Something frequently brought up in conversations between Kendall musicians and music fans alike is desire for a music venue in the neighborhood. Musician Carli Acosta of Long Shore Drift and photographer Alejandro Rova of HUM Miami, along with help from. Carli’s cousin/LSD bandmate Nikki Arevalo launched a GoFundMe to make the dream a reality and create a venue/creative space by the artists, for the artists.
“Ultimately, we want the venue to be as much of a serious venue as it is a place for people to feel like they can hang out, be apart of a scene whether they’re a musician, artist or show-goer, and ultimately feel at home” explained Carli about the project. “Besides shows, we want to have a wide variety of events like movie nights, yoga classes, nights where you can come and paint, karaoke and even plays!”
DIY spaces such as she described are foreign to Miami, they are increasingly common in other Florida cities. St. Petersburg musicians turn their apartment into a venue every final Friday called The Loft. And Gainesville has Flow Space, a yoga studio by day also putting on live shows on weekends. Why not here in the most populous city in Miami? Plainly, money. Grand Central, another music venue occasionally hosting all ages events, was shut down by the city of Miami in order to build a giant shopping mall. These past few years in particular have seen the loss of many venues. Places like The Vagabond, the Stage, the aforementioned loss of the Talent Farm. For Acosta, this is simple the darkness before dawn.
“There’s always going to be that symbolic scar of Grand Central being shut down, but that doesn’t mean that the bands that are playing there are done or the fans going to shows are gone.”
Originally launched on Kickstarter, the fundraiser has since moved to GoFundMe. As Welles their online initiative, the group is planning a series of shows to raise money for the cause. Half the proceeds will go to the planned venue, the other half going to the bands. “Bands need to get paid!” Words any musician is happy to hear coming from a prospective venue runners.
To donate to Spec Haus’ campaign, click here.