"Ist das vielleicht eine deutsche Geburtstagstradition?"

Immer mehr internationale Künstler nutzen SofaConcerts um neben ihren bisherigen Gigs europaweit zu touren, so auch Duncan aus Australien. Schon als sich Duncan Woods auf SofaConcerts angemeldet hat, wurden wir sofort auf ihn aufmerksam. Mit seiner fröhlichen Musik, erinnerte er uns an Jack Johnson und sorgte sofort für gute Laune. Kein Wunder, dass er schon innerhalb kürzester Zeit für seine ersten Sofakonzerte gebucht wurde. Duncan ist jedes Jahr einige Monate in Europa, um hier mit seiner Gitarre im Gepäck die Menschen mit Musik zu begeistern. Wir haben ihn bei einem seiner Gigs in Hamburg getroffen und er hat uns begeistert von seinen unterschiedlichen Erfahrungen bei Sofakonzerten berichtet. 

Diese Geschichte hier hat uns besonders bewegt und wir müssen sie einfach weiter erzählen!

Duncan war bei einem jungen Pärchen in einer kleinen Stadt in Deutschland eingeladen, wo er sonst noch nie war. Es war ein warmer lauer Sommerabend. Noch am selben Tag hatte Duncan einen Gig in Nürnberg gespielt und war spät dran, um noch seinen Zug zu seinen heutigen Gastgebern Michael und Maria zu bekommen. Uff geschafft, zwar mit etwas Verzögerung – aber jetzt kann ja nichts mehr schief gehen! Michaels Vater begrüßte ihn freundlich, als er ihn am Bahnhof in Würzburg abholte. Nun kann es ja losgehen, ein ganz normales Sofakonzert: ein Wohnzimmer, einige Freunde und ein Abend voller Musik soll es werden. Zumindest dachte dies Duncan bis dahin… Doch es kam alles anders ;)

Als er ankam, war es wie in einem Film. Alles war perfekt hergerichtet, die Lichter hingen von den Bäumen, kleine Zelte waren aufgestellt und dazwischen standen Bänke. Alles war bereit, um den Gästen einen wundervollen Abend zu bereiten. Die Leute warteten geduldig auf Duncan und waren schon in einer gemütlichen Stimmung, bereit um loszulegen. Genau wie Duncan. Schnell noch die Instrumente aufbauen und entscheiden, welche Lieder gespielt werden. Auf jeden Fall ein Geburtstagslied, denn heute ist ja der Geburtstag von Michael Freundin, Maria. So, jetzt aber los. Eine kurze Begrüßung und schon konnte er mit dem ersten Song beginnen. Klatschen und freudige Gesichter – das läuft, dachte er sich. Gerade wollte er mit den ersten Noten seines zweiten Songs beginnen, da stand Michael auf. Er ging in die Knie…

Hmm… ist das vielleicht eine deutsche Geburtstagstradition? Noch dachte sich Duncan nicht wirklich was dabei und sah dem Treiben zu. Michael hatte den Plan bis dahin total geheim gehalten, keiner wusste davon. Eine ruhige und angenehme Stille war in der Luft. “Möchtest du meine Frau werden?“… Ok das verstand selbst Duncan, der sonst kein Deutsch spricht… Während alle anderen warteten ob Maria „Ja“ sagt, ging in seinem Kopf nur eine Frage rum „Mist, den nächsten Song kann er definitiv nun nicht spielen, ein Herzschmerz Song ist jetzt echt nicht angebracht… Ein Liebeslied, schnell ein Liebeslied!“

Maria wusste gar nicht was sie sagen sollte, bevor sie auch nur ein Wort herausbrachte, kullerten ihr die Tränen über die Wangen. Alle Augen waren auf das Paar in der Mitte des Raumes gerichtet. Ein leises „Ja“ rutschte ihr von den Lippen. Alle klatschten und jubelten. Was für ein schöner Moment! Die Stimmung war ausgelassen. Jetzt konnte die Party erst so richtig starten! In Duncans Kopf sammelten sich alle Liebeslieder an die er in dieser Sekunde denken konnte. Er packte sie in ein Medley und fing an zu spielen. Die Gesichter strahlten, nicht nur die von Michael und Maria, auch alle anderen waren sichtlich glücklich bei so einem wichtigen Moment in Michaels und Marias Leben dabei gewesen zu sein. WOW- was für ein unvergessliches Erlebnis für alle und für Duncan, der mit seiner Musik noch eine ganz besondere Note zu diesem Abend hinzufügte.

