Norfolk’s best backyard concerts.
Della Mae.
Jim Morrison remembers when he started thinking differently about the informal music shows he was hosting in his Norfolk home. “I was on the phone with Steve Forbert’s agent, and I asked him [jokingly], ‘I couldn’t afford Steve Forbert if I wanted him to play in my house, could I?’ and he said, ‘He’s on the road. If it’s a choice between sitting in his hotel room doing nothing, and playing your dining room, he’s going to play your dining room.’”
That was 17 years ago, when that kind of thing really wasn’t done. But Morrison’s backyard (originally dining room) has grown to become Tidewater’s often sold-out venue of choice for national singer-songwriters like Forbert—and Kelly Willis, who will appear on June 19—as well as rockers gone acoustic, such as Della Mae, Marshall Crenshaw, Chuck Prophet, Alejandro Escovedo and the Blasters’ Dave Alvin. Not only do Morrison’s North Point Shore House Concerts get Grammy-winning troubadours and acclaimed up-and-comers to perform on this lawn, but they always come back. Blues veteran Chris Smither will return for his fourth concert Oct. 13.
“I’ve done a couple of band shows, but for the most part it’s been acoustic singers or duos,” says Morrison, who has understanding neighbors.
Morrison’s was one of the first in the current house concert trend. A staple of punk rock culture for years, musical pop-ups have recently gone mainstream; it’s a more intimate alternative for touring musicians and discerning fans.
And Morrison provides all the creature comforts. He offers artists free room and board, and good food is a given: “I make them a home-cooked meal, which is a huge deal.”
Now a 501(c)(3) non-profit, North Point Shore has been venturing beyond Morrison’s backyard, where, by law, he can only present four concerts a year. A second location is currently being scouted—“I’d love to do four more backyard shows a year,” he says—and he’s joined with promoters LAVA Presents to book music at Norfolk’s Toast restaurant. He’s also started collaborating with the Virginia Arts Festival (VAF) to book performers like retro songbird Nicole Atkins and her band, who will perform July 14, to small, festival-affiliated venues such as the courtyard outside VAF headquarters in downtown Norfolk. Last year’s co-promotion of a Todd Snider concert at the Hixson Theatre sold out within minutes.
“I went to his house as a patron and was blown away,” says Robert Cross, executive director of VAF, which programs arts events throughout the year. “I think there’s a demand and an interest in the performers he’s bringing and to see them in smaller places.”
In the beginning, Morrison’s capacity was 80 guests. Now, spread out in the backyard, with a large tent provided via the will of a departed regular, he can accommodate 200.
Steve Guion, a music fan from Hampton, has been an attendee from the earliest days. “A night at Jim’s can be glorious, magical, surreal, perfect. I hope he knows how much we all appreciate what he does,” he says.
For Morrison, a widely published freelance writer and former reporter for the Virginian Pilot, it all started with a story he wrote for American Way Magazine. “Eric Andersen, the folk legend, was playing in a little condo in Columbia, Maryland, and I thought, what a great story idea—Dylan’s buddy and all that playing in your living room. So I go to the show and it’s like 40 people there with little narrow church folding chairs set up. I loved it.”
A year later, a friend, singer Mike Lillie, called from Boulder, Colorado. “Mike said, ‘Hey, you have a big house, I’m coming home for the holidays. Why not pay me to play and you can see if you like doing a house concert.’ So I did, and 75 people came.”
Morrison soon started to ask for donations from his audience: “I need to make it clear that it’s just a donation. We asked for $15 then, it’s $20 now.” All of the donations go to the artists, save fees for sound and lights. “I don’t make a dime from this,” he says.
Morrison has built North Shore Point with a dependable schedule of seasoned vets and newcomers. “It’s a one-man dictatorship,” he says. “I do take suggestions, though. I just ran a Survey Monkey survey and asked people to rank 10 artists at the regular $20 donation, and then there were 8-9 artists at an increased donation rate up to $50.”
Throwing house shows is still a thrill, he adds. “It’s cool to wake up and find Garland Jeffreys on your couch because his guitar player was snoring too loud, or have breakfast with Susan Cowsill, who insists on cooking for everyone. And history repeats itself. Eric Andersen has played here. And at one point he turned to me and said, ‘Hey man, this is a cool vibe.’”
