{"id":321358,"date":"2026-05-18T16:07:09","date_gmt":"2026-05-18T16:07:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/321358\/"},"modified":"2026-05-18T16:07:09","modified_gmt":"2026-05-18T16:07:09","slug":"the-sacramento-music-scene-youll-only-find-in-someones-living-room","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/321358\/","title":{"rendered":"The Sacramento Music Scene You\u2019ll Only Find in Someone\u2019s Living Room"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n \"The<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n Katie Knipp believes in
\n serendipity.\n<\/p>\n

\n When not playing festivals and
\n theaters across the West, the veteran of blues and Americana
\n sound often takes the stage at Sacramento concert venues such as
\n The Sofia theater and Harlow\u2019s nightclub. But on a recent winter
\n night, the local songstress wasn\u2019t leading her bandmates into one
\n of their usual haunts, but through the doors of a large house on
\n a suburban cul-de-sac.\n<\/p>\n

\n Dubbed Theater 5150 for its
\n Carmichael address, this private residence is where Knipp chose
\n to record her new live album. Her reasons were threefold: She had
\n already performed at Theater 5150 enough to know that it has
\n pristine acoustics and draws an audience laser-focused on her set
\n list. But more importantly, the house is where, in July 2023,
\n Knipp had a chance encounter that altered the trajectory of her
\n songwriting and stage presentation.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Though she plays festivals all over the West Coast, Katie Knipp
\n has also performed four times at Theater 5150. (Photo by Phil
\n Kampel)\n<\/p>\n

Back then,
\n Knipp was between bass players. Trying to get a substitute for a
\n show at Theater 5150, Knipp agreed to let a friend of a friend
\n take the gig. This stand-in was Pancho Tomaselli, the longtime
\n bass player for the band War<\/a>. Knipp says that she and Tomaselli sparked a
\n musical connection during the concert. They hit it off so much
\n that what was supposed to be a brief, last-minute job for
\n Tomasselli morphed into a full membership in Knipp\u2019s band. He
\n also served as the producer for its next two albums.\n<\/p>\n

\n So, as Knipp and her group fired
\n up their amplifiers at Theater 5150 on January 10, they thought
\n there couldn\u2019t be a more thematically appropriate spot for laying
\n down tracks that captured how they\u2019d evolved since adding the
\n funky, punchy prowess of Tomaselli\u2019s bass.\n<\/p>\n

\n And Knipp was convinced audience
\n members showing up to the Carmichael abode would understand
\n that.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThis is the one kind of venue
\n where every single person in the room is there for the music,\u201d
\n Knipp says. \u201cAs someone who plays a lot of venues, that\u2019s
\n unfortunately hard to come by these days.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Her band kicked off the night by
\n launching into \u201cLava Pot.\u201d The crowd leaned in, listening to the
\n sultry, low-down swing of the song\u2019s gutbucket intensity pulsate
\n between high ceilings and hardwood floors. Two people who were
\n enjoying every note were Emily and Mark Kassenbrock, the owners
\n of Theater 5150. The couple has been hosting house concerts for
\n 10 years. Though they\u2019d already seen the Katie Knipp Band perform
\n everywhere from the Torch Club in downtown Sacramento to
\n the Nevada Theater<\/a> in Nevada City, Mark was convinced that her
\n group was finding a special kind of power in his living
\n room.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Emily and Mark Kassenbrock, left, stand next to songstress
\n Jessica Malone, center, and her band after a performance in
\n mid-February. (Photo by Phil Kampel)\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThat was probably the best I\u2019ve
\n ever heard Katie play,\u201d he says after the show. \u201cEmily and I have
\n been out to watch her probably 15 or 20 times now. But on this
\n particular night, she was just on fire.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Mark added that his home has had
\n that effect on other musicians.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe place has a great, big sound
\n inside,\u201d he says. \u201cYou can hear a pin drop when the artists are
\n performing. Nobody in the audience is talking because they\u2019ve
\n truly come to hear the music. And as a result, the artists are
\n almost always at the top of their game.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Homeowners stumble into
\n house shows<\/p>\n

