Spacecamp, a new warehouse venue, emerged amid a short dry spell in Jackson’s music scene. Featuring different music from punk to groovy post-punk, the warehouse drew a crowd from around the state.
On Saturday, Hattiesburg bands and friends traveled to Jackson for a show with May Queen, Him Horrison, Late Bloomers, Nossiens and Dumspell at the warehouse.
After Big Sleepy’s closed in 2016, Jackson’s DIY scene briefly paused.
“The music scene in Jackson is pretty good,” said Jackson resident Justin Blaine. “It has its highs and lows during different periods of time. It’s definitely in a positive period since Big Sleepy’s was done. Right now it’s rolling and new people are coming into it.”
Spacecamp is completely operated by local bands. Bad Magic members Josh Taylor and Joey Gray and May Queen member Hayden Boyd organize the events.
The idea of Spacecamp came when the three roommates were practicing in their dining room with their bands. The guys started calling the house Spacecamp and realized they had too many circulating bands to continue using the small living space.
“For a pretty long time, way before we even had the house, we’ve always wanted to have somewhere we could have shows for our bands that we controlled,” Boyd said. “We wanted to bring bands from out of town and showcase what we’re all doing and give people in Jackson something fun to do.”
After this realization, Gray found a warehouse for rent on Craigslist. Many local bands use the space for band practice in a smaller warehouse in the back.
“So many Hattiesburg bands came to play, and it seemed like a sick show,” said Hattiesburg resident Emma Moore. “I haven’t seen some of the bands in a while, too. So I decided it was worth the travel.”
Jackson-based band May Queen consists of members Logan Owensby, Salar Almakky, Jesse Coppenbarger and Boyd. The group started in 2014 with Owensby writing songs in his shed. Eventually, everyone came together by 2015 to write their first album. However, Coppenbarger’s first show as part of the band was at Spacecamp Saturday. The four-piece is currently in the process of putting a record together.
Him Horrison started with one member – Him Horrison. He described the concept of it as created by birth because it is just him. At the show, Horrison got all of his musician friends to get on stage with all black and play music with him.
“Nothing is for sale – expression is an extension of who we are,” Horrison said. “What’s happening at Spacecamp is a reflection of how important it is for people to express themselves as they see fit. It’s not about catering to popular idea of ‘success’ or what is ‘professional.’”
Nossiens consists of Nick Panella, Tony Panella, Hal Kolodney and Quinn Mackey. The band started in 2015 and was previously called Dinner Guests. Nossiens recently released a self-titled album on Bandcamp and Spotify.
Late Bloomers started during the late summer of 2016 as a four-piece – Big Bleach’s Harley White and Zach Burton, Him Horrison’s Dylan Kern and the bass-destroying Cody Pope – and was later joined by Harbor’s Jay Cummings.
Dumspell began in 2015. Promoting normality in female band members, vocalist Mary Spooner and bassist Olesya Ufimtseva are joined by guitarist Cody Bass and drummer Bradley Presson. On Saturday, the four performed a cover of Agent Orange’s “Blood Stains.” Dumspell is currently working on an LP and will head to Oklahoma City for a punk festival next week.
More information on Spacecamp can be found at facebook.com/spacecampjxn.
