Dog House Music in Lafayette Opens New, Intimate Music Venue

The Front Range is awash with venues big and small, but Dog House Music Studios owners Kenny and Liz Vasko say their new venue, The End, will stand apart in Lafayette, as it’s more like a community than just a music hall.

Liz says that when you walk down the hall at Dog House Music, where The End is situated, you might hear a blend of metal, mariachi, funk and rock as bands rehearse. People are always hanging outside, eating snacks and playing hacky sack.

“It’s basically never dead,” Liz says. “There’s always something happening."

The space is similar to a big dorm. Bands will throw “micro-concerts” for each other in the rehearsal spaces, and members from some Dog House bands will also join with others — there's a lot of musical cross-pollination going on.

“A lot of our artists basically live here,” Liz says. “They hang out here. They drink coffee and just chat. It’s nice that folks can come in for a show and really see where the musicians kind of live and just what their lives look like. You get a sort of behind-the-scenes hang with your favorite band.”

The End will have its inaugural show with Bear and the Beasts and Hand Turkey on Friday, September 23. The venue will also be part of the Lafayette Music Fest on October 8, with seven local acts playing there.

The Vaskos purchased Dog House in 2019. The building was already used as a rehearsal and pop-up show space by Colorado acts including Green Buddha, Ramakhandra, Dayshaper, Trevor Hall, EOTO, the Motet and Bury Mia. National touring acts such as Ani DiFranco, Babyface, Elvis Costello, Pixies, Papadosio and Tyler Childers have also employed the facility.



In January 2020, Dog House Music hosted Ramakhandra for a single release, and the band’s promoter suggested that Dog House Music could be used not only as a place to record and have one-off shows, but as a venue, too. "I feel like he handed me a ball of clay,” Kenny says. “Liz and I are now going to mold it and shape it into something amazing.”

The couple renovated a third of the building – which includes numerous rehearsal rooms and a recording studio – and they say the new space, complete with velvet curtains, a chandelier and comfy couches, will make everyone feel like they have a VIP pass.

“You're walking the same hallways that over 500 musicians a year use to rehearse and record,” says Kenny. “It's not unusual to walk past someone at least regionally famous.”

The pandemic has slowed them down a bit, but they livestreamed 300 hours' worth of concerts, raising more than $500,000 for local charities, including wildfire relief, Food Bank of the Rockies, pet shelters and organizations that serve children with disabilities.

“It was like a dress rehearsal for running a venue,” he says. “It was just missing a live audience. It kept our studio from going dark.”

Kenny wants The End to serve as proof that you don't have to drive to downtown Denver to see amazing independent music from Colorado. He and Liz have obtained a liquor license and are putting a bar in the back corner, so there will be booze at shows.

“Capacity is 75, so you're guaranteed a personal experience at the show,” he says. “We're one of several venues popping up in Boulder County that are making it easier to find good music closer to home.”

They don’t want to pigeonhole the venue into one genre or style of music, but they do want it to focus on local bands. Kenny says there's a lot of talent in Lafayette, with about 25 musicians living within walking distance of The End. He wants it to be as inclusive as possible for a variety of musicians.

“We’ve had everyone in there from death metal to Latin — really anything,” he says. “We’ve done a lot of rock the last few months, but we're open to anything.”

“We haven’t had a country band, yet,” Liz chimes in.

“Yet,” Kenny adds.

Bear and the Beasts with Hand Turkey, Friday, September 23, The End, 525 Courtney Way, Lafayette. Tickets are $15.