Hosting on Side Door - The Fort Awesome Experience

Our Marketing Manager, Nicole Slenning, recently took a road trip to one of our house venues in Seattle, Washington. Where she meets Side Door hosts Drew Albenze and Sheryl Rothmuller of Fort Awesome for their sixth house concert. Here’s their story.

Inspired to start hosting house concerts in their Seattle home after attending one at a friend's nearby, Sheryl and Drew created Fort Awesome.

"It happened to be sort of as the pandemic was happening. And we were trying to figure out ideas about how to support both local artists and other artists that we were passionate about during that time period," said Drew. "And we figured this would be a really good way to connect with them and support them."

"It's been really fun to connect with the artists, get to know them a little bit, get to know their background, and then follow them after we've had them at our house," said Sheryl.

Their very first show, Jacob Miller, whom they connected with on Side Door.

"It was amazing. He had a little bit of fame because I guess he was on "The Voice," said Sheryl. "I think what was special about that show was is he had some fans come from the East Coast that were really excited to see him, and it was just nice to be able to be a catalyst for that connection.”

Now, in their second season, they are learning with every show about how to make the Fort Awesome experience, well, more awesome. From the best stage setup, how to be flexible on show day, and learning how guests typically like to arrive while always trying to stay focused on the experience.

"In May this year, the Glass Heart String Choir, we were having trouble selling tickets for them. We didn't have a lot of tickets sold. We were a little worried that it would be too small of a crowd," said Sheryl. "And we reached out to them, and they were like, 'It's fine. We haven't played since pre-pandemic. We just want to play some music.' And they rolled with it. So I think that kind of gave us the approach of just rolling with it as well and knowing this is just another place for them to play another way to reach a different type of audience."

Drew adds, "I would say, don't worry about your audience. You know, if you have six people and your artist is there, and everyone has a really great time and gets to connect, then that's a successful show."

They even launched their own website and socials for their home venue. Sheryl says they are proactively looking for artists to book, "Just trying to see if that's another way we can get people a) aware of our concerts and the musicians we're having and see if we can also attract other artists as well."

Tonight's lineup. Local artists Arsalan Ibrahim and Myc Sharratt from Vancouver Island. Myc says this night may have never happened without Fort Awesome connecting with him on the Side Door platform. 

"Side Door connected all the dots; it's' awesome. They did the same thing when I played in New Hampshire. You get these connections in-app; it's something that didn't exist before. It gives you way more options. As far as a traveling musician troubadour, you get to meet tons of great people and see lots of great places; this is amazing."

Myc says intimate shows in unique spaces offer a different type of show experience for both the artist and host, "Being a singer/songwriter, sometimes there's an extra message that you can't share with audiences at pubs and bars. With the house concert and people listening, you get to tell a tale or two between the songs, and I enjoy the story-telling aspect of it."

"We get to talk to the artists, all of the people who attend get to talk to the artist. And, you know, from the experiences we've had, both the people that attend and the artists enjoy that kind of connection as well, too," said Drew.

And as the sun begins to set on another Fort Awesome show, the stories and the shared experience in this urban backyard Sheryl and Drew believe, are leaving a lasting impression.

"Not only does it give me joy, but I feel like it's giving another group of people joy. And I think that's something that's really rewarding at the end of the day."

Sheryl adds, "Yeah, it definitely feels like we are building community as we do this."  

And opening more doors for artists. 

If you would like to learn more about how to start hosting shows in your space. Book a consultation call.