Conversations with Kenton Parker

Today we’d like to introduce you to Kenton Parker.

Hi Kenton, please kick things off for us with an introduction to yourself and your story.
My first exposure to a DIY show was at 16, in church auditorium, with maybe 8 kids there, not including the bands. It was also my first exposure to local music. Raw and original, a little off time and too loud, I was hooked. I would go on to join one of those bands and we would play just about anywhere that would let us. While bar gigs and shows are nice, we soon realized they far to often aren’t all ages. This led us and many others to get creative and book outside the box sometimes with little to no help from actual promoters, just high school kids with a strong urge to make music. So it goes without saying that DIY house shows hold a special place in my heart.
Fast forward a hand full of years later, no band, but that same drive to be around live music was still very much there. so when I bought my first house which came with a garage perfect for shows it was almost a no brainer. In 2017, I opened Holland Haus, a DIY music venue out of my garage with the help of some friends. we managed to keep the doors open all the way to 2024. hosting shows as often as 3 times a month or more even. these artist ranged from local to regional to even international! Without DIY venues lots of these bands wouldn’t have a place to play. Bars often require you to draw people to the venue or have an established fan base. Newer bands or bands trying to break out into the area from neighboring cities or states often get over looked.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Smooth? No I wouldn’t say it was smooth, but it was rewarding and worth all the challenges it presented.
Early on it was the sound system, mics, cables etc. I wasn’t fully prepared for just how often we would go though those type things. Eventually though, with help from locals we would get donations of unwanted mics and old cables. We would lean on local music shops to get anything else that wasn’t donated. They often have a great selection of used gear. Parking was also, always an issue. Being just a house, and not an actual business, we didn’t have a parking lot or anything like that to offer. we learned to encourage carpooling, ride sharing, and how to pack cars into my front yard like a game of Tetris.

Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
Currently enjoying DIY retirement. However I do miss doing shows occasionally and wouldn’t mind booking one or two in the future. Holland Haus is easily the thing im most proud of in my life. I was told over and over again it would never work. We ran a music venue out of a garage for almost ten years without permits or cops being called out but twice. We built relationships with our neighbors to the point where they would come to the shows not complain about them. We treated the artist from out of town like they lived down the street, cook outs on the regular dogs and yard games all adding to the environment. we wanted the touring artist and all artist to feel like they were playing at a friends house not a strangers place.

If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
Being and staying passionate for whatever it is you’re doing, I’m all in or I’m not doing it at all. That can be a blessing and a curse sometimes though.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holland_haus419
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HollandHaus419
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@hollandhaus4197