Home / Coffeehouse Finder / BFF Coffeehouse Stage / Calendar
Contact Info / Links / 1st Performance / Featured Coffeehouses

---

Featured Coffeehouse of the Month

The Franklin Houseconcert Series
Franklin, MA

There is an exciting movement in the folk world these days of professional concerts produced right in people’s homes.  They showcase this grassroots music form at its grassroots-iest, and none is more down-home friendly than the Franklin Houseconcert Series, run by Barry and Deborah Kasindorf in the large, L-shaped living room of their home in Franklin, MA.

“I want to create a different experience than what you can get in a concert hall or coffeehouse,” Barry Kasindorf said.   “Basically, what I'm trying to do is break down the wall between the performer and the audience.  We have a pot-luck lunch before the show, so the performer and audience know each other, often on a first name basis, before show starts.  It creates a very different environment, more like a bunch of old friends just hanging out at someone’s home.”

Attendance for the monthly concerts average 15-20, and advance reservations are a must.  The shows are held in the afternoon, in large part to encourage families to attend together.  There are so few events in our culture today that families can really share, Kasindorf said, so parents with children are always welcome.

The shows are held in the Kasindorf living room, with seating on large sofas, and an assortment of soft and straight-back chairs.  Dress is casual, and people are encouraged to bring food for the pot-luck lunch that precedes each show.  Free parking is available on street.  The music tends toward contemporary singer-songwriters, along with a few traditional artists and instrumental shows.

Kasindorf got accustomed the cozy charms of the coffeehouse through his involvement with Franklin’s Circle of Friends, also a BACHA member and one of the most respected folk venues in New England.  Doing a house concert for a friend a few years ago inspired him to start his own home-cooked series.  It seemed like the logical next step.

“You're listening to the performer authentically,” he said.  “You're not listening to the sound system, not watching in an environment that's been created especially for the concert.  It becomes more of a group thing, with a lot more interaction and synergy between the performer and the audience.”

“This is folk music the way it started out, in your house, informally sharing music with your neighbors.  Why would I spend $150 to sit way in the back of an arena and watch someone on the Jumbo-Tron when I can be sitting five feet away from one of my favorite artists, performing in my own home?  There's nothing in the world like the kick of seeing someone you've been fans of for 10 or 15 years, sitting in your living room, putting on a show.”