Tucked in the back of Boardwalk Bowl on Colonial Drive, there’s a space where it feels like stepping into someone’s living room, complete with a video game corner, rugs, couches, lamps and chandeliers.
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It’s actually an intimate DIY music venue called My Sister’s House, a nonprofit that fosters community around local and touring punk, alternative and indie bands. As Orlando’s smaller venues have been disappearing, this 70-capacity room aims to fill the gap between spaces like Austin’s Coffee and Stardust and slightly larger venues like Will’s Pub.
“Our goal is to give bands that are playing those small rooms the respect they deserve at that level so they can develop and create an audience,” said Jimmy Mura, the founder of My Sister’s House. “I wanted to give something that I felt like this community didn’t have, which was a space that wasn’t focused on bar sales and was focused on being a place that was truly for original music and for developing the scene.”
As a New Jersey native who moved to Orlando several years ago and works in live entertainment at Disney, Mura saw that Central Florida’s smaller bands needed a place to play. He found a space within a Semoran Avenue office park and set up his venue, which opened its doors in February.
After neighboring businesses raised concerns about young crowds and live music after dark, Mura was forced to relocate his entire operation less than two months after opening. In a matter of days, he and other volunteers transitioned the entire setup to Boardwalk Bowl, making sure My Sister’s House didn’t have to cancel a single show.
“The response has been amazing. Now we have all the support of this much bigger venue,” Mura said. “Now we have foot traffic, food, wine, liquor and beer that we didn’t have at the old space. Because there’s other stuff to do, people stay longer.”
The concept has quickly taken hold, inspiring volunteers to dedicate their energy to cultivating the space while bands have flocked to the artist-friendly venue in droves. The calendar is full until July, and future dates are quickly filling up, including other live entertainment events like “The Rocky Horror Picture Show” shadowcast by The Rich Weirdoes.
My Sister’s House is also serving as a place where up-and-coming audio engineers, lighting techs and photographers can hone their skills. For example, the Orlando chapter of SoundGirls, a national organization supporting women in professional audio and music production, uses the space for workshops and demonstrations.
Mura said he was pleasantly surprised by how quickly the community has embraced this concept.
“I do this because I love it. I did not necessarily anticipate everyone else loving it this much, but it’s been a welcome surprise to see it this embraced, to see the scene not just embracing it, but growing with it, and loving it as much as I do,” he said.
Farah Faizi, a volunteer, said that new doors have been unlocked for them with the community of My Sister’s House.
“I’ve been able to meet some of my absolute best friends through this. I started my own band. I’ve seen how possible it is,” they said. “Orlando is so talented. It’s such an incredible town, it’s so vibrant and I’m so happy to live here.”
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Orlando’s Rep. Maxwell Frost, a musician himself, said he visited the venue on one of the opening nights and saw the potential for supporting up-and-coming artists.
“I went on one of their opening nights, and the energy was just electric. There were so many people hanging out all over the venue. There’s such a great diversity of bands and the fact that it’s not a for-profit enterprise,” he said. “You could see that the second those artists took the stage, they found a new home where they could perform, test themselves and grow as artists.”
Central Florida alternative rock band Loverly played their first official show during a “mini relaunch” event at My Sister’s House in May.
“We sounded the best, the stage presence felt the best. Everything meshed so well,” said band member David Hernandez, with Ian Hynes adding, “We can sit in a garage all day with loud amps and sound like mud. We come here, and it sounds distinct. Listening to my monitor, it already sounded like a pre-produced demo.”
Orlando-based band Paracosm, which played on the same night as Loverly, said that My Sister’s House helps provide young people with a space to gather in person, away from phones, while fostering young artists.
“They help keep the music scene alive. They support artists and community so well, that’s very important,” said singer Callista Arifi, with drummer Kevin Schoeppler adding, “We really appreciate a place like My Sister’s House with such an awesome mission that executes so well with such great people and volunteers. We try to preach the gospel of My Sister’s House every chance we get.”
It takes money and ongoing support to keep a place like this alive. A GoFundMe campaign to help with moving expenses raised close to $5,500 out of the $6,500 goal. But with $10 tickets and an even split between the venue and bands, My Sister’s House relies on people showing up and supporting to continue the mission.
“I want to give that consistency and reliability and that security of a larger venue but without the booking fees,” Mura said. “The bands have these great songs and all they want to do is play them for people, and you could put it in any room, and I love that thinking.”
Visit linktr.ee/mysistershousepresents or instagram.com/mysistershousepresents to learn more.
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