\n A decade ago, the Kassenbrocks
\n hadn\u2019t even heard of a house concert. That changed when
\n Sacramento folk singer Sandra Dolores Swanfeldt invited them to
\n one at her own place in 2016. Arriving to watch Swanfeldt test
\n new songs for the road, Mark and Emily were struck by how
\n naturally laidback and friendly the atmosphere felt. They also
\n noticed that Swanfeldt\u2019s satin voice and sterling guitar notes
\n weren\u2019t competing with any background chatter. The Kassenbrocks
\n sensed they were part of something like a shared, sacred
\n meditation on Swanfeldt\u2019s visions.\n<\/p>\n

\n About 10 days later, Swanfeldt
\n emailed Mark and Emily to ask if they would ever consider hosting
\n a concert at their own house.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cLiterally, I thought, \u2018Hell
\n no,\u2019\u201d Mark remembers with a laugh. \u201cThat sounded like a lot of
\n work.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n But then the retired attorney
\n who\u2019s played guitar for 50 years began contemplating the unusual
\n layout of his house. It was originally designed for the Dariotis
\n family, who founded The Old Spaghetti Factory in Sacramento in
\n 1978. They had it built with a wide sunken living room \u2014 similar
\n to a ship\u2019s hull \u2014 that can act as a de facto auditorium. It also
\n has a spacious kitchen and a library tailored for
\n entertaining.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cI just thought, \u2018You know, this
\n house is really kind of made for it,\u2019\u201d Mark admits. \u201cSo, I ran
\n the idea by Emily, who had none of my initial reluctance. She
\n just said, \u2018It sounds like fun.\u2019\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Swanfeldt was the first artist to
\n perform at Theater 5150. As the Kassenbrocks evolved into hosting
\n full bands, they were simultaneously doing outreach with their
\n neighbors about possible concerns. Most of those living close by
\n just wanted to be invited to the shows.\n<\/p>\n

\n The way house concerts generally
\n work in Sacramento \u2014 and the way they go down at Theater 5150 \u2014
\n is that they\u2019re conducted as party events on private property.
\n There is no commercial aspect to attending, though the hosts ask
\n guests to donate a certain amount of money that\u2019s entirely for
\n the performers and sound engineer. From an artist\u2019s perspective,
\n one obvious advantage to playing house concerts is that there\u2019s
\n no split at the door \u2014 100 percent of the money goes to the
\n talent.\n<\/p>\n

\n Unlike some house concert hosts,
\n the owners of Theater 5150 advertise all their shows on an
\n official website, and anyone can attend.\n<\/p>\n

\n In Carmichael and other parts of
\n unincorporated Sacramento County, an ordinance<\/a> dictates that sound levels in residential
\n neighborhoods \u2014 including from music \u2014 have a noise allowance
\n that can\u2019t exceed 55 decibels between 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 50
\n decibels between 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. Anyone throwing a house
\n concert must follow these guidelines.\n<\/p>\n

\n Just how soundproof Theater 5051
\n is became apparent five years ago, when the Gold Souls performed
\n at the house. It was Mark who urged the Sacramento group to play
\n his favorite number by them, \u201cThe Coffee Song,\u201d which is a
\n sizzling groove with fat bass and relentless drums.\n<\/p>\n

\n Lead singer Juniper Waller asked
\n Mark if that was a good idea. He remembers barking, \u201cYes!\u201d Then,
\n guitarist Darius Upshaw made direct eye contact with Mark,
\n stressing, \u201cAre you sure?\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Mark says that he bellowed,
\n \u201cYes!\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n The Gold Souls hit the crowd with
\n the song\u2019s full, fun-loving power. \u201cEveryone left happy and
\n amped,\u201d Mark recalls. \u201cThe next morning, I went to my neighbors
\n and told them the story. And it turned out that nobody heard
\n anything.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n That development led the
\n Kassenbrocks to start hosting louder acts like Boot Juice, the
\n Lab Rats and the Katie Knipp Band.\n<\/p>\n

