The Coachella Valley needs more venues that consistently host live music, and do it well. Sure, we have a number of casino stages that bring in touring talent, a couple of amphitheaters, the iconic Pappy and Harriet’s, the new Little Street Music Hall and some bars … but that’s about it.
One of the makeshift venues that had been filling the gap is Music House Indio, a local musical-instrument store that installed a stage, sound gear and lights in their back room at 82777 Miles Ave. Co-owners Geoffrey and Estefania McManus told the Independent in July about their commitment to giving local artists a place to perform. The makeshift venue went on to host more than 20 shows, spanning hardcore, metal, indie and more in 2024. You can see evidence of these high-energy shows on local documentarian Kai Evans’ YouTube page, or Tourists’ “Pace Yourself” music video.
But in February, Music House Indio cancelled all of their scheduled shows.
“The decision to stop was based on the possible consequences of continuing on,” Geoffrey said.
The number of shows and attendance at shows at Music House Indio were consistently on the rise, but with the growth in numbers came more attention—including some from the city of Indio.
“The city supports music venues, because they understand it’s really important to the growth of the city,” Estefania said. “They just informed us that we need the licenses, and we need inspections and stuff like that, so we chose to stop doing the shows … because the consequences of not going through those proper regulations meant that we could get shut down, fined and whatnot.”
Because of the time and money needed to gain the proper permits—not to mention the steps some venues would need to take to get up to code—various local DIY spaces have been running shows without taking these steps.
At Music House Indio, the large number of attendees inside one of the city’s older buildings was a cause for concern. To get the proper permits, the owners will need to make significant structural changes, including fire-sprinkler replacements.
“It’s not worth the financial risk for anyone—for the promoter, or ourselves,” Geoffrey said. “If we continued on, we would just hurt the community more.”
Geoffrey and Estefania did their best to keep the venue safe, and free of drugs and alcohol. Promoters, musicians and music fans joined in as well.
“Geoffrey would patrol the parking lots, and make sure everything was good,” Estefania said. “We understand what these shows mean to people, and we wanted to keep them going.”
Added Geoffrey: “We’ve been in education for so long, and working with kids, knowing that it’s an all-ages thing, there’s a zero-tolerance policy. … It was a learning experience, and it was cool seeing how the community started to check each other, like, ‘Hey, that’s not cool. You can’t do that. Don’t bring that in here.’ They knew what it meant to them.”
Geoffrey said he was blown away by the impact the makeshift venue had in such a short time.
“I didn’t realize how many people had come through and done their first show ever here … or (had) their first time playing in Southern California,” Geoffrey said. “l just started putting on the shows because Billy Gargan (Tourists) walked in the front door and was like, ‘Hey, I want to have a show.’ We just went from there.”
He said he did not look forward to the shows at first.
“I’ve done music my whole life,” Geoffrey said. “In high school, I had 215 gigs a year or something. It was ridiculous, and then going to college, I did the same thing. Then I went to Oregon with my wife, and we taught, and moved back down here and taught, and now I got (the music store). It’s almost like an early retirement. … I still love playing, but now I have this space where I can give other people that same experience or opportunity that I was able to get so long ago, so when the shows ended, I was really heartbroken. I didn’t know that it meant so much to me until it was taken away.”
The hardcore, metal, indie and experimental bands coming through the Music House doors opened Geoffrey’s ears to new sounds and styles.
“I have this space where I can give other people that same opportunity that I was able to get so long ago, so when the shows ended, I was really heartbroken. I didn’t know that it meant so much to me until it was taken away.”
Music House Indio co-owner Geoffrey McManus
“It’s really cool being able to listen to bands from the valley that I’ve interacted with and have built a really strong relationship with, and be like, ‘That fucking kicks ass,’ or be like, ‘That was a creative choice, and I love you,’” Geoffrey said.
Added Estefania: “I think that’s where the educator side of us comes out, because you’re out there trying. How many people can say that? I didn’t grow up here, so I didn’t know about the community much at all, but from hosting the shows, (I saw) how tight-knit the valley really is, especially the musicians themselves. Everyone just understands that we need to work together to build the community up. I’m just really glad we could be a part of it.”
Zachary Ross (of pop-punk legends Man Overboard), hardcore heavyweights Ignite and a number of other bands, both touring and local, were set to play at the venue in February.
“During the month of February, we had seven shows booked,” said Geoffrey. “It became a labor of love. … We were starting to get into the groove of things, to have everything just ready to rock ’n’ roll—and then the power got ripped out. It’s not over yet. We still have the same opportunity to provide an experience, a unique experience, for anyone, without having to spend an arm and a leg.”
The owners are shifting their plans back to what was originally intended—making the back room an intimate, affordable recording space—while making longer-term plans for renovations that would allow them to host shows again.
“Since the shows got canceled, we’ve been able to put more time in the control room and get everything wired and set up in there,” Geoffrey said. “… You can come through, and you can record live, but you would get a video with it as well. It’s not going to be a high-quality, professional music video, but you’re going to have studio-quality audio and good static video, which you can then use for your own promo. That would be for a low cost, or sometimes even sponsored through our education foundation. Those are things that really make us happy, because we can still continue to give back to the community in our own unique way while we build back up to the shows.”
Added Estefania: “As business owners, you definitely learn a lot as you go. Like Geoffrey said, we want to make this right. We want to do it right for the community.”
There are quality legitimate music venues in the desert. In fact in Indio. The problem is that local hard music acts do not generate enough interest to sell tickets or generate crowds large enough to provide offset income from food and beverage sales. And most band expect on top of a venue to play in, to get paid to play. Very few music venues can exist without a steady stream of income. Those of us who spend money on the venue, the staff, the permits and music performance required licensing, and on top of it provide a professional stage, sound, lights, video, engineering, security required by law, feed and pay bands to play get very little recognition and are criticized for only hiring “certain” bands. We hire said bands based on their potential and in their investment in bringing in people to see them while purchasing food and beverage. Ultimately, hosting live music loses money for 90% of venues who only survive by offsetting loses with income from non music related activities.
Casinos lose money on their free entertainment, even Pappy and Harriet’s is more of a hobby than a profitable venue. And indeed both local government and the music industry both apply huge fees to permit live music.
But please pay proper respect to those venues that keep pouring their heart into and their wallets into hosting weekly live music. Few of us do it for profit but instead for the love of music.
What is the name of your education foundation? How much do you need to complete city permit requirements? How can we donate so Music House Indio continues supporting Valley musicians and fans?