The Bon House, a midcentury-modern house in Atlanta turned DIY venue, is creating a space for local music from the comfort of their living room.
Album releases, DIY shows, moshing and crying, all take place at the Bon House, a mid-century house dating back to the 1950s that has since been turned into a DIY music venue.
But what the Bon House has evolved into was never the intention of owner, Gretta Wallace.
“I definitely never planned to do this,” Wallace said. “Running a house venue is something that just happened to me.”
It began when Wallace met Zach Marcusky of the band Isabelline in 2021 at a show at Criminal Records. It was then that Wallace voiced her desire to get into music more seriously.
“Zach made that happen for me and acted as a catalyst and a huge support for everything that has happened since,” Wallace said.
The first show held at the Bon House was a release party for Isabelline’s album “Welcome to the Dream” with a four-band bill.
“Word spread really quickly and I was suddenly receiving booking requests and being treated like a real venue,” Wallace said. “I didn’t really question if it was something I wanted to do, I just kept booking shows.”
Wallace has gone so far as to acquire a Pabst Blue Ribbon sponsorship.
“The Pabst Blue Ribbon sponsorship was such a blessing,” Wallace said. “They really helped make shows more sustainable and we were able to pass those savings back to the bands.”
Through hosting events at the Bon House, Wallace has developed a deep connection to the DIY community.
“The last couple of years have just been an insane domino effect that has allowed me to get to know some of the most heartfelt, genuine and talented people,” Wallace said on her relationship to the local music scene.
The Bon House has evolved since those early days with help from the community, holding album release events such as Equal Creatures’ debut album, “Everything That Hurts.”
The very nature of the venue itself and house shows in general, according to Wallace, lends to “the chaotic, intimate nature of it.”
The nights range from moshing to crowd surfing to “the band’s entire family came to support,” often at the same time.
Wallace has high hopes for the future to expand beyond their current limitations for both local and touring acts.
“Overall, the dream is for Bon House to continue operating as a resource for the DIY community and there are a lot of different possibilities for what that could look like over the next few years,” she said.
Check out The Bon House’s Instagram for more information and new dates.
