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"\u201CIt looks like we\u2019re both in our kitchens this evening.\u201D\nIt\u2019s 9:30 p.m. EST on a Monday evening as Denison Witmer and I connect on Skype. Lately, he\u2019s been using the video chat service as a performance medium. It allows the singer/songwriter to stay home with his newborn son while performing personalized one-song sessions for his fans online. \n\u201CI do these shows all over my house, it just depends on what day of the week it is and what I\u2019m feeling,\u201D Witmer says. \u201CRight now, my personal studio upstairs is covered in paperwork, so I decided for the kitchen tonight.\u201D\nAfter chatting with him for roughly five minutes about these sessions, Witmer plays \u201CStations,\u201D one of two songs I requested. The Lancaster native lets fans pick any song in his catalogue, and asks that selections be chosen beforehand. He has a big songbook to choose from, having just released his ninth album, The Ones Who Wait, earlier this month. Witmer got his start playing with singer-songwriter Sufjan Stevens before going solo, and has built a very loyal following since.\nDespite the 800 miles that separate Witmer in Philadelphia and myself in Atlanta, he makes the seemingly impersonal parts of an online experience disappear. In doing so, he\u2019s created a unique and endearing type of performance \u2014 one done from the comforts of his kitchen.\nThe Skype experience surprisingly adds a sense of intimacy that can\u2019t be found in a traditional concert. It also makes you think about the social conventions often taken for granted during a show. Applause isn\u2019t second nature when you\u2019re the only one in the crowd, while anonymity disappears when you\u2019re face-to-face with the performer. \nWitmer\u2019s online shows can change one\u2019s view of what a concert is \u2014 for better or worse, depending on who\u2019s watching. \u201CI don\u2019t think this is for everyone,\u201D Witmer admits. \u201CThere\u2019s a certain amount of gutsiness to call up somebody you don\u2019t know on Skype. It takes a certain personality type. There\u2019s always that awkward [question]... 'Do I clap? Do I not clap?' I take for granted that I talk to strangers for my job, but I have to say it\u2019s been really rewarding.\u201D\nHis \"Everywhere At Once\" tour started after he and his wife prepared for the arrival of their son late last year. Already versed in Skype and Apple's Facetime, Witmer utilized the technology so he could be with his son and wife. \u201CWhen she gave birth to our son, I had to turn down a tour,\u201D he recalls. \u201CI was fine with doing that. I still wanted to play shows. I thought there had to be another way, and this was a nice compromise to keep performing and keep my voice healthy, keep playing guitar.\u201D\nFor $25, Witmer will play a song of your choice (two if you\u2019re lucky) and the chance to chat with him after the performance. After one purchases a Skype show, Witmer and his manager help arrange a time and date via email. \nGiven the unique nature of these shows, there\u2019s been a bit of a learning curve on his end. \u201CI\u2019m trying to figure out what the exact limit is that I can handle,\u201D Witmer says. \u201CIn a lot of ways it\u2019s similar to  a concert, but it\u2019s also a totally different experience. The scheduling part is more work that the actual playing or talking to people.\u201D\nWhile he\u2019s still finding his groove on the logistical side, he\u2019s embraced the chance to perform in a relatively low-pressure environment. From the audience\u2019s side, it seems like Witmer has the process down pat. But for him, each one of these is an entirely different experience, depending on whom he\u2019s playing for.\n\u201CEverybody does it differently,\u201D he explains. \u201COne night I called [into a Skype show]. There was a really cool cutout with a name on it and all these candles behind it ... They unveiled it and it turned out it was just someone having a dinner party on this beach.\u201D\n\u201CThe person was like, \u2018I thought this would just be a cool thing to do between courses,\u2019\u201D he continues. \u201CThey scheduled out their meal, had me play a song between courses and went back to a meal with their friends. It turned out one of their friends was a pretty big fan so it was a gift for her birthday.\u201D\nWitmer estimates that he\u2019s performed about 20 online shows, mostly for diehard fans. Some of these fans live as far as Europe and South Korea. For them, purchasing the show stands as a way to connect with an artist who doesn\u2019t get to tour outside the United States that much these days.\nHalfway through the Skype session, our Internet connection starts to lag substantially. After troubleshooting for about a minute, we had to hang up and connect once more before he\u2019d play his new single \u201CBrooklyn With Your Highest Wall.\u201D\n\"That\u2019s happened before, that\u2019s one of the hard parts,\" Witmer explains before jumping into his next song. \u201CIf the Internet connection\u2019s not great, then the performance is very...\u201D\nFor the next four minutes, I\u2019m treated to a stripped-down version of my favorite track off his new record. As I sit at my kitchen table in my pajamas and soak in the Skype concert experience, it\u2019s evident that it takes a special kind of artist to pull this off. Although this kind of performance may not be for everybody, it\u2019s clear that Witmer\u2019s daring enough to take these performance risks, and talented enough to turned these shows into a truly unique experience."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://mashable.com/2012/03/14/denison-witmer-skype-concerts/>