„Ich hatte so einen bezaubernden Abend mit Michael und Maria, ihren Freunden. Du konntest in ihren Augen sehen, wie glücklich sie sind. Das war einmalig! Es hätte nicht besser sein können!“

Was für ein unglaublich schönes Erlebnis. Das kann also auch passieren, wenn man zu einem Sofakonzert eingeladen wird. Was waren eure schönsten Momente? Schickt uns eure Erlebnisse an info@sofaconcerts.org.
Wenn auch ihr jemanden überraschen wollt, könnt ihr auf SofaConcerts die passende Band buchen.

“ At first I wasn't sure if this was some kind of German birthday tradition …”

More and more international artists are joining us and use SofaConcerts for their tour across Europe, and so did Duncan Woods from Australia. As soon as Duncan registered on SofaConcerts he was enthusiastic to share his cheerful music with hosts around the world. His music reminded us of Jack Johnson and after a short period of time he confirmed his first gig. Duncan travels through Europe with his guitar and backpack for a couple of months every year to inspire people with his music. We met him at one gig in Hamburg and he told us about his different experiences with SofaConcerts. This story moved us in particular; so we don’t want to withhold it from you:

Duncan was invited to the home of a young couple in a small town of Germany where he had never been before. It was a warm summer evening. That same day Duncan played a gig in Nuremberg and was late to catch his train. However, he managed to get there with some delay and when he finally made it to Würzburg, nothing could go wrong anymore! The host’s father picked him up at the train station and brought him to the couple’s garden, where the concert was to take place.

Just a normal SofaConcert: a living room, some friends and an evening full of music. At least, this is what Duncan thought until then… But everything turned out differently ;)

When they entered the yard, there were beautiful lights hung up everywhere, small tents and benches. It was like in a movie; everything looked so beautiful and the people were lovely. Nevertheless Duncan had a strange feeling: he felt that something was going on, but thought that it was just a mixed feeling due to his delay. Everything was well prepared and it seemed like everyone was waiting for him to get things started. When Michael seemed a bit nervous Duncan thought it was just because of Maria’s special day – her birthday. He had no clue how special it would become…

Just as he was about to start playing he saw Michael getting down on one knee in front of Maria. This was the most awe-inspiring moment anyone could have had. The guests were gasping and looking at each other, all of them were surprised. After the first round of excitement was gone, everything went quiet; all eyes were on Michael and Maria, waiting for him. As an Australian, Duncan wasn't sure if this was some kind of German birthday tradition. The thing is Michael had kept his plan very secret from everyone including the musician.

“Maria, will you marry me?”

He had just popped the question. Michael was on one knee and looked at her expectantly. She couldn’t keep her emotions to herself and started crying as soon as the first words from Michael’s mouth were becoming real. She managed to spill the word with a trembling and tearful voice “Yes, I do!”. People began to cheer and congratulate the couple with so much joy! Afterwards, a bubble of happiness was covering the evening.

Then it was up to Ducan, to to recover from the surprise and kick the party off with his music and jumped straight into a set mashing up all the love songs he could think of into one medley. For him, being caught up in this moment with everyone and being able to add his music to the atmosphere was priceless. The proposal added a new ripple of excitement to the party. People were full of joy and buzzing to have been a part of this unforgettable occasion!

" I had such a great night with the newly engaged couple and their friends, you could really see in their eyes just how happy they both were with each other. It could not have gone any better.” Duncan

What a wonderful evening. At a SofaConcert anything could happen! What were your favorite moments? Tell us about them and send your stories to info@sofaconcerts.org.

