Just as folk music is defined as songs handed down among the common people, the tradition of the presenter is carried from the 1960s, when folk fans held house concerts in people's homes. Presenters would invite performers to play in their home, put them up for the night, and give them all or a percentage of the admission price. Instead, the Lowes often rent the Ojai Valley Woman's Club, which holds about 150 people. The couple expects more people than usual to attend Tuesday's concert featuring Battlefield Band, so they made arrangements to have the concert at the 800-seat Buena High School auditorium. It's never been about money and big crowds, he added.
Performers usually get all or a percentage of the admission price.
Presenters such as the Lowes just want to break even so they can finance more folk concerts. That doesn't always happen. If there's a deficit, it comes out of the presenters' pockets, and the Lowes' aren't deep. Tom works at Patagonia, Inc. as an export manager, and Becky supervises students on independent study through a private school. But Tom and Becky say they don't mind when the concerts wind up costing them money.