Ascend the stairs of 415 E. Johnson Street. Take in the rustic simplicity of the attic space where strands of glowing Christmas lights illuminate paint-splattered walls and exposed wooden beams. Welcome to Madison’s own Bassment, an alternative music space where bands from cities dotting the Midwest gather to share homegrown music and good company.
The idea of The Bassment or “Basement” as a new Madison venue began in the spring of last year when University of Wisconsin students and members of the Madison group Corcovado, Brendan Durkin and Austin Hays, threw a concert in the basement of 531 W. Mifflin Street to celebrate their birthdays. After hosting a few more shows, Durkin and Sean Borja, a third member of Corcovado, moved to their current East Johnson residence. Once there, they cleaned the attic and renamed it The Bassment, to carry on the house show tradition that began in the basement of the Mifflin Street home.
The Bassment hosted its first show Oct. 22 of last year. Since its inception, bands like The Photographers of Chicago and Madison indie-folksters Pioneer have cloaked the space with their diverse sounds ranging from twinkling melodies to sonorous instrumentation.
Alternative venues like The Bassment are crucial to maintain the momentum of the do-it-yourself (DIY) music scene in Madison.
“I’d say it’s the only thing that really keeps it alive,” Durkin said.
In comparison to alternative venues like The Bassment, Project Lodge, Kiki’s House of Righteous Music and the Good Style Shop, larger venues like the Majestic and the High Noon Saloon provide the opportunity to survey the music scene on a larger scale, Durkin said.
“You can get intimacy out of a small or a medium-sized venue just as well as you can get it out of a house show,” Durkin said. “A house show is definitely more intimate, because it’s your friends. You’re just having a party and listening to music. That’s awesome.”
At a house show, there are no security barriers between audiences and artists. Instead, all contribute to the community formed around creating music.
“It’s making music with your friends, and you don’t even need to be making music,” Durkin said. “You’re participating in a crowd at a show.”
UW students and Urban Agrarian bloggers Spencer Wells and Amanda Kievet organize shows at alternative venues in Madison like The Bassment, and act as intermediaries between artists and tenants of 415 E. Johnson. Durkin and Borja provide the venue and Urban Agrarian provides the show opportunities.
“We’re more than willing to put on shows. We’ve got the space,” Durkin said.
Urban Agrarian helps to expand the number of individuals participating in the DIY music community by publicizing shows at The Bassment on its music blog.
“You share [the concert] information with your friends, and so it’s pretty limited in that respect, at least in my experience,” Durkin said. “Everybody is welcome, but only a handful of people end up hearing about these things. They’re just spread by word of mouth and Facebook.”
Bassment owners also rely on the musicians they host to spread the word about their unique music space.
Durkin, Borja, Hays and Jon Rath of Corcovado recently left The Bassment to play a SXWI showcase during the SXSW festival in Austin, Texas, co-organized in part by Urban Agrarian and the Madison indie music blog Rock of the Arts.
“Playing a showcase at SXSW [was] an unbelievable experience,” Durkin said.
Corcovado has returned to Madison, where it continues to practice and host shows in The Bassment.
“We’ve seen a lot of great bands and met many incredible people who love music. Every [concert] is different. It keeps getting better. It’s always exciting to put on your own show,” Durkin said.
Madison music fans look forward to the next Bassment show April 9 where Jeremiah Nelson, Conrad Plymouth, Blessed Feathers and a surprise act will fill the DIY space with their talent.
For updates from The Bassment visit http://urbagrarian.com/ for past Bassment show commentaries and media.
