Practice Space

From Rofflehaus

If you've ever walked out of Whiskey River and heard a band playing somewhere, but you couldn't figure out quite where, you probably missed a straight-up awesome show at the Practice Space.

The Practice Space was formerly known as James and Evelyn's Practice Space; Evelyn was a member of the band Frankenixon, and James was her husband. The "Practice Space" was the living room in their one-bedroom loft on Main Street. Popular lore goes that it started when from time to time the 'Nixonians would invite other bands over to jam, and at some point someone suggested they hold shows there. So suddenly in late 2002, these kids were opening their pad up to total strangers once every couple of weeks and having bands play in their living room. The sound system was a couple of PA speakers and whatever amps the bands were using. Band members hung out in James and Evelyn's bedroom when they weren't up, or just came out and watched people dancing and having fun.

Sometime around the summer of 2003 James and Evelyn moved to Des Moines with the band, and their friend Nick took over the lease. He still holds shows there on a regular basis, and well-known indie acts like the Microphones, Mirah and Kimya Dawson have played in his living room. Admission is usually five bucks, and while the alcohol policy is BYOB--you can buy some from the Kwik Shop up the street and keep it in Nick's fridge during the show--it is generally considered polite to bring some extras so the host and bands can drink too.

Is this legal? Does Nick provide security to prevent underage consumption of alcohol, or arrange regular inspections of the premises with the fire marshal, or notify the police two weeks in advance of any large events, or keep track of the number of visitors to ensure that there aren't so many people that it creates a fire hazard? Ehm. At any rate, the police have some notion of what goes on there, and have only dropped by Practice Space gatherings on a handful of occasions--typically on nights when there is absolutely nothing else for them to do, and only after a couple of noise complaints have been received.

So it is probably okay for now. But if you go to a Practice Space show, please respect the fact that you are a guest in someone's home and act accordingly.