\n On the night Knipp and her group
\n recently recorded the live album, two people participating in the
\n audience were Larry Riddle and his wife, Gloria Lawson-Riddle.
\n They have been hosting music shows in their own backyard in
\n Carmichael for nearly 10 years. They call it the R Yard house
\n concert series.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Larry Riddle and Gloria Lawson-Riddle host the R Yard house
\n concert series in Carmichael. (Photo by Scott Thomas Anderson)\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n For Gloria, facilitating these
\n performances has allowed her to bond with music fans from across
\n Sacramento and enjoy a real collaborative relationship with some
\n of the most talented roots-Americana performers in the
\n nation.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cI really love the proximity to
\n the artist or band who\u2019s performing,\u201d Gloria says. \u201cThat, and how
\n everyone there pays so much attention to what they\u2019re doing. We
\n have regular attendees who can\u2019t wait to see which performer is
\n coming next, and we\u2019ve become friends with a lot of them.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

Lasting memories from
\n music<\/p>\n

\n Gloria and Larry were introduced
\n to the house concert concept while touring the Caribbean. They
\n were on a Cayamo cruise in 2017, a sea-touring company that hosts
\n live music as part of the experience. Gloria and some friends
\n were on the boat enjoying an up-close, intimate performance from
\n singer
\n Sarah Potenza<\/a>. She had
\n recently grabbed the nation\u2019s attention while being a contestant
\n on The Voice.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cI was just mesmerized by the
\n power in her vocals, and she was different from most people I\u2019d
\n ever heard singing,\u201d Gloria recalls. \u201cWhen she was done, I got up
\n said, \u2018Hey, this was a really great show \u2014 do you tour?\u2019\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n In response, Potenza asked Gloria
\n if she\u2019d ever consider hosting a house concert for her. Gloria
\n says that, before she could fully formulate an answer, her pair
\n of friends had already volunteered her. Looking back, Gloria
\n knows this exchange put her and Larry on the road to finding
\n years of rewarding moments.\n<\/p>\n

\n In October of 2018, Potenza \u2014 who
\n hails from Rhode Island \u2014 gave a concert in a garden-chic yard in
\n Carmichael for 52 strangers who were clinging to her every note.
\n Gloria had even made special napkins with Potenza\u2019s face on
\n them.\n<\/p>\n

\n Since then, R Yard has hosted
\n indie performers from around the country. These appearances have
\n included Gabe Lee<\/a>, Crys Mathews<\/a>, Heather Mae<\/a> and Susan Werner<\/a>. Gloria and Larry say they usually have
\n about 60 people attending their shows. Similar to Theater 5150,
\n the neighbors who live on R Yard\u2019s street are often part of the
\n audience.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Sun sets on a house concert at R Yard in Carmichael. (Photo
\n courtesy of Gloria Lawson-Riddle)\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n For Gloria, the most memorable
\n scene so far involved Susan Werner\u2019s performance. The
\n award-winning contemporary folk singer was playing a driving
\n acoustic piece she wrote called \u201cRecumbent Bike.\u201d At one point,
\n Werner dropped onto the ground, laid on her back and pedaled her
\n legs up in the air as she kept the guitar chords chiming.\n<\/p>\n

\n Larry\u2019s favorite show was a
\n recent appearance by bluegrass maven A.J. Lee,<\/a> whose duet cover of Neil Young\u2019s \u201cHarvest
\n Moon\u201d with The Brothers Comatose<\/a>
\n currently has more than 10
\n million views on YouTube.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cA.J. Lee played here with her
\n band, Blue Summit, and everyone loved it,\u201d Larry says. \u201cPeople
\n were dancing and having a good time. These concerts are
\n multidimensional. People can just relax and be themselves, and
\n it\u2019s a wide variety of different people who are coming. It\u2019s
\n wonderful to see everyone get along.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Someone who\u2019s been to a number of
\n the R Yard shows is Jenny Stanionis, who decided last summer to
\n host her own very first house concert in Auburn. Stanionis and
\n her late husband, Michael, had been attending house concerts for
\n 30 years. They were both huge fans of cowboy and Western songs.
\n Michael was a radio broadcaster who always dreamed of throwing
\n that kind of musical soiree where they lived.\n<\/p>\n

