Hang with Will Johnson and Anders Parker in a local living room

House gigs offer some great artists in unbelievably intimate settings. If you're used to seeing shows in clubs, theaters and arenas, watching great talent in someone's living room is a mind-blowing experience.

And there will be no better opportunity to see this in action than on Saturday, April 17 when veteran Milwaukee rock and roll scenester Christopher Johnson hosts Will Johnson and Anders Parker (remember Varnaline?) at 7:30 p.m. There are only 35 tickets -- which cost $20 -- so act now or you could miss out. Click here for tickets.

There is a limit of four tickets per person. Gig details will be e-mailed upon purchase.

"I do not get anything out of this, except some beers spilled on my floor!," says Johnson, but we can tell that's not true based on his Facebook description of the performers.

"I have the unique privilege of hosting a small performance at my house of two amazing artists," he writes. "The first is Will Johnson, who is the Swiss Army knife of indie rock. During rare downtime between his solo work and bands Centro-matic and South San Gabriel, the prolific songwriter has taken a back seat, playing drums for the Monsters of Folk - Bright Eyes' Conor Oberst and Mike Mogis, M. Ward and Jim James of My Morning Jacket -- on a national and European tour.

"And for those who loved Varnaline's 2001 album 'Songs In A Northern Key,' it's good to hear that Anders Parker still hasn't found what he's looking for. Practically every song from the boyishly yearning Parker's most recent release can be heard as a mythic quest, a rite of passage, a voyage from innocence to experience (or occasionally from bitter experience to recaptured innocence). If you are not familiar with either Will or Anders you should be."

This is Johnson's first house concert, but, he says, he couldn't resist. Especially because he knows Will Johnson personally.

"(I) have been to a few with artists like Will and they went off great. (They) had an open date and Milwaukee was right on the way, so I offered. I have been a fan and a friend of Will's for quite a few years now. He and his band and others would crash at my place when they came through, but they haven't in about 5 years."

You can find Christopher Johnson's Facebook page for the gig here. Check out the big names on the local scene (like Juniper Tar's Chris DeMay) who are attending or ruing their inability to be there (like bassist Jack Rice and WMSE's Tom Crawford).