Home Run

The scene is so laid-back, you could almost overlook how much work Mark puts into it. From booking the artists to picking them up at the airport to housing them to making sure that people attend the shows and kick in the suggested donation ($15), Mark has his hands full. It's a labor of love -- with an emphasis on the labor part. "Most of the stress comes from trying to ensure that I can fill the house and pay the musicians," he says. "That's key to me. I want this to be beneficial to every guest who comes here and every musician who comes through. I really want to make sure that I can guarantee a full house for these musicians. That's the biggest challenge for me. If I can't guarantee these people that they're going to get paid and get a good audience that's going to be listening, then I'll probably have to quit. Because I'm a musician myself. I know the shoes they're in."

But as a player, Mark also gets a kick out of hanging with the artists and performing with them from time to time. "On one hand, it's a lot of work," he admits. "On the other, I'm totally spoiled. Usually I'll pick a song or two of the artists' that I get to play with them. From that perspective, I'm completely spoiled. It's just a thrill to get to spend some time with them before the show. A lot of these musicians are traveling musicians, and they'll spend the night. I drive them around and feed them food. I get to know them. So in that respect, I'm completely spoiled."

And so, he hopes, are the acts that perform. "I think the artist can be more intimate with their audience," he explains. "The singer-songwriters can share the stories of the songs they wrote." Although Mark only intended to do six shows a year, he's already put on eight, with the next one set for October 14 and featuring the Boulder Acoustic Society. With the exception of Kenning and John Magnie -- two of Mark's personal faves -- most acts don't perform more than once.

"I shouldn't be saying these things," he says, "because I don't want to disappoint other musicians, but Kraig Kenning and John Magnie, without question, are the most amazing concerts I've had in my house. I mean, I have memories that I'll carry with me for the rest of my life."

I know the feeling.