‘That really DIY level’: A culture of house shows continues to thrive in Greensboro

Featured photo: Housemates Tyler Monroe and James McLaughlin at Swag House (photo by Maggie Marshall)

The room was muggy and smelled of sweat and cheap beer. Bodies squished together like sardines and nearby, white posters featuring black panthers that said “An attack against one, is an attack against all,” hung on the walls. Haphazardly thrown red and purple string lights sparkled across the room. A guitar stretched and the hi-hat crashed. The bodies began to move as one; some jumped, some bobbed their heads, while others pushed each other in circles. They tried hard not to fall over into the equipment. It was so loud, it was hard to think. But it was magical. Outside, the people conversed over cigarettes, intellectual chats about films, bands, books or the current news in politics. That was White House circa 2019.

For generations, Greensboro musicians have opened up their homes for upcoming bands to perform for local music fanatics. Andrew Dudek, who attended UNCG in the mid 1990s, was one of them. From 1993-97 he hosted a range of house shows at Dick Street, a small, white house with four bedrooms and no heat in the winter, that at one point, housed 11 art students.

“We weren’t looking to be a venue,” he says. “Ultimately it was a group of friends getting a house for the first time. We wanted to build a ramp in the back to skate, and we were all into the punk-rock music scene, so we had been to a few house shows. We had one show in our house and it snowballed into bands calling bands telling us.”

Back then, Dudek had to network by going to shows across the state or in Virginia and giving out his phone number to bands. There were also zines, like “Book Your Own Fucking Life,” which would tell people about upcoming shows and bands.

“We got tons of calls; it was like every day,” Dudek recalls. “I started making show flyers for shows that we had for the whole month. We were busy. Rocking the shows.” 

Sometimes shows were held at Dick Street four nights in a row and featured bands from across the country. Dudek remembered one show in particular, when Chicago-based band Los Crudos played. They had five bands play that night and the house was so packed that you could be standing in the kitchen three rooms away and still be shoulder to shoulder. A dollar per band was charged at the door. By the end of the night, Dudek says he gave each band “some crazy amount of money like $800 each or something.” 

Over time, Dick Street took on a personality across the state, even nationwide, Dudek remembers. 

“The crowd was fun; it was a fun place to be,” he says.

And for college kids who had no other place to either play or appreciate live music, house shows became a refuge.

When the pandemic erupted in 2020, the scene was dampened, leaving many yearning for that homey feeling of playing to a supportive community. But those like UNCG alumni and musician James McLaughlin and his housemate Tyler Monroe continued the tradition, hosting shows in their home, Swag House. 

The experience McLaughlin had frequenting house shows pre-COVID as a young college student who also played at places like Bird House, White House, Ice House or Road Closed, inspired him to start hosting shows himself. One house in particular, the Trailer Park, in Raleigh, opened his eyes to the possibility. After he attended a few shows there, McLaughlin said “[he] was slapped in the face with the realization, Wow you can just have people on your back porch and it can be huge.”

He says the pull of house shows was seeing how crazy, energetic and exciting they were and how they helped break up the monotony of college. Plus, being able to be a musician “on that really DIY level” called to him.

In the aftermath of the pandemic, other bands have taken up the mantle of continuing the house show tradition in Greensboro. Bassist/vocalist Lazuli Ortiz and guitarist/vocalist Ryan Mole met at a local jazz session in 2022 and began to write music together under the name bedrumor. Originally a duo piece, the band has since then evolved into a four piece. bedrumor’s first house show was a little over a year ago at Doggie House. 

“House shows make live music more accessible to everyone, especially younger generations,” Ortiz says. “They provide a space to interact with other musicians and music-enjoyers and inspire people to be more involved in the local scene. Greensboro has a lot of different sounds and is like a melting pot of genres. Every musician/band has something unique to offer.” 

The band is excited to see the return of house shows after the pandemic.

“It shows that there is a strong necessity for the local house show scene to thrive in Greensboro,” Ortiz says. “We’ll be staying in Greensboro as long as it feels right for us. We don’t plan on leaving anytime soon because we love the local DIY scene.”

What started out simply as an idea, Doggie House soon became the catalyst to the return of house shows in Greensboro post-pandemic. Jackie Hines, resident of Doggie House, says their roommates studied music production at Elon University and had a ton of music equipment, which helped them start creating and producing songs. 

“We decided to do something collectively with that,” Hines said. “We went to Home Depot and bought the materials to build a stage and built the stage ourselves. Then, we started inviting local Greensboro bands and artists to perform in our backyard.” 

Doggie House quickly gained a following and reputation for itself. They hosted shows bi-monthly. People came out not only to see the bands, but to see the space. They wanted to witness first hand the white pipe stage which was topped with a tarp featuring the Doggie House logo in the center and dangling fairy lights to the side. 

In November 2023, Doggie House closed its doors. As a farewell, they hosted an Undercover show where all the bands performed cover sets. 

“It was a fun community, and it was fun to make connections and establish relationships with people,” Hines says. “I’ll miss it.” 

Although Doggie House is no longer a host, the group is still together, pursuing other creative projects under the same name.

A veteran to the scene, musician Ashley Virginia mentions how house shows provided a place to really “cut her teeth and develop a stage presence.” 

Prior to the pandemic, Virginia attended shows at Tuba House, Grime House, Blue House, White House, Dijon Palace, Pope Palace and gained inspiration and encouragement from others to start her own band.

“Having a scene that is local and starts at the grassroots level is super important,” she explains. “When I first started I didn’t have the experience or the connections to get booked at venues, so having this DIY space opened a lot of doors.”

Today, Virginia has quit her day job to pursue a career in music, periodically picking up gigs and touring across the United States, and living nomadically in her camper van. She says that without Greensboro house shows, the trajectory of her life would have been very different.

“There’s something about figuring it out and doing it yourself and not waiting for the industry to provide opportunities, because we at the local level can be the industry,” she says. “When your music is rooted in community, I think something really beautiful can come out of that.” 

Learn more about Greensboro house shows on Instagram: @itsdoggiehouse or @swaghouse_shows.