If you would like to surprise someone, you can book the perfect band directly on SofaConcerts.

An extraordinary sofa concert with BOSSE!

Imagine you invite an unknown country artist to your living room…

…and then a pop star walks through the door – undercover!

This is exactly what happened to Conny and her guests.

It’s Friday night. In a cozy living room in the heart of Germany, twenty people have gathered to enjoy some great music with their friends and family. Conny, the host, has wanted to bring a sofa concert to her apartment for quite some time. The grey weather and the urge to see her friends have given her enough reason to invite one of our newcomers, Jimmy Folks, to her home. But let us take you back two weeks …

The atmosphere is thrilling. Everyone in the office is smiling and excited. Find something you love and then do it every day. Well, we found something we love - we love to surprise lovely people with great music and now it is time to do it again. The idea was finalized and we were ready for our next stunt. Our plan is to invite a well-known German pop star, dress him up as a country singer, and let him play a sofa concert “undercover” for a clueless host. Said and done. We all are extremely excited and just like that Axel Bosse walks through the door of our office. Cheerful and relaxed he introduces himself. “Let’s do this!” he says and then everything changed. Our office tables were exchanged for a dressing table, the grey sweater was now a checkered shirt and the cap, a country hat. 

In no time, Pia our make-up artist, turned BOSSE into Jimmy Folks. With the help of a fake beard, fake hair and a little bit of make-up, he now looked 10 years older. A new country star was born. The only thing missing was a profile on our SofaConcerts platform. A profile picture was quickly taken, some feedback was written by us, and our new artist of the week was chosen. Now patience was the key…We waited for two weeks when a call came in. “I just got booked!” shouted Aki alias BOSSE through the phone. Perfect!

19:45 pm – now back to Conny. The excitement in the room builds and soon the concert will start. But where is Jimmy? Ah finally! The doorbell rings and Conny opens the door. There he is. A friendly kiss on each cheek and off he goes in to the living room and quickly sets up the instruments. A short introduction is given of Jimmy, his pianist, and his guitarist and then he launches straight away into a classic: “Leaving on a Jet Plane”. His voice is beautiful and the harmonic sounds calm the guests. Almost everyone has their eyes closed and their feet start to tap to the rhythm of the music. 

“The next song is from Hamburg.” says Jimmy and the first chords begin. Some of the guests seem to recognize the song as it begins. The chorus starts and from the other side of the room you can hear whispers. “That’s not possible”. “The voice sounds so familiar” says another. Who would have thought a country musician could sound so much like BOSSE, the original singer of the song? Everyone is totally impressed. The voice is so similar and the moves too, but then again, he doesn’t look anything like BOSSE. Or does he?

Slowly Jimmy starts to undo his beard. Everyone is looking at each other. Could this be possible? No way. Next, the hair and the hat have to go. Is this real? Gasps, claps, shouts. WOW! This is not Jimmy. This is indeed BOSSE. Who would have thought the night would turn out like this? A well-known German artist in Conny’s living room – Conny and the guests sure didn’t expect anything like this. BOSSE is really here. They still can’t believe what is happening. He plays a few more of his own songs and after that he stays to talk to everyone and take pictures. No one in this living room will ever forget this night. It is a good thing we also have it on camera, so that you can see for yourself….

Aki you were the best, thank you so much for this great experience. It was a pleasure watching you become Jimmy Folks ;) We want to say a big THANK YOU to all the people who were involved in the making of this wonderful project. Only with the help of our accomplices was this was possible! You guys were amazing! J

To share our happiness and gratitude with you, we have something special for you! Until the 30th of November we are going to set Jimmy’s profile free once again and if you invite him to a sofa concert in the next two weeks you will have the chance to win a hand signed CD from BOSSE! J Good luck!

Five questions you always had about being a host.

  

We met Tom Klose in a café, dressed in a light blue sweater with a black countryside hat, relaxed and very smiley. Do you know that feeling when you talk to someone and time just passes by?  We had one like that with Tom. He talked to us about his adventures and the wonderful experiences he got to live when he traveled Europe. From the Netherlands, on to Belgium, France, Spain and then finally Portugal, he played SofaConcerts along the way. Crossing North to South, he only needed his guitar, a backpack and the support of our awesome hosts.

