12/17/2024
An Idea.
The idea was simple. Invest in ownership of property for creative endeavors and community such that my choices and activities could not be coerced or evicted.
What did that ultimately really look like? A whole lot of diverse artists and activists developing roots in the building. Some ultimately became root-bound and fell into decay, others busting through the cinder block like a box elder through the sidewalk.
It's been a complex and life-affirming journey, balancing the light of communal growth and support with the shadows of conflict, doubt, disease, and death.
From 2015-2020 we hosted approximately 100 shows, workshops, other community events, and recorded a handful of diy records. We existed as a safe place to explore creativity and resist cultural expectations and oppression.
Covid put a hard stop to our events. I decided to start investing in equipment to make the space into a fully functional production studio ensuring we could still pursue creativity and community, even if it meant gathering in small bubbles.
As the pandemic waned and became safe to gather outside, we were asked to help produce live music at Fox River House. Great original music, for free, outside? It was perfect. This request developed into a beautiful partnership.
As hosting events became safe again, more community organizers sought our support for their efforts. We soon developed relationships with Appleton Beer Factory, Mile of Music, The Cedars Project, River Forrest Campground, and The Stone Arch to name a few.
While we were no longer hosting shows in our space, this natural progression allowed us to support the wider community in a much bigger way. Partnering with these other organizations meant higher capacities, the availability of food and beverages at events, paid custodial staff, and something very important that we could not consistently provide in our small space lacking that infrastructure: fair wages for the artists.
Since this change in direction, we've helped produce around 360 concerts with our regular partners Fox River House and Appleton Beer Factory, a couple dozen music festivals, another 50 or so one-off events, while still offering our space to traveling bands to rehearse and crash in, and for community activists and artists working on a smaller scale.
While all of this growth and support has been incredibly humbling and fulfilling, I can't help but think back to the first time I stepped into a dirty garage to hear some traveling artists propel their souls into a tiny crowd and dust-covered shelving. That experience shaped my life, and I feel a call to return to my roots.
We're looking forward to continuing to provide production services to the wider community. But I'm very excited to announce planning quarterly shows in our space! We'll also be looking to release regular Rise Sessions, a program to provide quality productions (think video sessions and records) at no cost to the artists through our partnership with the non-profit organization see-change.
I want to keep the bulk of this message positive, but I do need to state that a part of the decision to halt the shows at The Train Station was due to a lack of respect for the space, the volunteer effort we put into hosting, and other behaviors I have no interest in policing. Come over, have fun, don't be a sh****ad, don't put anyone at risk, and we'll keep it going.
Based on what I've seen, the average shelf-life of a house venue is about a year before eviction or life circumstances put an end to it. I hold so much gratitude for everyone who has supported this experiment.
Growing up here, I never imagined loving this city the way I do now. but it's not about any building, it's the people. from the bottom of my heart, thank you for helping me grow as a friend, as an artist, as a human.
In a world that often suggests how much simpler it would be to give up. I'm proud to say, we are still here.
