Photo: Stephen Trageser

After two-and-a-half years, all-ages DIY venue Drkmttr has announced that the collective will cease operations, at least in its current form and at its present location, at the end of this month.

The venue began as the brainchild of The Other Booking's Kathryn Edwards in the summer of 2015, around a year after The Other Basement, the Belmont-area basement venue Edwards ran with friends, closed up shop. A crowdfunding campaign raised the initial capital needed to move into a house on Third Avenue South. In early 2016, Edwards & Co. made a considerable upgrade by moving Drkmttr to a former barbershop just off Charlotte Avenue. Following the spate of DIY venue closures in the wake of the deadly December 2016 fire at Oakland, Calif.'s Ghost Ship, Drkmttr was the first — and so far only — of Nashville's DIY spots to reopen, with an occupancy permit from the Metro Nashville Fire Department.

Even with the substantial progress the staff made at the venue, it has been entirely on a volunteer basis, with folks chipping in to help cover expenses. A break-in last summer served as a reminder that all venues need security in some form or other, which is beyond their budget. Coupled with the natural ebb and flow of volunteer operations as individuals' commitments change, the strain proved enough that the staff decided not to renew their lease and move out of 4003 Indiana Ave., as they consider how best to go about achieving their goal of running a venue accessible to an all-ages audience.

"I think the next step for us would be doing something like figuring out how to run a business," volunteer (and Idle Bloom bandleader) Olivia Scibelli tells the Scene. "Maybe a cafe or something to help pay rent, that’s not just out of our own pockets. Who knows what that looks like? There’s so many different options, whether it’s grant money, or having a cafe, or rehearsal spaces. We’re just trying to game-plan and figure that out."

With the rapid rise of real estate prices in Nashville, it's going to take a well-constructed plan and capital to get a new venture off the ground. On the plus side, the Drkmttr crew is nothing if not tenacious, and now they have substantial experience running a venue to highlight when seeking support.

A statement about the closing was posted to their Facebook profile on Monday:

Dear Friends, DIY has evolved so much over the years. As Nashville continues to grow, we have to adjust to the changes being made. Sometimes this means starting over or moving on. That being said, Drkmttr at 4003 Indiana Ave will no longer be a functioning space as of March 1st. Our lease is up, and we are choosing to reevaluate what it takes to be an effective all ages DIY venue in 2018 Nashville. Thank you to everyone who has supported us at this location. We’ve spent so many great nights reveling in this lively music scene, making friends and spreading good vibes! From here we are scouting locations and planning a new and evolved Drkmttr. We still have some shows left in February, the last show being on February 23rd! Join us as we toast to the future! Stay tuned for updates. Peace and love! Drkmttr Collective

At present, the last show at Drkmttr is set for Friday, Feb. 23, featuring Boston's Nice Guys along with locals The Mumzees and Datenight — the latter of whom will have released their debut LP Comin' Atcha 100MPH that day. In the meantime, Boston's Bad History Month plays on Feb. 13 and St. Louis' The Stranger plays Feb. 16.