Our Terms & Conditions | Our Privacy Policy
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (WMC) – A DIY dream team shakes up the Memphis music scene at a new venue just off South Main, turning what started as a homegrown house party into a haven for underground artists from all around.
It’s also the start of something new for Havenhaus, the downtown Memphis location across from the Amtrak station and behind Earnestine & Hazel’s is where the so-called “do-it-yourself” venue now calls home.
It’s DIY because Havenhaus actually began about 4 years ago inside the home of its founder, musician J Opp.
“I think that a sense of community is extremely important, and Memphis music, in particular, is something that like, really helped me grow,” explained Opp.
Opp opened his home on Parkhaven Lane, located not too far from the University of Memphis, as a space for musicians and music lovers to rock out after many of the city’s smaller music venues closed during the pandemic.
“These are the places where these musicians get to come out and show their art and, you know, try to make a buzz for what they’re doing,” he said.
Musician Benjamin Reese saw what Opp was up to and joined in.
Ben Reese and J Opp(Action News 5)
“Jay didn’t have an Instagram for the venue and I was just like, ‘Hey man, it’s your (birthday).’ Our birthday is like four days apart, so I’m just gonna make you an Instagram, and I bought a logo. I had a friend commission a logo and I was like, here you go,” declared Reese.
Next thing you know, Reese was booking bands to play at Opp’s house.
“You know, we’ve got the punk and hip hop and electronica and folk and country and everything in between,” Reese said as he described the kind of music played at Havenhaus.
But after nearly three years and more than 150 shows at the house on Parkhaven, Havenhaus needed more room.
So, the venue moved to this Cooper-Young garage behind Young Avenue Sound.
However, in just 7 months, the venue hosted 380 acts and outgrew the space even faster than Opp’s house.
“We ended up capping in about 160 people and it was so full that we had to turn some people away. And I realized then that that wasn’t going to be enough anymore, you know,” expressed Opp.
Havenhouse’s downtown location(Action News 5)
That’s when the guys decided to take their DIY dreams downtown with the hope of drawing in even bigger acts, while highlighting part of the Memphis music scene that doesn’t always get the attention it deserves.
“Down here you get a lot of, you know, you walk down Beale Street and you can catch the best Blues bands in the country. But you know, there’s there’s a lot more to Memphis music and I think that, you know, the entirety of the city needs to get to explore that,” Opp said.
Reese also has big hopes for the new location.
“Biggest thing is I’m hoping that Memphis gets a bigger presence from touring bands with Nashville being seen as a bigger competitor to us. I would like bands to reconsider Memphis and say, ‘Well, why aren’t I going to Memphis?’” he declared.
Havenhouse(Action News 5)
Opp and Reese hope the new location is successful enough to book shows five nights a week. And if their past success is any indication, these Do-It-Yourselfers will make that happen.
As Jay put it, “The Memphis music community has had an exceeding outburst of love and support for what we do. And I want to make sure that that stays alive for the next generation.”
You can keep up with bookings at Havenhaus on Instagram.
Opp and Reese have raised more than $4,000 through GoFundMe to help get the new venue up and running.
Click here to sign up for our newsletter!
Click here to report a spelling or grammar error. Please include the headline.
Copyright 2025 WMC. All rights reserved.
Images are for reference only.Images and contents gathered automatic from google or 3rd party sources.All rights on the images and contents are with their legal original owners.
Aggregated From –
Comments are closed.