Once again, I’m home from another run of house shows. This trip was significantly shorter than the last one, but it was still incredibly fun and unique. I love getting to meet so many good people when I hit the road. People who are willing to invite me into their home, let me play some songs, and give me a place to sleep. I am so thankful for each one of you. Without you guys, I wouldn’t be able to do this.
As well as meeting a bunch of new people and playing in new towns, I got to play at some of the same homes that I played at the first time around.
So, a(nother) very special thank you to:
The Chan’s, for their support and their friendliness. The last time I was in Oakville I played at the Cristofaro’s and Cassandra Chan was there. This time around I played at Cassandra’s and the Cristofaro’s came out. It was great to see them both again and to meet a bunch of new people as well. After the show we spent some time chatting and I heard about birthday dinners, 23 km walks home and I may have even been promised a pair of socks with subliminal message on them. It was a great night
The Mcpherson’s, for being so welcoming and for their kindheartedness. I met them at the end of the last tour when I played at The Free Times Cafe in Toronto. Trevor mentioned hoping to book me for a house show in June and it just worked out that I was going to be back out this way again around that time. We had a BBQ and some wine and shared some travel stories and some laughs after the show. It was extremely fun and encouraging. I felt very blessed by them.
The Stewart’s, for their openness and their friendliness. Soon after arriving at their house, we were off on a bike ride around the country. We talked and pedaled and got to know a bit about each other. As people started arriving we played a game of croquet, which I had never played before. Between a combination of too many players, the dogs stealing the balls, and a general disregard for each others “turns”, I think my team (although, I’m not sure we were actually on teams) won! After the show we hung out and talked about music and instruments and all sorts of things. I had so much fun with them and we clicked pretty well. I hope to be back again soon.
The Stefan’s, for their love and kindness. The hostess of this particular house show had lived with my family in BC when I was about ten years old. We haven’t seen much of each other through the years but, nonetheless, she is like a sister to me. It was great to see her and her family again, and to get to meet some of their friends as well. The show was a lot of fun and we spent a good deal of time afterwards chatting in a big group. I will definitely be coming back again. Partly for another show, and partly for another one of those incredible homemade coffees!
The Parker’s, for their hospitality and their thoughtfulness. On the last run of dates that I did in Ontario, the Parkers were the first stop for the house shows. They had me come out and play and even put me up for another night later on. I played this show on their friends property, outside around a fire. We had a big burger BBQ off and my host, Dave, won. After the show, some of us hung out around the fire, others went inside and chatted and everyone just relaxed and enjoyed themselves. It was great seeing them again, and getting to share such a wonderful evening.
The Keon/Macfarlane’s for their sense of adventure and their warmheartedness. It’s possible that some of you have heard me talk about a house I played once that involved an extremely large bonfire. As well as some late night snowmobiling and some off-roading too. These amazing people are responsible for that amazing night. I was very much looking forward to ending the tour at their house. Dave, the host from the previous night, came with me as we drove out to the Keon/Macfarlanes. We had a great outdoor show in the backyard, as well as a birthday celebration. There was a bonfire but we managed to keep things relatively calm this time around. I had to be at the Toronto airport the next morning at 5:30 and it was about a 4 hour drive so we had to behave ourselves this time. I played the show and caught up with everyone as much as I could, then we hit the road around 11.:30pm and headed back towards Toronto.
Thank you, again, to everyone who hosted this round of house shows. Thank you as well, to everyone who came out to the shows, bought merch, introduced themselves and shared some of their stories with me. One of the best parts about getting to play all of these house shows has been getting to meet so many generous and kind people. I’ve truly loved it. Without your support I would not be able to do this. So thank you again.
I hope to do another round of house shows soon. Check me out on Facebook or go to www.joshuahyslop.com for details about how you can host a house show.
more soon,
-joshua