\n \"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

\n Jenny Stanionis went to house concerts for decades before
\n deciding to host one herself last summer in backyard in Auburn.
\n (Photo by Scott Thomas Anderson)\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n Unfortunately, it was only after
\n he was gone that the stars lined up for Stanionis to make that
\n happen in the wide, terraced backyard with flowers and redwood
\n trees behind her house. The artist she hosted was Nashville
\n singer-songwriter Robby Hecht. Ultimately, 30 people showed up,
\n most of whom had heard about it through word of mouth.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cSome of my non-music friends
\n thought I was a little crazy to let people I didn\u2019t know come
\n over to my house,\u201d Stanionis says. \u201cIf I hadn\u2019t been a house
\n concert-goer for so long, would I have been so gung ho? I don\u2019t
\n know. I just know that the people I\u2019ve met who love music have
\n never given me a concern. \u2026 It\u2019s kind of like that garden party
\n that you\u2019ve always wanted.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n Stanionis plans to host more
\n shows.\n<\/p>\n

No regrets\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n David Hill and Shirley Nemke have been bringing memorable home
\n performances to their Carmichael neighborhood for nearly 14
\n years, though they\u2019ve focused mainly on the classical genre.
\n Hill, a retired building maintenance engineer, has played piano
\n for decades. He never felt his own skills were on a performance
\n level, though wondered if a large, auditorium-like room in his
\n house with vaulted ceilings and acoustic treatment could be an
\n ideal spot for others to share their musical gifts.\n<\/p>\n

\n In 2013, Hill and Nemke hosted their first concert, which
\n featured Yana Reznik, Russian-born pianist from Los Angeles.
\n There was so much appreciation from their circles of friends
\n they\u2019d invited that Hill and Nemke decided to continue on,
\n deeming their new house concert venue Harrison Oaks Studio. The
\n room holds about 80 attendees, with its guest list being
\n invite-only.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n Hill notes word got out fast about what he and Nemke were doing.
\n In less than a year, performers from as far away as Israel and
\n Africa were dropping by to enliven Harrison Oaks while on their
\n broader tours of the U.S.\u00a0\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThis world is so small, that everyone hears about everything,\u201d
\n David muses. \u201cWhat I like about the classical music scene is what
\n a community it is, and how everyone seems willing to help each
\n other out.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n It\u2019s hard for Hill to pick a favorite memory around Harrison Oaks
\n Studio so far. However, one that really stands out is when Bay
\n Area vocalists Richard Sims and Hope Briggs, and pianist\/vocalist
\n Othello Jefferson, performed together, all while doing a fair
\n amount of storytelling with the crowd about how the compositions
\n were connected to the African diaspora. Hill says it was a
\n special night.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cYou know, I didn\u2019t have to retire when I did,\u201d he reflected.
\n \u201cBut I wanted to make sure that I did something with music and
\n not just spend my whole life working, and then wake up one day
\n and wonder what happened.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n The next performance at Harrison Oaks Studio will be with cellist
\n Dylan Jowell and pianist John Kiunke on June 6.\n<\/p>\n

\n Meanwhile, Knipp is starting to
\n get tracks back from the sound engineer who recorded her band at
\n Theater 5150.\n<\/p>\n

\n \u201cThe sound quality is so good
\n that the hair is standing up on my arm,\u201d she says. \u201cIt\u2019s great
\n that there are people like Mark and Emily who are so selfless
\n when it comes to supporting artists. If there were more people
\n like them, the world would be a better place.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n \u2013\n<\/p>\n

\n Never miss a story: Get Comstock\u2019s weekly newsletter<\/a> delivered to your
\n inbox.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Katie Knipp believes in serendipity. When not playing festivals and theaters across the West, the veteran of blues…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":321359,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[121,123,122],"class_list":["post-321358","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sacramento","tag-sacramento","tag-sacramento-headlines","tag-sacramento-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321358","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=321358"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/321358\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/321359"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=321358"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=321358"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=321358"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}