Where did the name Música Del Río come from?
Música Del Río translates as “music of the river”. Our home, the place we have our house concerts, is on Del Rio Road about a half mile from the Salinas River. So the location helped us create a name fitting for us and we hope, you.

Is this a business?
No, Música Del Río is done for the love of music and friends. (See “What do you get out of doing this?” below.) All of the ticket donation money goes directly to the performers. 100%

Who gets the ticket money?
100% goes to the performers. It is considered a donation. But in order to keep musicians coming back, it is really important that all in attendance pay their share.

Who’s paying for all of this?
It is our hobby, so we are.  As we add a sound system, an outside concert area and better chairs; you are welcome to help out financially if you wish. Fred’s business, “Travel With Fred”, underwrites the cost of maintaining this website.

What do you get out of doing this?
We love live acoustic music. The closer, the better and it’s really cool that our favorite musicians come to our house to entertain us and 60 of our friends and acquaintances.

What is a house concert?
We have a page all about that.  Go to "A House Concert?” and get the answers.

How often do you have concerts?
Right now we are scheduling concerts monthly from September through May. We may consider adding additional dates to fit artist schedules and the interests of our friends, but not for a while.

How do you choose the performers you book?
We have heard many of the performers we invite at other house concerts, music festivals and showcases. A remarkable number of artists find us via the network of house concert presenters we stay connected with. As a general rule, we only book artists who we have heard live, have a ‘Live CD’ for us to evaluate AND play the types of music we personally enjoy.

What Genre of music will we see here?
The focus is on the singer/songwriter reflecting Americana, folk, bluegrass, Celtic, world and blues. We have a special fondness for the fiddle, the mandolin and the piano.  Of course a good guitar really helps too.
 
Is all the music at Música Del Rio "unplugged"?
Generally, we use very limited sound reinforcement, so everyone can hear all the musicians.  We have found that many instruments and vocalists need some amplification to insure a well-balanced presentation for everyone in the room.  (An electric piano needs amplification or there is just no sound.)  We are slowly adding a more elaborate sound system to better support the needs of our performers and guests.

What is the schedule of the evening?
Friday concerts start at 8:00 PM.  Saturday concerts start at 7:30 PM.  You are welcome to arrive 45-minutes before the concert’s published starting time.  Beverages and snacks will often be available.  (However, we may ask for your help setting up or hiding the dinner dishes.)  There will be a 20-30 minute intermission between 2 sets of unknown length.  We then welcome you to stay and visit after the second set.

How do I get invited?
Send a email to invite@musicadelrio.org with the word “please’ in the subject line.  Please include your name, city and phone number.  You will then get an invitation via email for all upcoming concerts.  We use an event announcement  web tool called Purple Trail to send out all invitations, manage all replies and keep track of the guest list.  Your contact information is never released to or used by anyone else but us.  You must RSVP, as we cannot accommodate walk-ins.

How many people attend?
We have room for 54-62 when the performers number 3 or fewer. With 4 or more musicians performing, we may need to slightly rearrange the seating for a total of 54-58.

Can I bring a friend?
Absolutely, just RSVP with the number of people that will be attending. Better yet, have your friends add themselves to our email list. (See “How do I get invited?” above)

Can children attend?
Yes, and parents need to remember that we are presenting a 2 hour concert in an environment with very limited space for children to move around.  Unless they are going to sit on your lap all evening or on the carpet up front, we ask that you donate for their ticket.
 
Is there wheelchair accessibility?
Our front door and the entrance to our living room are wide; however the doorways to our bathrooms maybe too narrow to accommodate a wheelchair.  Email ahead if you have any other type of accessibility question.  Please e-mail ahead if you have questions or special needs, like a disabled parking space.  We'll be glad to help if we can!
 
Is there parking for everyone?
We have an open meadow next to our house.  At the furthest, you will have to walk about 300 feet from your car to the concert.  BUT, car pooling is encouraged because we do not have room for 60 cars.  Do not park on the street.  Del Rio is a rural road with a soft shoulder and no streetlights.  If you are disabled, we have room for 3 vehicles with firm access.  Please contact us in advance for disabled parking.

Why isn’t your address on this site?
House concerts are a private party.  We would like some contact with our guests before they show up – this is our home, after all.  After you sign up on our invitation list (See “How do I get invited?” above) you will receive an invitation email. to our next concert.  When you RSVP to the invitation email you will see  the address to our home.  Remember you must RSVP – we need to know how many people are coming.

Why do I have to do this with “Purple Trail”?
The best way we have found to keep track of the email list, all invitees and who cannot make it is with this web tool called Purple Trail.  Because we do this as a volunteer effort, we want to keep it easy for everyone.  Purple Trail also lets you see who else is invited and whether or not they are coming.  You can also add friends to the list or remove yourself if you don’t want to hear about future concerts.  If you cannot open your Purple Trail link for any reason, send us an email and let us know.

Is there any food or beverage available?
We will generally provide soft drinks and coffee.  Helping out with a semi-potluck snack or dessert offering is optional when you feel like it.  You are also welcome to bring beer, wine, and soda or fruit juice to share.  Please do not bring hard liquor.
 
Smoking?
There is no smoking in our home.  You may smoke during intermission, only on the concrete driveway to the far right as you exit the front door.  All butts must be disposed of in the metal pail on the driveway.  Smokers who don’t follow this rule will work “yard cleanup” before the next scheduled concert.

Do you have pets?
We have an extremely friendly Heinz dog named Lucy and a Plott hound named Sadie.  Both dogs are seldom out and about  during concerts.  However both live inside the house, so if you have allergies, you may want to bring your allergy medication.  Please contact us with any concerns.

What can I do to help?
Add a friend to the invitation list.  You can help with parking.  You can bring refreshments.  You can help during intermission.  You can help cleanup.  You can host a performer in your guest room on the night of the concert.  You can contribute to our "sound enhancement" fund to build a sound system.
 
Is there anything else I should bring?
Most musicians have CDs for sale, and some even have T-shirts and other gear.  You may want to bring some extra cash or your checkbook to take home a lasting part of the evening.  And don't forget to ask the musicians to autograph whatever you buy!  You also may want to bring a small cushion for your chair. Our folding chairs are unpadded.