Tucked away behind the Boardwalk Bowl on Colonial Drive, the space is outfitted with a video game corner, rug, sofa, lamps and chandelier to make you feel like you’ve stepped into someone’s living room.
It’s actually an intimate DIY music venue called My Sister’s House, a nonprofit that fosters a community around local and touring punk, alternative, and indie bands. With Orlando’s smaller venues disappearing, this 70-person room aims to bridge the gap between spaces like Austin’s Coffee and Stardust and slightly larger venues like Will’s Pub.
“Our goal is to give bands that are playing in small rooms the respect they deserve on that level so they can grow and create an audience,” said Jimmy Mura, founder of My Sister’s House. “We wanted to offer something that this community didn’t have: a space that wasn’t focused on bar sales, but focused on being a place for truly original music and scene development.”
Mura, a New Jersey native who moved to Orlando several years ago and works in live entertainment at Disney, thought small Central Florida bands needed a place to play. He found a space in an office park on Semoran Street and set up the venue, which opened in February.
Less than two months after opening, Mura was forced to relocate the entire store after nearby businesses expressed concerns about crowds of young people and live music after dark. Within days, he and other volunteers transitioned the entire setup to Boardwalk Bowl, ensuring My Sister’s House didn’t have to cancel a single show.
“The response has been amazing. Now we have all the support of a bigger venue,” Mura said. “Now we have foot traffic, food, wine, liquor and beer that we didn’t have in the old space. People stay longer because they have other things to do.”
The concept quickly took hold, with volunteers dedicating their energy to cultivating the space as bands flocked to the artist-friendly venue in droves. The calendar is full through July, and future dates are filling up quickly, including other live entertainment events like The Rich Weirddoes’ shadowcast version of The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
My sister’s home also serves as a place for up-and-coming sound engineers, lighting technicians, and photographers to hone their skills. For example, the Orlando chapter of SoundGirls, a national organization supporting women in professional audio and music production, uses the space for workshops and demonstrations.
Mura said he was pleasantly surprised at how quickly the community embraced the concept.
“I’m doing this because I love this work. I didn’t necessarily expect everyone else to love this work so much, but it was a pleasant surprise to see this work so well received. It was a pleasant surprise to see the scene not only embrace it, but grow with it and love it as much as I do,” he said.
Volunteer Farah Faizi said the Sister’s House community has opened new doors for her.
“Through this I got to meet some of my really best friends, I started my own band, and I saw how possible it was,” they said. “Orlando is so talented. It’s such a great city, so vibrant, and I’m so happy to live here.”
Orlando Rep. Maxwell Frost, a musician himself, visited the venue on opening night and said he saw the potential to support up-and-coming artists.
“I went to their opening night and the energy was just electric. There were so many people hanging out all over the venue. There’s so much diversity in the band, and also the fact that it’s not a commercial enterprise,” he said. “The moment our artists stepped on stage, we knew they had found a new home where they could perform, test themselves, and grow as artists.”
Central Florida alternative rock band Lovely played their first official show during a “mini-relaunch” event at My Sister’s House in May.
“Our sound was great, and the stage presence was great. Everything clicked together so well,” said band member David Hernandez, with Ian Hinds adding, “You could have a loud amp in your garage all day and still sound like dirt. Now that you’re here, you can hear it clearly. Listening to it on the monitors, it already sounded like a pre-produced demo.”
Paracosm, an Orlando-based band that performed the same night as Loverly, said My Sister’s House helps provide young people with a space to get away from their phones and gather in person while nurturing young artists.
“They help keep the music scene alive. They support the artists and the community so well. That’s so important,” said singer Kalista Arifi, while drummer Kevin Shepler added, “We’re so grateful that a place like My Sister’s House, with its amazing mission, works so well with such great people and volunteers. We strive to preach the gospel of My Sister’s House every chance we get.”
To keep places like this afloat, we need funding and continued support. A GoFundMe campaign to help with moving costs has raised nearly $5,500 of its $6,500 goal. But with tickets priced at $10 and split 50-50 between venue and band, My Sister’s House relies on participants and supporters to continue its mission.
“We want to offer the consistency, reliability and safety of a larger venue without the booking fees,” Mura said. “The band has a great song and all they want to do is play it for people. They can put it in any room. I love that idea.”
For more information, visit linktr.ee/mysistershousepresents or instagram.com/mysistershousepresents.
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