A house concert is a live musical performance that you would host in your home, whether it take place in the living room, rec room, in your back yard, or possibly even outside on your deck. If you live in a condo or an apartment, there are several ways in which you could accommodate a live performance. It would begin by inviting your immediate neighbours to attend. Perhaps you have access to the community room in the complex. That would work, too.

A house concert is much more intimate than attending a regular public venue such as a night club or music event in a city park. You and your guests will have the opportunity to engage with the performer on a more personal level, both during the performance as well as during the breaks.

It isn't uncommon for cafes or coffee houses to host indie singer-songwriters either.

Here's a question for you: How many bookstores get to host an author for a book signing session who's also a songwriter and musician? The diverse combination of Noel's talents is what makes engaging him to perform for you and your guests a little more outside-of-the-box than what you might be accustomed to …  

•  Noel performs two sets of original songs, each of which will be given a short rundown on what or who inspired them to be written, along with particulars about how the melodies might have become inspired - some of which came to him in dreams,

•  His selection of merch definitely is one-of-a-kind, ranging between mugs, T-shirts, and prints containing hand-written song lyrics, self portraits portrayed on canvas and on posters that have been created by Noel under the pen name, Leon Papillon, among others - being further complemented by an indie artist

compilation CD he produced while also being a street person in the late 90s, titled "Straight from the Streets",

•  He is one of likely very few, relatively unknown indie artists who has also written his memoir based on the stories behind many of the songs he's written over the years.

Noel Carol is no stranger to performing in people's living rooms. In the early days, he and his bandmates would sometimes perform for friends and family members on the rare occasion he wasn't booked to play in a bar somewhere.

The performance can be done with or without a sound system, depending on the area of your available space. Needless to say, though, the atmosphere is enhanced with the use of a PA. Noel is equipped with his own system if your venue is spacious enough to accommodate it.

At the moment, Noel's target date for his first performance is January, 2026. He wants to ensure that his book has been published before he gets this aspect of his endeavour underway. Should he be able to begin sooner than then, this date will be adjusted. The earlier you make your initial contact with him, the sooner you can get on the list to ensure your date is secured in advance. Get as much information as you can right here on this page. If you still have questions, please feel free to email Noel here: noelcarol@noelcarolmusic.com

If, after having all your questions answered, and you feel confident that this is something you want to try, making a monetary deposit is the first step toward securing a planned date. The deposit amount is US$1.00 - just enough to make things official.

Yes and no. The amount will vary based on a couple of factors:

       •   the distance Noel needs to travel,

•   whether you're able to provide accommodations for him, which includes dinner on the day of performance and a light breakfast the following morning,

•   the expected number of people you're confident would attend, and

•   the amount that each attendee might be able to afford to pay.

In other words, Noel wants to make these events as engaging and affordable as possible for everyone, while also ensuring that he isn't operating in the red. So, here's his plan …

       •   Travel costs: 50¢/km one way only. In other words, I cover the costs of my return trip. (That's only fair). 

       •   Hotel stay and meals: $150. (If you're providing accommodations, there would be no charge for this.

       •   Performance - CDN$350

Altogether, assuming his one-way travel is 100 km, and you're unable to provide accommodations and meals, the overall cost to have him perform at your event would total CDN$600.

In order to accommodate paying $600 for the evening, we'd require a minimum of 20 people donating an average of $30 each. However, as for the price of admission? 

At the moment, we don't want to place a fixed amount to this. Noel is more about garnering the exposure for his music, merch, and book, and much prefers to perform for a full house than not. He believes, too, that you wouldn't want to exclude anyone you care about due to their lack of disposable income. So, in order to make it fair for everyone, he wants to suggest that everyone has the opportunity to make a donation according to his or her ability. If there are those who can't afford to pay anything, they would be more than welcome to attend. For those who can afford to make a donation, by all means, please be generous, is all we ask. This will either work in Noel's favour, or it won't. To be honest with you, Noel's desire to perform his songs for people has never been about the money. If you eventually get to read his book, Left Unread The Stories Behind the Songs of Noel Carol, you'll discover this to be true.

As a side note, Noel's guitar case will be opened in front of him where the attendees can leave an extra something if they feel so inclined. If you've explored this website to any extent, you might have come across the fact that he busked for four solid years as a sole means of earning a living as a street person in the late '90s and early '00s, which is when much of his music was inspired. Throwing a loonie, a toonie, or even some spare pocket change into his case will undoubtedly transport him back in time, which will really make his day.

Evenings are certainly more conducive to accommodating everyone involved, so that is Noel's preference. However, the time of performance is something we would jointly have to agree upon. Depending on the day in which you want to host the event would likely affect the start time. Give some thought to this prior to reaching out.

Keep in mind that:

•   Noel requires enough time to travel to you,

•   set up the sound system, and

•   take a shower beforehand.

Prior to playing, it's customary to:

•   have a meet and greet until shortly after everyone has arrived,

•   the attendees also need time to do whatever they might have to do if they've just gotten home from work.

Noel will perform a minimum of 12 songs, spaced over either two or three sets, as will be determined between the two of you. The whole evening should last a minimum of two hours. But that isn't written in stone. Should your guests encourage an encore, Noel will be more than pleased to do so.

Yes, Noel had produced a compilation CD of 15 artists including himself in 1998 titled "Straight from the Streets". You can listen to snippets of each song in the order in which they appear on the CD by clicking the first link button below this window.

He will also have a selection of imprinted mugs and prints of his. View some possible items he'll have with him by clicking the second link button below this window.

And, of course, he'll have copies of his book, Left Unread The Stories Behind the Songs of Noel Carol. If you haven't already read the introduction to the book, you can do that by clicking the third link button below this window.

Naturally, we all would want to have a filled room. It would make the evening that much more enjoyable for all concerned. 

So, yes, there's a small amount of effort that will be required on your part to secure enough attendees. Naturally, it can be done by word of mouth when talking with people you know. However, here are a few additional suggestions you might want to apply to ensure we have a full house.

•   Post your intent to host a Live! performance in your home on the timelines of your FB friends who live close enough to attend,

•   Contact friends, family and neighbours by telephone or email,

•   Make a flyer to put on your community board of your apartment or condo complex,

•   Ask those who have agreed to attend to invite one or two others to attend with them. This will lessen your burden of finding people.

You could also include a link to Noel's website where they could find out all they need to know to determine if they'd care to hear him perform in person. Here's the link: https://www.noelcarolmusic.com/

This would be entirely up to you as the host. Depending on what level of catering you might want to do, you'll want to:

•   ensure you've finished preparing in advance of the arrival of your guests.

A way around that would be this … you might want to consider doing a potluck. Aside from removing the burden of preparation to be done entirely on your own, this also creates an awesome atmosphere where everyone can mingle a little in advance of the show. 

As for drinks? Your guests could bring their own if you prefer. But this decision would be completely in your hands.