We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Dennis Negrin a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Dennis thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. We’d love to hear about a project that you’ve worked on that’s meant a lot to you.

Deciding to take the plunge and create our own house show network has been incredibly rewarding. I’ve always craved community, and admired individual artists for their tenacity, talent and passions. So when we had the idea to create a space for each other in our community, it just kind of made sense. You have to build the community you crave and invite others in, we’ve learned that if you just wait for someone else to build it, it might never happen.

Dennis, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

Have you ever heard a great band and thought to yourself, “Wow, this band would sound GREAT in my living room!” Well, we did…Who doesn’t love seeing a good show, laughing together and being inspired through great art? We know through our own experience that house shows provide an intimate, welcoming space for artists and fans to engage in a meaningful way. We know how important it is to get that one-on-one with an artist where they are invited to tell their story and fans can interact on a personal level. We know how important it is to have someone listening. Simply put, the best shows are house shows.

​It was over coffee and “kitchen sink” cookies at a coffee shop in the Five Points of Jacksonville Fl. when we (Pam, Joel & Dennis) agreed to take this crazy house show idea and breathe life into it. We’d been hosting impromptu shows for about two years off and on but decided it was time to put everything in one central place with a clear vision for the future. We owe a great debt of gratitude to all the musicians who inspired us, local venue owners who promote local music, the original Rain Dogs crew, the “Glenstock” junkies and all of the wonderful music supporters in our community.

What we do:
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We connect fans with artists in a meaningful way by creating one-of-a-kind experiences. We put musicians, artists and bands in living rooms across NE Florida to create &build community, connect with one another, and share our love of great music.

What’s the most rewarding aspect of being creative in your experience?

For me it’s all about bringing people together. Creating community is an intentional act of love. Sometimes, when the show gets going and everyone is all huddled around the music, I’ll often retreat to a side room just to listen & be by myself. It’s a proud moment but also overwhelming. The process is just as important as the result for me, and getting a chance to step back after everything gets going is really something special, and those who know will understand!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

Is it too soon to say, “COVID”? The world just stopped and we had to pivot to trying to help our community. We started a livestream calendar and offered to help put together driveway shows at a distance. Not much got off the ground before we were able to resume live shows outdoors, but it was scary. The community needed to know we were there for them.

Contact Info:

• Website: boldcitycircuit.com
• Instagram: boldcitycircuit
• Facebook: boldcitycircuit

Image Credits
Rachel Seaton