Singer songwriter Jaime Byrd and percussionist Adam Cohen have opened their home in the Fairview area up to the lovers of acoustic music with a series of house concerts and writer nights. A place where musicians can play raw, acoustic concerts for the general public.

The series will be a monthly event and will begin on September 2nd with a writers in the round evening featuring four of Ashevilles newest songwriters, Jaime Byrd, Tony Harp, Gena Kazaneka, and Josh Lamkin. The following performance is due for September 30th, 1999. Shows begin at 7:30pm and doors open at 7:00pm. Audiences should call to make sure of dates each month.

A house concert is an intimate evening of music, that allows audience members to see a performance and interact with the musicians between sets. Occasionally the concerts are followed by a song circle -- a round of singing and guitar playing that gives audience members a chance to show off their own performing skills. Light refreshments are served and donations are collected in a basket which goes to the performers playing.

These concerts are a wide range of contemporary songwriters' music, which includes folk, country, rock, and blues. Most performers enjoy the house concert atmosphere because of its lack of microphones and sound systems, a setup that produces untainted, pure music. The songs the musicians play are stripped down and simple.

As a fellow musician, Jaime thinks that house concerts are often more fun then club shows. "In almost every case, you have a captive audience and you know they're going to like it, so you don't have to worry about impressing them so much right from the start. They're ready to enjoy it from the beginning." She says it also gives musicians in the area an opportunity to meet and socialize with one another outside of a club.

If anyone is interested in performing, please call Jaime at (828) 628-0151.

For additional information and/or interviews regarding this event please contact Jaime Byrd at (828) 628-0151