A hot meal. A place to stay. A place to play.

What more could a travelling musician ask for?

Kelowna venue Snedden House is providing all of that and more for artists on a budget coming through the city.

Michael and Cindy Snedden moved to Kelowna in 2011 and have been hosting concerts in their living room ever since. While it started small, the Sneddens now pack over 30 people on average into their living room to listen to music.

And thatsa国际传媒檚 truly what itsa国际传媒檚 about for them: listening.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 hard to find a venue where it is intimate like this and people actually come to listen,sa国际传媒� said Cindy. sa国际传媒淲hen we go to see music, we want a listening environment. We can provide that here.sa国际传媒�

Cindy said she likes to follow the bands they host and cited several bands who went on to be nominated for and win awards after playing at Snedden House. The Sneddens have Juno-nominated acts including Corin Raymond, Annie Lou and the Slocan Ramblers, along with various other award-winning bands.

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Michael Snedden watches on from the kitchen as the concert happens in his living room. (Michael Rodriguez - sa国际传媒)

The couple hosts a potluck at every show of which sa国际传媒渢he band always eats first.sa国际传媒� Members of bluegrass band flocked to the buffet-style table and filled up their plates with home-cooked goodssa国际传媒攁 lot of which were provided by the Sneddens themselves.

Cindy and Michael Snedden talking while waiting in line for food. (Michael Rodriguez - sa国际传媒)

Dinner conversation ranged from the B.C. real estate market to the morality of DJing (general consensus from the band was that itsa国际传媒檚 not), but the band did not mince words when talking about the significance of venues like Snedden House.

sa国际传媒淭his is so necessary in the folk and acoustic space,sa国际传媒� said Maiken de Villiers, vocalist and bassist for the band.

They elaborated, saying shows like these provide another place to play between larger festivals in the summer and it helps them to come out of a long tour in the black.

Story House is currently on the way to Shady Grove Bluegrass festival in Nanton, AB. Members of the band said this show will help them cover travel costs, which can be significant.

The cover charge for the shows is by donationsa国际传媒攖he Sneddens recommend around $20sa国际传媒攁nd all proceeds go to the band.

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 really inspiring to get to know these musicians a little bit and we know that itsa国际传媒檚 hard for them,sa国际传媒� said Cindy. sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 really nice that we can provide something that works for themsa国际传媒攁nd it really does work for them. We can feed them dinner and breakfast; usually they spend the night, too.sa国际传媒�

While a lot of work goes into putting on these shows, the Sneddens said they donsa国际传媒檛 see an end in sight.

sa国际传媒淚t can be exhausting,sa国际传媒� said Michael. sa国际传媒淏ut every time itsa国际传媒檚 over, you think sa国际传媒榯hat was the most awesome thing ever.sa国际传媒�

sa国际传媒淚tsa国际传媒檚 so worth it.sa国际传媒�

You can find out whatsa国际传媒檚 happening next at Snedden house by following them on or going to .

michael.rodriguez@kelownacapnews.com
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