What motivates artists to play a concert for a smaller audience?

“It’s a really nice thing to do, it’s really special, I don’t want to miss it. It’s the other side of music. I like to play live all the time and that is for me an outlet when I want to play for people. I think, it’s also because all of my role models did it. I always think of Matt Corby, because he did house concert tours in backyards, he is so good! He is so good in the extend of thinking what is he doing in someone’s backyard, but he is like ‘I don’t care about it, I just love to play for people in this kind of setting’ and I totally understand that. You are just closer to the people.”

Taken by Hauke (Portugal)

We were really curious to jump on the other side of the story. If Tom found his motivation through house concerts, what about the hosts? What do they think about hosting an artist? How were their experiences and above all, what did they want to share with you?

                    So, how did it all begin?

Well, Hauke from Portugal got a request from Tom for his European tour and it was Hauke’s first sofa concert. One of his friends already hosted Tom Klose before and advised Hauke to book him.

“It was my first event with SofaConcerts and it was a great experience. I had absolutely no doubts hosting a sofa concert, we went for the concert to one of the most beautiful miradors of Lisbon because my "small problem" is that my cozy house hasn`t really a living room, I just came up with the idea to declare my amazing Lisbon to my "living room”. Having Tom play a concert in front of this amazing setting, was almost like a guarantee of a good evening for me.”

Manon & Sebastien heard about SofaConcerts from Joel Havea and have been hosting concerts in their beautiful house near Toulouse ever since. She listened to Tom Klose thinking he suited perfectly to the SofaConcerts aspect.

Le salon des artistes (Manon & Sebastien, France)

How would you define your SofaConcert’s experience?

Manon: “100% of success! In general, the guests are prudent, at best curious when we invite them, however each time at the end, they are happy and impressed by the artist, acknowledging the private moment that they just lived and they ask for more. It’s a concept that should be known better.”

Which were your doubts before registering as a host?

“The artist pending: I was scared that I wouldn’t find enough guests, that there wouldn’t be enough participation and that it would be too expensive for the artist. Finally, the artist gave me comfort toward that (and the guests were generous).”

What would you say to hosts who hesitate or have just registered?

“Try the experience at least once, you will be convinced. It’s an incredible opportunity to discover people, to share music and above all to live the emotion conveyed by the artist at the most.”

Taken by Manon & Sebastien (France)

Could you give us a little anecdote from Tom Klose’s gig?

 “The fact that he did some effort to present his songs with some French words, as well as when he played a bit of piano which people liked.What wowed us is his voice… When the first notes came out, we all got shivers and got stuck right in, till the end of the song"

To whom would you recommend SofaConcerts?

“To everybody who likes music and likes to share it, without worrying about the size of your place because some artists don’t have any audience requirements, they just want to share their passion.

Taken by Hauke (Portugal)

So, back to Tom! We asked him how it is to play for hosts that don’t speak the same language:

“I tried to speak french very hard, there are some people that didn’t speak english very well so I thought it would be funny. Every one is the same actually, it was in the back of my mind, but you have to live it to find out. They are into the same kind of bands and they live the same kind of way, they just live somewhere else. So that is really cool. Manon and Sebastien are the ideal living room concerts hosts, really. Everything was set up perfectly. Same with Hauke, he is the best. The setting was really nice, the overview over the town with the sunset going down...”

One more thing…

Tom played over a hundred house concerts and he’s planning to do a SofaConcerts tour in Germany in January. So far, the tour counts 19 concerts. At the very beginning of SofaConcerts, he was already excited about the idea of doing a host concert tour and was waiting for the platform to grow bigger which it did to this point. If you are interested to host him, check out his profile!

You liked this article? Tell us which artist’s experiences you want to know about and we will do our best to write an article about it! If you are a host and you want to share your experience, you can too contact us at support@sofaconcerts.org ! We are more than happy to write about our community!