Community Concerts!

It's 30 June, 2025. I'm about to have my 2nd summer of community concerts in the communal backyard of my townhouse complex (at McDougall Landing in Central McDougall).

Why am I doing this? On a surface level, there might be some self-interest. I look at this space and I think: This is a perfect concert space! As a musician... I kind of want a concert-hall in my backyard!

On an impact level though: this kind of concert has proven to be appreciated in communities!

In 2020 during Covid, I intended on having an album release that was both live and livestreamed in a space very much like this. A rugby park. -Last-minute issues with gear not being available in that space for our livestream caused us to make a last-minute change of venue... but that idea had remained in my mind. --- Through Covid, my group "Sticks and Stone Percussion" determined to continue on with performances, despite the incredible challenges related to Covid restrictions. We were partially inspired by Martin Kerr, who managed to do more than 200 "Physically Distanced Community Concerts" In the summer of 2020, calling it a "Stay Home Street Tour"

I don't think anyone had the readiness of Martin to be a street-performer like this... but my group was one of the next-most ready for this kind of thing, with our street performance experience. We managed to pull off 30 concerts in summer 2020. This definitely put us within the top 5 acts in quantity of performances for that summer, in the Edmonton area.

Playing on my front steps of rental property in the Queen Alexandra area on a day with light rain!

Physically distanced community concert in the backyard alley space of the Empire Park Community!

At the time, there was some trepidation with starting up this kind of performance. Did it fit within the rules of what could be done? How do we do this properly. My own parents often worry a lot... I have often heard the concerns about why things might not be able to be done. Many of which rightly should be considered! -We found a way, anyways!

--

I actually think there was a massive opportunity there, for the performers who would find a way. With everything shut down... the world was starving for something! We would set up, play on someone's driveway, someone's street, the stretch of grass in front or behind someone's house... and people would come out! At first, there were some worries of: could we be bothering a neighbourhood? But that was never the case either. Across basically all our performances, there was an initial audience who knew we were coming... and by the end of a 45m-1hr performance, typically the audience would double, but sometimes even quadruple in size. People would wonder "What's that sound"? And they would come out to investigate. Most significantly though, there was one key benefit: Neighbours would come out of their homes... and they would talk to each other! They never did this!

While Covid definitely caused some isolation... the way people have been living their lives increasingly has created isolation of sorts too. Pandemic or no, it is increasingly possible to live in a world of Techno-Isolation!

Still, even if we don't feel isolated, it has become more normal to be more connected to people through other means than the proximity of people living next to us. These days, often our neighbours are strangers!

Continuing beyond times of pandemic concern... I think there is still a place for the "Community Concert" for the Community Event! Whether it is your personal backyard thing, a blockparty, something for a community league or whatever else... We have seen over and over again that music can be a great way to bring people together!

-- Through 2020, sometimes people suggested we should play in a big public space like a park. We actually tried this a couple times. It worked less well. -When we were close to the homes, people were drawn by the sound and would come out. When we were far, they wouldn't.

(... and this can be different with a larger-festival kind of event, especially one that is more established!)

-- 2024: I find myself fortunate to now own a townhouse home. Sincerely grateful; for all my choices of pursuing my musician dreams (which has significant risk and hardship), I was not sure if i would ever own a home. The space is perfect for my needs... including the backyard! -- Every space is different. My backyard doesn't have the main-street advantage where by playing in a very public place, people are drawn by the sound. But... it is very calm.

The closest comparable thing I have seen is a concert series that was started during Covid for the Old Strathcona Community. "Music in the Park" the group of neighbours called it (though on further investigation, many communities have had some form of "Music in the Park"! :) ). -Every Saturday during the summer at 5pm, neighbours would meet to listen to a 1 hr performance at E.L. Hill Park: The most surprising little park tucked away by Whiye Ave. Here's a picture I took when Ben Sures played, a short while after my own group in 2024.

Incidentally, Ben is playing in my backyard this coming Sunday! Kicking off our 2nd summer of backyard concerts.

There are varying degrees of scale of events of similar things around the city. Maybe one noteworthy, the Fulton Place Community started with a small event organized by a couple families... that has turned into basically something festival-sized over the years!

I don't think it always has to be a big thing though.

In fact, through summer 2024 the events I did, I might say it often felt like the smallest possible number of attendees where it might feel like a success. The most regular attendees were from the 4 homes on my corner of the block, my parents and some friends. A mixture of different people came between the townhouses at different times. I put posters through the neigbourhood for each individual performer a few days before (now being less scared about bothering people, I will go 1 week before! For anything other than this smallscale hyperlocal event, I would want advertising much earlier!) and would walk around and talk with people shaking hands.

-I put a printout in every mailbox at the beginning explaining the 4 performances I would have through the summer (and I think 4 is the maximum size I personally want to organize, especially being busy with my own performances). -- As a performer myself, to me it is also important that performers are paid appropriately.

What is that number?

It's pretty subjective. And will change with inflation.

-In the case of this kind of this as a (very smallest of scales) community thing, in 2024 or 2025, my answer is I think that each musician should be able to walk away with $200. (my current answer for "What's your rate" usually includes "what seems fair for the situation?" The smallest of things for a community is different than a large corporate event). So, though we are taking donations to pay musicians, if the audience does not give at least that amount, I am personally covering it out of my own wallet. Because I believe in community performances, community events and that performance is a job worth valuing.

And for the people who at first think... $200 an hour? It is not really $200 an hour... There are many graphics of this sort circulating the internet, from performers.... Such as:

In my experience, some people really understand these things (and much more! Costs of creating albums in a world that generally does not pay for them?) and value with such consideration. However, many do not. Many don't really see music as something to value. As someone wanting my work to be valued, it's important for me to value that of others. -I think I can gather an audience to pay 1, 2 or 3 musicians at least $200 per musician from my experience. And if I can't, I think I can take that financial loss.

I have been incredibly grateful to a couple neighbours who did consistently make larger donations through 2024 however! I could not have expected this (and it did save me, a not particularly wealthy musician, from taking larger losses). -- And... on top of being able to enjoy the space in my own community and to have an excuse for an event with my immediate neighbours, family, friends... (possible food, beverage, hangout before or after too?). I also like the idea of giving a paying opportunity to other performers. I am so grateful for those who have done this for me.