High real estate prices have pushed another Austin institution out of its home base, but this time, the venue's message to fans is a bit rosier than usual. Parish, currently located at 501 Brushy St., just off East 5th Street, announced its move on Wednesday while also letting its landlord off the hook.
Fans may have seen the message on Instagram: "PARISH IS MOVING. No worries - we’re still doing shows at the current location for summer and fall. And our sister club, Empire Garage and Control Room, will be rocking as usual. We plan to find a new home for Parish by the end of the year."
The caption then sent viewers to Parish's website to read a longer statement that discusses independent venues and the struggle around finding affordable venues for creatives. It emphasizes that the problem did not stem from the "amazing facility with a fantastic landlord," nor an unfair price for what the space offered. However, it was still too much for the venue to keep up with.
"This is the second time Parish has had to move in the past five years, and many other spaces in town are facing the same challenges we are," says the statement. "Independent venues matter. They are the coral reef of the creative ecosystem that nurtures every artist at the beginning of their professional careers. They are also what makes Austin the Live Music Capital of the World. They are a platform for all the alt, weird, new, and interesting culture that isn’t supported by the mainstream, or at least not yet ;-)"
It also goes on to explain that ticket sales mostly cover pay for the artists; the venue needs to make most of its income on drinks, which the statement says most people don't purchase "these days." It declined to raise prices, opting instead for a less expensive overhead.
Finally, it discusses the City of Austin’s Rally Austin program, which helped (and mutually benefits from) Parish's group purchase Empire Garage, and calls for more official support for venues prioritizing independent artists.
"Since ancient times, opera houses and amphitheaters have been the heart of a city. We still do it for some kinds of traditional or corporate music. But we need to do it for the kind of music most of us listen to, and we need to have spaces for the next generation or artists to thrive."
Notably, this message only went out a couple of hours after the Red River Cultural District (RRCD), just on the other side of Interstate 35, announced an expanded version of one of its premier fundraisers, Hot Summer Nights. About half a year ago, RRCD completed a confusing bout of bargaining with Austin City Council over funds.
In the past year, Austin has also lost East Austin punk and metal venue the Lost Well, queer dance club Outer Heaven, and as of May 4, the 12-year-old blues club Skylark Lounge.
Simultaneously, Austin is gaining a new venue ten times the size of Emo's in the Riverside neighborhood, and a new venue just opened for string ensemble re-imaginings of commercially dominant music like Taylor Swift. Even Bass Concert Hall has jumped on the trend with ensemble performances like one coming up in October of the Twilight soundtrack — a fun opportunity for fans, but a salient example of live music that appeals to corporate priorities.
For now, Parish does not seem to have any public leads on a new space.
