Natalie Madigan at The Laundry Room ~ Photos by Haley Smith

The Murfreesboro DIY music scene is alive and thriving, and the area’s newest house venue reinforces it. The Laundry Room, opened by MTSU graduate students Jacob Keener and Christian Hannah, is the ’Boro’s newest DIY venue serving music and art lovers in the community.

DIY venues and house shows are a staple in Murfreesboro’s music community. Many of these venues have come and gone over the decades, while others, like indie rock venue The Kirkwood House and hardcore punk house The CrossRoads at Trenzilore, have enjoyed long-time notoriety among local music fans.

What unique experiences will The Laundry Room bring to Murfreesboro? According to the eager and open minds of Keener, 24, and Hannah, 28, the possibilities are endless, and they plan to take their venue beyond the realm of just music.

The Laundry Room, located on Bradyville Pike, recently had its first show on Oct. 20, though the venue has been the brainchild of Keener and Hannah for over a year.

“We moved into the house on Bradyville a year ago last August,” says Keener. “It was something that we had wanted to do for a while. This past August, we were finally in a position . . . to make that a reality.”

Getting the venue up and running still wasn’t easy. The pair had to spend a lot of time clearing out the 400-square-foot bonus room in order to make space for a stage and audio equipment. Part of the reason it took so long for the venue to become usable was because Keener and Hannah did most of the work themselves.

“When we say DIY, we’re like, ‘All right, how can we do this the cheapest and what can we do on our own?’” says Hannah. “We built the stage and did the carpeting on the stage ourselves, which saved money, but took a lot of time.”

One thing Keener and Hannah weren’t able to move from the room was the washer and dryer, which is how the venue got its fitting name.

“The idea behind the room was to make it as spacious as possible,” says Keener. “The only thing that could not be moved out of the room . . . was the washer and dryer. Christian actually came up with the name The Laundry Room and it stuck.”

Now that the room is a full-fledged live performance space, the vibe it gives off is a cozy one. With twinkling string lights adorning the walls and ceilings and colorful tapestries backing the stage, the space has a calming ambiance that’s enough to make anyone feel welcome.

The Laundry Room’s first show was a singer-songwriter night featuring students from MTSU. The venue’s debut was a success, especially according to one of the night’s performers, 21-year-old Natalie Madigan.

“It was a really good turnout for the first show,” says Madigan. “Like 50-ish people.”

Madigan is an electronic pop musician from Murfreesboro who has played a number of shows at DIY venues in the ’Boro. Madigan says The Laundry Room has a very “homey, intimate vibe.”

Aside from the venue’s unique vibe, Keener says the biggest things that set their venue apart from others in the DIY scene is its location and the style of events it will host.

“It’s not in a neighborhood,” says Keener. “It’s right outside the city limits . . . on its own acre lot, so it allows for people to spread out a little bit more.”

Keener and Hannah want the venue to have a large reach within the community, so they’re not limiting their events to just music. Keener says his love for the arts is what pushes him to make The Laundry Room an all-inclusive event space.

“I’m a big appreciator of the arts in general,” says Keener. “I want to give back to that community.”

Since their open house, the community’s response has been a positive one. Keener and Hannah have had a variety of acts reach out to them about performing at their venue, from musicians and dancers to comedians and magicians. Their venue has also been acting as an affordable alternative for student musicians to rehearse and record their music.

In November, the duo hosted another singer-songwriter night that was organized by one of the performers from their open house, John Shields; a show featuring musicians and performers that had been booked for their cancelled Halloween Bash and a live music event hosted by acoustic pop duo She’s Alaska.

December’s current planned events include a UNICEF benefit concert hosted by MTSU’s recording industry fraternity Omega Delta Psi on Saturday, Dec. 1, and a free singer-songwriter night on Friday, Dec. 7, featuring The City Planner, Delaney Dean, Eli Perron, Nancy Prescott, Abby Gibson, Shannon McNeal and others.

As Keener and Hannah move forward with their venue and what is yet to come, they both say they want to keep the conversation open with music and art lovers in the ’Boro to provide events that everyone is interested in.

“We’re excited to book shows and have other people curate shows and have people come to us,” says Hannah. “We’re open to suggestions and ideas. So reach out.”

The Laundry Room is located at 2801 Bradyville Pike. For more information on upcoming events, visit facebook.com/thelaundryroomvenue or instagram.com/thelaundryroomvenue.