Summer may be over, but it was one for the books. Thanks to you, our network has exploded with hosts around the nation taking advantage of the warm weather for outdoor shows, fostering community, and welcoming musicians to play backyard concerts for a rapt audience.

One such host was Clay Schmidt and his family.

Located north of Nashville in Clarksville, Tennessee, the Schmidts are no strangers to attending house shows but recently decided to host their first Porchlight event. Not long after signing up, they agreed to host Make Sure, the musical project of singer-songwriter Josh Jackson. And, seizing upon the opportunity to find an opener, Clay reached out to his friend Chris Crow, a local singer-songwriter with many concerts under his belt.

With the date and artists confirmed, the Schmidts started to plan the big night.

“I was a little concerned at first. Like, are people actually going to come to this? I didn’t know how people were going to find out about the show other than me telling them. And that’s what it came down to. Everyone who was at that show was someone I personally invited.”

Clay’s method was simple: he drew up a simple flyer and went door to door on his street, introducing himself to neighbors and inviting them to the show. “I think that’s how it’s gotta happen. The host has to be willing to invite people in their social circles, reach out to them, get them all the information. Use it as an opportunity to meet neighbors you haven’t met. That was a really positive part of the process, I enjoyed that, and everyone in our neighborhood was receptive to it.”

Friends even offered to help, with one contributing an LED lighting setup to enhance the concert atmosphere. The stage, a cement space at the back of the Schmidt’s house, was awash in color.

Chris Crow filled the first half-hour with story-like songwriting, a sincere sound driven by his energized, comfortable performance. “Chris is a great guitar player and top-notch singer,” Clay expressed. “People really enjoyed his part of the show.”

Then Make Sure took the stage, letting listeners into a side of his music only live performances can convey. “His show is great because if you listen to his recordings, there’s so much sound going on, so much orchestration and composition. There’s so much electric sound and drums present. But seeing him live is awesome because he’s such a phenomenal guitar player. He plays in a lot of alternate tunings, so he covers a lot of sounds just from one instrument. Seeing his songs stripped down where you can actually hear the foundational guitar parts with him singing with them is awesome. He’s just so fluid and effortless, it looks easy.”

Guests stuck around after the backyard concert, chatting with the musicians and hosts. Jackson (Make Sure) stayed the night, resting up before a long drive to his next show the following day.

Aside from what he describes as a “magical” atmosphere created by pleasant weather and the sound of crickets enveloping and contributing to the backyard concert, Clay Schmidt’s favorite aspect of the show was simply the community it made. “One thing that was really awesome for me was when people started arriving at my house. And I was like ‘Hey, you’re actually here!’ People were just so happy to be there, everyone was really excited that the whole thing was happening. It had been so long since anyone had been to a show, so the excitement really struck me. At the end of Josh’s show, he was like ‘Hey guys, let’s hang out!’ Everyone was talking to him and Chris. I loved that really sweet time hanging out. It was a time of real fellowship and people making new connections.”