The Estate: A DIY music venue for all ages

It’s tough to see live music when you’re under twenty-one. Lance Wisham, founder of The Estate, a do-it-yourself music venue at 1231 Midway Drive in Columbus, knows this well. He remembers playing in the punk shows at Flat Rock Park, when there was almost nowhere else for under-age bands to gig.

Lance spent seventeen years playing music, and ten years touring the country and spending very little time at home. As he toured, he began to envision a music venue, a place to fill the void in Columbus, to provide the very kind of location he would have wanted when he started out playing music.

When Lance finally did come home to Columbus, he opened a painting business, Fountain City Painting Contractors. He secured a large space on Midway Drive and soon set about renovating the old building not only for his painting

When Lance finally did come home to Columbus, he opened a painting business, Fountain City Painting Contractors. He secured a large space on Midway Drive and soon set about renovating the old building not only for his painting studio, but also for the music venue he’d dreamed about for all those years on the road.

The Estate, operating entirely on donations and Lance’s ample energy, is a grungy, comfortable sort of place. As you enter, there are pool tables and table tennis, several couches, and toward the far end of the building a room with a small stage. It’s an intimate sort of venue, the perfect locale for any kind of artist to connect with an audience.

And Lance does bring in just about any kind of artist you can imagine. The acts are local and national touring acts, and while most are metal, punk or hardcore, he also invites country, folk and hip-hop. You can even catch standup comedy at The Estate. Whoever is playing, you can expect original music in a venue open to all, a place inviting in its unpretentiousness and a scene that accommodates all kinds. Even the stage is open to all: every Thursday, Lance invites an artist to host open mic night, where performers need only sign up to share their music.

For an events schedule, visit www.facebook.com/theestatega and email Lance at theestatega@gmail.com for more information.