Articles & Essays
Home | View all Essays

Concert promotion has grown into unusual hobby for Holdrege couple
by Mark Hayden

Those of us who are not necessarily blessed with musical talent can still participate in music in ways that go well beyond just singing with the radio in the car.

Take, for example, the case of Tim and Bev Rehm of Holdrege.

Tim and Bev are great fans of live acoustic music and had gone to concerts and folk festivals for years. Then one night they attended a concert at the Bieroc Café in McCook, which is owned by friends, and it got them to thinking about booking their own concerts closer to home.

Tim says that they saw it as a win-win situation. Because the Rehms  hoped to book name artists on their way to gigs in larger venues, often on weeknights, the musicians were given an audience they otherwise wouldn’t have had. Tim and Bev and their friends, on the other hand, would get to hear live music — up close and personal — by artists they admire.

And that’s how Tim and Bev Rehm became concert promoters.

Tim has owned The Cutting Rooming, one of Holdrege’s leading hair salons for over 25 years. One thing he learned from talking to customers as he worked was that many had similar taste in music to his own. So at least in the beginning, many of those attending “Rehm’s World House Concerts” were also Tim’s customers.

Tim says the first concert was held in Holdrege and consisted basically of the artist, his guitar and an ultra-illuminating gooseneck lamp the Rehms were able to scrounge from their attic.

They soon moved the venue a few miles up the road to Loomis and a facility called the Balcony, which had primarily been used for parties and receptions. So there’s another winner in the equation – the Balcony, which serves alcohol, gets another revenue-producing night, and often a weeknight they wouldn’t otherwise book.

“These are non-smoking events and the nights tend to be early ones,” Rehm says. “Most of our concerts end before 11:00 p.m. It’s really all about the music.”

And the music has been great, regulars agree. Rehm’s World House Concerts has brought in names like Jeff Black, Steve Seskin and others who have a number of songs recorded by top-tier artists. Justin Roth and bluegrass band the Toasted Ponies are also recent performers.

“We meet a large portion of the musicians we end up bringing here at the Rocky Mountain Folk Festival in Colorado,” Rehm said. “We try to schedule them as they fit between the fall and winter months. We have never done more than five shows in a year,” Tim said.

Attending one of the Rehm’s World House Concerts concert is more than just seeing a regular performance. It’s about getting together with like-minded neighbors to enjoy music without the negative side effects of a large concert venue.

“A house concert to me is an intimate experience where you can make a connection with the artist,” Rehm said. “We won’t sell more than 120 tickets, because we want everybody to be involved and enjoy themselves. Also, people like to hear how the songs evolve, and the performers can do that a little easier here.”

Another unique aspect of the Rehm’s World House Concerts is that Tim and Bev frequently host artists in their home overnight.

“Developing friendships with all the different artists has been a really amazing experience,” Bev said. And, of course, that’s something that only happens when you’re a concert promoter as opposed to just a concert-goer.

Justin Roth played a Rehm’s World House Concert in January.

“I love house concerts,” Roth said. “You’re playing for a group of people who are all somehow connected with one another.”

The intimate setting also allows some things to happen that never would at larger venues. At one point, Roth handed down a pen and pad down to the crowd and asked them to jot down lyrics for a song, the general structure of which had been agreed to on stage. At the end of the performance, Roth came up with a guitar part and sang the lyrics, which received a roar of laughter from the crowd.

Tim and Bev Rehm say they book shows for a couple of good reasons. One is because they simply love music and what it has to offer and they love being involved in this intimate way with making it happen. But most of all, they say they enjoy meeting concert-goers who are having fun and enjoying themselves.

You might not expect to find great music in a town of 397. But it’s there. If you know where to look.

Mark Hayden is a journalism student at UNK. If you’d like to get on the Rehm’s World House Concerts mailing list, drop a line to Tim Rehm at Rehmsworld@charter.net.

To learn more about how you can be a writer for Nebraska Rural Living, and have your essays posted on this site, visit our 'Writers Wanted' page.

back to top | more Articles & Essays