Stickers plaster the iron-barred doors cataloging bands, preaching anarchy, chaos, disenfranchisement, mistrust, heartbreak and hope for a future built from the ashes, and through them enter the young, the old, the punks, the hardcore, the metal, the trendy, the wallflowers, the beautiful, the ugly and the homeless.
The walls are spray painted in fluorescent green and dinosaur purple illuminating their DIY philosophies, offering answers to those that challenge the status quo and enter. The rules are few and simple: no substances (including booze and cigarettes), no fighting and respect everyone.
The ideologies are reminiscent of ‘60s and ‘70s hippie counterculture filtered through punk sensibilities. Dingy couches are tattered and torn. There’s writing everywhere on the walls, the furniture, the ceiling, and the room contains stacks of literature for radical politics, veganism and cultural activism, and racks of hand-made and self-published ‘zines. The people that come here have something else to say and know that they’ll find people here to listen.
Through many walks of life, they’re united by the love of music and community. The music is the campfire. The fire is primal. They’ve all come here as outsiders and the fire brought them together. Everyone knows each other. Everyone understands each other and if they don’t, they’ll take the time to try. The community surrounds the flames of music and everyone is included. Here everyone is safe from the darkness of reality, judgment, the world and the ordinary.
1919 Hemphill is a non-profit collective run solely by volunteers. Part of a national circuit of DIY venues, 1919 is the longest standing in Texas at 10 years. 1919 perseveres solely on donations to keep the venue up and running, maintaining a radical lending library, a ‘free store’ and free meeting space for community organizations. All shows are for all ages and a $6 cover fee, but no one is turned away for lack of funds. There’s always a way to help out the venue.
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