And this isn’t a profit center for us—all ticket sales go directly to the performers. The desired effect is that it just feels goods for everyone involved.

And now, the requisite Q+A:

What is a House Concert
A house concert is just that, a concert at our house. Well, in our backyard, actually. Musicians play under the shade of trees. You BYO and get comfortable. Relax, enjoy the music, and hang with friends, old and new. A house concert is a great way to see talented, renowned (and up-and-coming) artists in a private, intimate setting.
 
What should I bring
» A chair or blanket
» Bug spray
» Something to drink
» Friends
» Money for artist donations, hot dogs, artist CDs/t-shirts
 
How much is a show
The price varies per artist but usually it’ll be $20 per person. People under 17 years old, including babes in arms, are gratis. 100% of your ticket sale goes to the artists.
 
How do I reserve my spot
As soon as a show is featured, you can buy your ticket. Links for future shows are found here. When a show is sold out, you will be unable to purchase.
 
What about refunds
Since we’re really committed to keeping this a low-impact endeavor for ourselves, we cannot offer refunds. However, tickets are transferable to friends. A friend of yours is a friend of ours! We’ll just need to know the change so they’re accounted for on our list. Let me know, here. Their name and email address will square this away.
 
What if it rains
Yup. Totally possible. When in doubt, return to your concert’s main page. I’ll update there. If I have your email, I’ll get in touch that way as well. Basically, no news is good news. The show will go on.

If we’re rained out, we’ll reschedule as soon as we can—or if you prefer, your ticket can be applied to a future concert. I loathe to get into the refund business, so this is the policy until it doesn’t work anymore. Sounds good? Great. Pray for clear skies.
 
Where are you on East Grace Street
We’re in Church Hill. The exact address will be sent once you purchase your ticket(s). With the address will come a map and anything else that we think you’d like to know. And be sure to introduce yourself when you get here. We like making new friends.
 
House Rules
Don’t mind if I do
We want everyone to have a great time, AND this is our home, so kindly:
» Respect the musician, those around you and our property
» Children are welcome, and note the above rule
» No smoking, please
» No dogs, grrrrr
» Pick up your trash, duh
» Be a charming guest, ahhhh
 
Who are we
Jennifer Elsner and David Shields

You can learn a bit about us if you poke around this website, but you might also like to know… we moved from Austin to Richmond in 2012 and fell trulymadlydeeply for Church Hill. When we renovated our house, we designed it to be a place for friends to come by and hang for a little—share a drink, some food, conversation and music. Our experiences in Austin with house concerts remain cherished, magical times. They are missed almost as much as breakfast tacos and BBQ. So, while we can’t recreate the Q (and sorry, Richmond’s tacos don’t hold a candle), we CAN come together and experience music, under the summer sky.
 
How can I get in touch with you
If you’re a performer, I’d love to hear from you. OR, for any reason you want to get in touch, email is a surefire way. You can find me, Jennifer, here.




July 30, 2014

Save The Arcadian

Arcadian_page 
EAST GRACE STREET HOUSE CONCERT SERIES
Introducing: SAVE THE ARCADIAN

The East Grace Street House Concert Series is a collection of intimate performances at our home—in our backyard, actually. Musicians play under the shade of trees. You get comfortable, relax and enjoy the music. Or break out in spontaneous dance. I probably will, it’s all good.

We are thrilled to present, SAVE THE ARCADIAN.
 
Saturday, September 13th
Doors open 7:30pm, performance begins at 8
Attendance is limited to 30 people
$20 per person
Buy Tickets
 
SAVE THE ARCADIAN is a six-piece folk-pop band formed in Fredericksburg, VA, in early 2012. With influences including The Head and the Heart, Radical Face, and Death Cab for Cutie, their eclectic arrangements fuse traditional pop elements with a fresh, acoustic sound seldom heard in modern indie folk music. They have shared the stage with national acts, such as Jukebox the Ghost, and played to packed houses from Richmond to Washington, DC. Their first album, How’d They Get Up There?, provided inspiration for a unique, folk-pop sound; a sound that is fully realized in their new EP, That Bright Tide, which was released in March of 2014.

