Behind the Porchlight

Behind the Porchlight with Trailand Eltzroth: Creating Shared Stories

| April 23, 2024 | Behind the Porchlight | 0 comments

Trailand Eltzroth is no stranger to the artist’s life on the road. Born to a singer-songwriter and a dance teacher, Trailand grew up traveling around the country with his parents as they showcased their art. From churches to college campuses, the Eltzroths served the Church with performances and workshops on Christian artistry. It was this environment that engendered Trailand’s love for songwriting and community.

“In a simple way to put it, I was like an unfocused youth, and I think music really grounded me,” he shared. “It was the thing that I grasped onto.”

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Behind the Porchlight with the McMannis Family: Come Through, Don’t Fly Over

| January 19, 2023 | Behind the Porchlight | 0 comments

Norman, Oklahoma is big on college football. Home of the Oklahoma Sooners, Norman is about three hours north of Dallas, a halfway point from Oklahoma to Tennessee. Norman is home to the McMannis family (arguably more soccer people than football people), transplants from California who appreciate just what a hub of connectivity their city is. 

“Norman, Oklahoma can be really overlooked in terms of location,” Raeanna McMannis explained. “A lot of times, when people hear ‘Oklahoma,’ it’s kind of wrapped into the flyover states. There’s a lot of rich tradition in our town and it’s also really good thoroughfare for musicians from Tenessee that are dropping down into Dallas.” 

Hosting Before Porchlight

Taking note of their prime location for touring musicians and having their interests peaked by Carly Bannister’s then-upcoming “Technically a Texas Tour” consisting of some house concerts alongside Jac Thompson and S. Grant Parker, the McMannis family fell into hosting.

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Behind the Porchlight: Ghost of Christmas Present

| December 15, 2022 | Behind the Porchlight | 1 comment

“Come in and know me better, man!” Thus, the ghost of Christmas Present greets Charles Dickens’ Ebenezer Scrooge in the timeless classic A Christmas Carol. The ghost of Christmas Present, characterized by abundance, warmth, mirth, and welcome, reminds us of our best Christmases. These things about Christmas that we love most can all find fulfillment in art and hospitality. So, it follows that Christmas house concerts fit in this Christmas season like the star atop the tree.

Porchlight Christmas Show Season

This month, across the country—from Rochester, NY down to Richmond, TX, back up to San Diego, CA, and many places in between—Porchlight hosts are holding Porchlight Christmas concerts. For some, this represents the first event of the Christmas season. For others, a welcome respite from the hubbub of holiday shopping and planning. The temptation to lose oneself in either isolation or consumerism tightens its grip each passing year, with its highest potency felt during the holidays. 

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Behind The Porchlight: The Local Hang-Ups On Being Hosts and Artists

| May 11, 2022 | Behind the Porchlight | 0 comments

Behind “Behind the Porchlight”

In my work with Porchlight, I’ve had the pleasure of speaking to hosts around the country for this blog series. Mostly we talk about their hosting experience: the initial planning, their home and setup, interactions with the artists, and what they learned from the night. While each interview is unique, common threads spool them together. Of these, three are constant: a rooted love for God, a commitment to serve others, and the belief that music is an ordained catalyst for both.

Their stories have served to strengthen my faith. In these polarizing and isolating times, it’s life-giving to hear how others are welcoming the stranger and feeding the hungry (both physically and creatively) with the first fruits of what they have: their homes, kitchens, friend groups, sound equipment, stages, and most valuably—their vulnerability and time. They offer whatever they have, as they are.

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Behind The Porchlight: Curating Community with the DuBois

| April 13, 2022 | Behind the Porchlight | 0 comments

Just outside Asheville city limits, you can find the home of Bryan and Karen DuBois. The large picture window that graces the front of their house mirrors a twin piece of glass looking out into their backyard—a symbol of their home’s openness to community.

When the DuBois hosted artists Zane Vickery and Carly Taich a couple of months ago, it was their first experience like this. It has served as a new chapter in an already storied history of hospitality. “I think it starts back with family, at least for me,” Karen shared. “I come from a big family so I like to have a lot of people around. My mom wasn’t necessarily the best cook, but she could put out a big pot of food. And if the neighbor kid was over and it was dinner time, that was okay. There was a plate for the neighbor kid. It was ‘If you want to stay, you’re welcome to.’ I kind of grew up like that. And we always wanted our kids to have their friends come over when they wanted.”

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Behind The Porchlight: Live from The Living Room

| March 8, 2022 | Behind the Porchlight | 0 comments

There are myriad ways to practice hospitality. The Porchlight network is full of folks opening up their living spaces to live music, but many open up their businesses and churches as well. So while most house concerts tend to happen in living rooms, the recent one with Andy Zipf happened in the Living Room.

Jim Poorman, pastor at H20 Church Orlando (which hosts the Living Room), first learned about the Porchlight network from a man in his church. From then on, things clicked into gear. With previous experience in hosting, Jim knew what to expect when the night came, and hosting Andy Zipf only served to reinforce his perspective.

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