An unfinished basement changed my life: Henry Martin Portfolio

2020–2021

You’re standing in the smallest kitchen in Minneapolis.

It’s the nastiest kitchen you’ve ever been in and there are about 15 other nasty strangers all shoved into it touching each other and getting their sweat on to each other. Some are your age, some look like their 25. They’re drinking cheap beer and talking to each other. It reeks of sweaty teenagers and people smoking outside. You can hear the conversations from downstairs cutting through the floorboards.

You’ve been here many times but the feeling never changes. You love talking to everyone about what music they’re making or what they have been up to or what skate videos they’re watching. There are people of all sorts of different ages, backgrounds, sexualities, schools whatever you could think of but there is not one person there who will judge you and that’s what allows for the kitchen to become a melting pot for different people with different interests. But there’s one reason why everyone is here. To hear some good ass live music.

This college house has become more than just a college house it has become one of the most popular live music venues among college students and teenagers. One of the best places in the city to hear authentic underground local music and it is located in the University of Minnesota rowing teams unfinished basement.

The first time I went to a basement show I was hooked instantly. I loved the bands, I loved the moshing, and I loved the people. It’s like if they took every cool person from Minneapolis and put them into one unfinished basement. The more I went the more hooked I got. I’ve watched bands go from being local hits to being huge bands doing massive tours like Hippo Campus, Remo Drive, and The Happy Children. I’ve even seen some of my friends pay their first shows and then go on to play huge venues. I’ve also seen a lot of bands that aren’t that good. I’ve seen old dudes with really nice instruments who know nothing about music theory and I’ve seen kids with garbage amps and antique store guitars who are really good at music theory and the biggest thing that I’ve taken away is that it doesn’t matter what your situation is or where you come from everyone is just trying to express themselves and house venues give people the ability to do so whether it’s through letting an artist who is trying to start out have somewhere to play or provide a safe space for someone who maybe isn’t socially excepted by everyone.

But the feeling is what I will remember forever. the feeling never goes away. There’s something special about being fully submerged in the culture. Even if it sounds surreal there is nothing that feels more accepting. I am very lucky I have been able to be apart of something so small but way bigger than myself. Lucky to have been apart of the Minneapolis underground music scene.