With a fast-growing fanbase and memorable live performance, Save the Arcadian is poised to make a splash in the independent music scene.

You can learn more about SAVE THE ARCADIAN, here.
 
//
 
BIOS

Will McCarry
Lead vocals, acoustic guitar
Will is the heartthrob. He was born and raised in Leesburg, Virginia and played guitar in bands before he knew how to play. Now that he’s grown up, his guitar skills have improved significantly.

Sam Rodgers
Backup vocals, mandolin, electric guitar
Sam is the funny one. Always ready with a quip, Sam provides the comedic relief, no matter what.

Russell Michelson
Backup vocals, keyboards
Russell is the mysterious one. He was classically trained in piano, but in college, threw away his sheet music and dove into the world of alternative folk-pop.

Lavar Edmonds
Violin
Lavar is the intelligent one. Once a fan of the band, chance brought him into the studio to record with them. Once the band heard him play, they knew it was meant to be.

Lonnie Southall
Backup vocals, bass
Lonnie is the gruff one. He may be a high school English teacher, but at night, the teacher’s cardigan comes off and sunglasses come on.

Bryan Chase
Drums
Bryan is the crazy one. Imagine the typical drummer and that is Bryan. He’s loud, has crazy hair, and is the most popular member by far.
 
Buy Tickets
 
After you reserve your spot, I’ll reply in 2 days with details about location and how to get here. In the meantime, hop over here for answers to popular questions. Any additional inquiries not addressed there can be sent to me at viewers@viewers-like-you.
 




July 01, 2014

MAHARAL

Introducing Maharal 
EAST GRACE STREET HOUSE CONCERT SERIES
Introducing: MAHARAL

The East Grace Street House Concert Series is a collection of intimate performances at our home—in our backyard, actually. Musicians play under the shade of trees. You get comfortable, relax and enjoy the music. Or break out in spontaneous dance. I probably will, it’s all good.

We are thrilled to present, MAHARAL.
 
Saturday, August 16th
Doors open 7:30pm, performance begins at 8
Attendance is limited to 30 people
$20 per person
Buy Tickets
 
MAHARAL is the combined dance and music musings of Damion Bond and Brett Zwerdling. MAHARAL’s old world, future funk feel is known for its dramatic and moving work. A combination of original music, dance, storytelling, wit, history, and theatre create a truly unique concert experience. Additionally, Brett will perform on the world’s first and only double-neck flat-back Turkish lute (saz) and Damion performing with a massive Turkish bass drum (davul) and sacred Tibetan singing bowls.

I personally know Damion and Brett, and trust this concert will be a transcendental, mind-blowing experience.

You can learn more about MAHARAL, here.
 
//
 
BIOS

Damion is sprung from a land of wonder and mystery, This Illustrious Muse lightly steps into this world to invoke joy and marvel. Magick drips from the edges of her form, an intoxicating elixir offering each humble drinker abundance of pleasure. She is a fusion of modern dance and tribal infused belly dancing gypsy, fan, fire bowls, rope dance and cape manipulating burlesque. Her mission in life – Onward, upward, and inward revelations. On the earthly plane she is a Licensed Massage Therapist and Sound Healing Practitioner and is a nationally recognized teacher of Thai healing practices and Reiki (through NCBTMB). She runs a school for healing called Woven Body Healing Arts www.wovenbody.com. Her performance video resource is youtube: illustrious muse.

Brett begins his music with an emotional concept, and develops it through the story that is being told. Whether his music is beautiful or intense; melodic or dissonant; it will convey an emotion, tell a story, and briefly allow the listener to resonate on a different plane. Brett believes emotions are extensions of the soul and music is one of the purest manifestations of emotion. Its vibrations reach us and affect us on a primordial level, as we all still resonate in some way that is related to the Great Beginning. Music makes us laugh, cry, and sometimes elevates us to places we never thought we could go.
 
Buy Tickets
 
After you reserve your spot, I’ll reply in 2 days with details about location and how to get here. In the meantime, hop over here for answers to popular questions. Any additional inquiries not addressed there can be sent to me at viewers@viewers-like-you.