Hello!
Welcome to G O R I L L A M A N S E.
Gorillamanse was born from a house show series produced at our domicile in 2011. What began as small acoustic living room shows grew and grew through word of mouth, until over 150 people were squeezed into the house with folks spilling out into the backyard. The popularity of the shows told us two things: 1) there are still people left in the "Live Music Capital of the World" that want to hear musicians in a listening room environment and 2) musicians want to play their music for attentive folks, even if it doesn't guarantee them a write up or radio time.
The house series was a rare, mutual experience between the performer and the audience, one in which performers felt heard and the crowd felt valued.
Adam took an epic cross country bicycle trip and I moved into the lovely Annie Street Arts Collective at the end of our lease. We decided to carry on the tradition in a new location as soon as he ventured back to Austin.
It hit us. We could throw these shows anywhere - in our house, in retail spaces, in bookstores, maybe even in YOUR house. Thusly, GorillaManse was born.
Our mission: to produce shows with talented folks and respectful audiences. We decided to forego cover charges, preferring to pass a tip jar around for each musician (musicians sell their wares as well).
The shows are different than venue shows because the only profit is voluntary and given directly to the artists. People actually listen to the music instead of treating it like background music for drunken shenanigans.
Here at GorillaManse, we believe people are the venue.
Want to check out a show? This blog is our internet home base. Check back here for show updates, or sign up for email or texting list (we don't use Facebook).
Your humble hosts,
Lisa Kettyle & Adam Kobetich
