Michael Winningham knew he wanted to create affordable rehearsal spaces for musicians, but he didn’t immediately know how. Then he came across an article about CapMetro retiring a fleet of diesel buses, and he had his answer.
“I was like, ‘Oh, it's a bus. Of course it's a bus,’” he said. “And it speaks to the vernacular language of musicians being on buses.”
Winningham turned the idea of using buses for rehearsal space into Junkyard, a nonprofit that will offer space free to artists registered with the Health Alliance for Austin Musicians. Winningham played in bands for over two decades and was a member of HAAM himself.
Winningham raised money to buy his first bus from a company called Ninja Buses. It’s now wrapped in green graffiti-style paint with bold “JUNKYARD” lettering, the HAAM logo and large eyes from which the windshield wipers protrude. He projects it could be ready as a rehearsal space by late next year.
“It was really important to me that I didn't just have an idea, that I had something that had traction,” he said. “Having the shell of a structure is pretty great … but I'm eager to get one out there into the wild.”
Winningham said people will use an app to book one of these “junkpods.” The buses’ mobility will allow flexibility in where people can use them and where they’re stored. He said he’s looking at properties around Austin for places to park.
“Nobody's going to want to put a bus on their property for forever, so that's another reason why it's helpful they have wheels,” he said. “[But] they need to be near venues, and we have a really great spot nearby in East downtown for the first one.”
When creating Junkyard, Winningham said, he consulted his friend Matt Ott, who founded Sonic Guild, a nonprofit that fundraises for local musicians. Ott said a lot of new rehearsal spaces are opening around Austin, but none offer the novelty that Junkyard does.
“I'm a huge proponent of mass transit, so anything that can make Capital Metro and buses seem cooler is a big plus,” he said. “I think they're cool, but I'm a bus nerd.”
Ott imagined one of the junkpods parked outside Sonic Guild’s annual South by Southwest show. He said it would provide a space for VIP donors to socialize with musicians and support them.
“You've just created a unique experience that would not have happened otherwise,” Ott said, “and would not have felt so cool if it were just under a 10-by-10 pop-up next to the stage.”
Before Junkyard, Winningham launched Industry ATX, a nonprofit that looks at ways to make housing more affordable in Austin.
Winningham calls himself a noisemaker: “Somebody just making noise for music or making noise for the community.”
All his experiences informed his decision to start Junkyard.
“What was concerning to me was losing that DNA,” he said. “[As a musician], you have to have the ability to maintain your life without the challenges of affordability … [so] you can churn out your songs.”
Winningham said collaborating with HAAM ensures the junkpods will be used by working musicians who need that access for their livelihood.
“HAAM has over 3,000 members,” he said. “The first junkpod goes out, and that's 3,000 people with access.”
HAAM CEO Paul Scott said his organization is always looking for ways to collaborate.
“It's a great opportunity for us — for music organizations and groups and individuals to come together and really focus on that ecosystem of services,” he said, “to make it easier to live here and stay here and make sure that we're still the live music capital of the world.”
Ott said it’s important for people to invest in what matters to them, like Austin’s music scene; otherwise it won’t be around anymore.
“We're a city of creators — from a food standpoint, from a music standpoint, from an art standpoint,” he said. “Even just the act of being a fan is the act of being a creator. So we need to all continue to create and not take it for granted. And that's what Michael's doing with Junkyard.”
