About Us

Among Friends Music in Lakeland, Florida is an irregular series of house concerts performed by artists that Tom and I particularly like, usually falling under the gigantic category of folk. For us that means a little Americana, a little bluesy-pop, a little old-fashioned storytelling, singer/songwriter types, post-modern hippie stuff and just about anything with people who can nail good harmony. Oh, and don’t expect to hear “Stairway to Heaven” (unless it is Butch Ross) or very many “standards”; I am especially fond of original music. Ultimately it is a selfish project: I get to invite some favorite musicians into our home! (Tom gets a little say-so too!)

But more than the type of music, it is about the connections:

• to the musicality and relating to the lyrics
• with the new and old friends who come to hear the music
• with the artists we get a chance to talk with up close and personally.

It is an opportunity to develop friendships with a wide variety of interesting  people.

Among Friends Music got its name from a favorite book of mine, but the decision to choose to name the house concerts was prompted by a question from the second artist I booked for the series. She asked me what the name of my “music series” was so she could promote her tour on her website. Yikes! The first concert was a party at our house; the second one made it a concert series. Thank you Cary Cooper, for making me make it real.

“Among Friends Music – House Concerts” is simply the name we choose to describe our private parties, in our private home. These parties are NOT a business nor are they a business-related activity. They are strictly a hobby for us, and are simply gatherings of our friends and guests to enjoy live acoustic music, fellowship, food, and fun. Our concert parties are officially free (or else it might be considered a business), although voluntary contributions (suggested donation of $15-$20 per person) are accepted at the party on behalf of the artists. 100% of all contributions go directly to the performers.