Calgary musician Mitch Belot brought his blues with a modern rock flare sound to Chestermere for the inaugural performance of Damn Good House Concerts on Feb. 22.
Belot, who has performed at a few house concerts enjoys the intimacy and calmness that the concerts offer.
“They create a different vibe. When you’re a professional musician you play in bars a lot,” Belot said.
Belot went on to say, “When you play in bars you get a lot of rowdy people, which is great, but at house concerts people sit; they’re paying attention and they’re enjoying the show.”
House concerts offer a feeling of a family get-together of music lovers which Belot really enjoys.
“When you sit down it’s calm, and people are drinking, engaging with the music they love, and having a good time. It’s just really-really fun. “
Organizer of Damn Good House Concerts Lisa Cuthill said everything went very well for the very inaugural show.
“I think [Belot] was well received, he’s a good artist that appeals to a large range of people,” Cuthill said.
She added, “The audience reacted well with him. Everyone loved him, he performs a little bit of everything , that’s what we’re targeting.”
For Cuthill, listening to Belot’s music was a highlight of the night.
“Hearing it unplugged in an unfiltered place, everybody is really quiet and listening. Everybody appears to appreciate the music from ‘s an armlength away, that’s so cool,” Cuthill said.
She added, “This guy is going to hit it big one day.”
Although the debut concert was successful, there are certain things Cuthill is planning to change for the next performance.
“Our hope is that we can get more people involved next time,” Cuthill said.
“We want to bring music to the masses, but we also want to do it in the privacy of a small setting,” she said.
Cuthill added, 90 to 95 per cent of the revenue from ticket sales and any record sales were given directly to Belot.
“All the proceeds go to him. It’s a win-win for us, and for him,” she said.
