Kevin Montgomery travels worldwide with house concerts

Kevin Montgomery will play for you, anywhere in the world

Kevin Montgomery, world traveler
Kevin Montgomery, world traveler

My dear friend Kevin Montgomery has to be one of most traveled singers in the world. As well as appearing at ‘normal’ music venues, Kevin specializes in house concerts. And house concerts are exactly what the name suggests: he will come to your house, anywhere in the world.

In his blog at his website, Kevin explains it like this: “16 years ago when I started doing house concerts I would get some strange looks, especially from artists that were on the more traditional path. Now, it seems everyone wants to do them. Why? Because they are awesome. I bring a small sound system, set it up in a living room, or whatever space is appropriate, and do a show. The host brings their friends, co-workers, family, etc …and we have a party… with a human CD player… me.”

He is prepared to go anywhere. He’s been as far as the Outback of Australia, where he traveled 13 hours (seven of it down a dirt road) to get to a farm where he performed on a flatbed trailer for folks that had driven from as far away as 250 kilometers. He went there after a fan bought his CD from Amazon and then got in touch with him about hosting a concert. He has performed frequently in all parts of the United Kingdom, including Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales. I managed to catch up with him at a show in Maidstone, England, a few years ago.

“At this point I’ve probably done 300 house concerts,” he noted. “Four ‘50 States in 50 Days’ tours brings that number up to 200 alone.”

Kevin has a notable musical heritage, being the son of the late, great songwriter Bob Montgomery, who got his start in Lubbock, Texas, as half of a duo with Buddy Holly. Bob co-wrote a number of Holly’s biggest hits, including ‘Heartbeat,’ ‘Love’s Made a Fool of You’ and ‘Wishing.’ He also wrote the pop standard, ‘Misty Blue’ that has been a hit for various artists, including Eddie Arnold, Joe Simon and Dorothy Moore.

This summer, Kevin Montgomery will be remaining in the US for a while, but says he is open to literally going anywhere, if he gets asked to perform at a house concert. You can find out where Kevin is in the world right now, learn more about his house concerts, check out tour dates and listen to some of his music here.

Luke Bryan’s snafu provides learning moment for emerging artists

Luke Bryan is tagged
Luke Bryan is tagged

As ‘wardrobe malfunctions’ go, it wasn’t the world’s worst, but it was a bit embarrassing for Luke Bryan who was performing live on the Today show. He was singing “I Don’t Want This Night to End,” a song that was a Number One hit for him in 2011 and went on to be certified double platinum by RIAA. The rain was coming down as Bryan performed the song and, on impulse, he decided to peel off his damp jacket.

That would have been fine – except fluttering from his T-shirt were the white tags, still hanging from the collar. It took a minute or two before Bryan realized what the fans were pointing at, and he laughed as he stopped to pull off the tags and toss them into the crowd. For many, it was reminiscent of Minnie Pearl (Sarah Cannon) who would appear on the Grand Ole Opry stage wearing a fancy straw hat with the price tag hanging from the brim.

Luke Bryan is not easily flummoxed and, as an established star, can easily handle minor snafus such as a forgotten tag on a T-shirt. But if you are an emerging artist, there’s a learning moment here. Walking out on stage with an overlooked price tag or sticky size label attached to your clothing might be enough to throw you off kilter, just when you wanted to sound and look your best. There you are, starting your first song, and you notice audience members smirking and staring at… what? OMG! The price tag is still on my shirt!!

Unless you are at Luke Bryan’s star level, dealing with that kind of a moment is not something you’ll want to do. So let Bryan’s boo-boo be a reminder for you as you prepare for every performance: Are all the labels and tags removed from your clothes? Are zippers zipped up and buttons buttoned up? Is there toilet paper stuck to the heel of your boot? Something green stuck in your teeth?

Take a moment before every show to ensure your appearance is just the way it should be (better still, have someone else give you a quick visual once-over) and you won’t have a ‘wardrobe malfunction’ that throws you off balance at a crucial moment.

Garth and Trisha heading to San Antonio

small-Garth_Brooks_-_Man_Against_Machine-minFrom the “Time Flies When You’re Having Fun” Department… Can it really be 18 years since Garth and Trisha played San Antonio, Texas? The answer is ‘Yes!’ The Garth Brooks World Tour With Trisha Yearwood World Tour will include two concerts in San Antonio Friday July 22 at 7:00 pm and Saturday July 23 at AT&T Center.

Tickets go on sale Friday June 3 at 10:00 am CDT. There’s an eight-ticket limit per purchase, and tickets can only be purchased at ticketmaster.com or ticketmaster.com/garthbrooks. Tickets (including taxes, facility fees and service charges) are $74.98.

BTW, Garth’s most recent album, 2014’s ‘Man Against Machine’ has been certified platinum by RIAA, making him once again the #1-selling artist in US History with 136 million sold. More about Garth here including latest tour dates