MACAYLA COOK
Development Officer
From the outside, the Secret Tunnel looks like any other college house: a stone path, a small porch, a screen door that will not shut properly. Yet an underground world lives just over the threshold and down the steep basement stairs.
The DIY concert venue, which has become a staple of campus nightlife in many circles, will close its doors at the end of this semester as two of its owners, Kolby Smith and Eric Latham, graduate. Its third owner, Josie Moran, graduated from the university in 2023 but remains in the house.
After joining The Set List, a music blogging RSO, in their junior year, the three owners became inspired to start a house venue. The Secret Tunnel, which takes its name from a song in the popular cartoon “Avatar: The Last Airbender,” held its first show on October 21, 2022.
“We had like 75 people there, and we had a great time,” said Smith, a fifth-year political science major. “In comparison, it’s a smaller version of what we have now, but what was awesome about it is that we still had a lot of variety in what we had that night, so it taught us a lot of things.”
The Secret Tunnel now sees “probably at least 200 people at our shows throughout the night,” by Latham’s estimate. Latham is also a fifth-year senior, studying political science and music management.
Smith said that shows are a collaborative effort between the housemates. They take charge of band relations, while Latham handles social media. During shows, Latham works the door, Smith manages the soundboard and Moran “kind of floats around to make sure nothing implodes.”
These shows feature various musical acts from the tri-state area, many of which include university students.
Senior landscape architecture major Jonny Dean is one of many students whose band has performed at the Secret Tunnel. Dean is the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of Vanylla Godzylla.
“It’s such a DIY venue, which I think is really cool, and I think it has an atmosphere of its own,” Dean said. “Whether or not you as an audience member or you as a musician are into more underground basement venues, what they had was very welcoming.”
According to Smith, that welcoming atmosphere is both intentional and deeply important, especially considering that two out of the three owners identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community.
“Right when you walk downstairs, it’s the ‘Secret Tunnel’ lyrics and then a big LGBTQ+ flag,” Smith said. “We want to be that for people.”
As a result of this focus on inclusion, Secret Tunnel shows place a heavy emphasis on community within the crowd. This makes for a group of very like-minded people, according to senior psychology and political science major Liz O’Mara.
“Everybody’s there just to enjoy the music, get to know new bands and meet new people that have the same interests, where compared to a fraternity house, you’re in your own group, happy to be there, and everybody else is kind of doing the same thing,” O’Mara said. “I’d say this is more of a togetherness area.”
Dean agreed, describing the crowd as “very diverse. No a–h—-.”
Now, with a handful of shows left in the semester, the Secret Tunnel owners are not only preparing to go out with a bang but also reflecting on what their venue has meant to the community.
“We get people who just walk up to us or DM us and say, ‘This is what we needed. I never thought that I’d have something this awesome in my life,’” Smith said. “And I’m not trying to sit there and be like, ‘Look at this awesome thing we did,’ but it is awesome to hear sometimes.”
Smith also recounted interactions where people they did not know would thank them for putting on shows, calling it “surreal” to have that impact on strangers’ lives.
O’Mara weighed in with her own perspective, calling the Secret Tunnel an alternative to fraternity houses where it is possible to “experience a different type of music and a different genre of people as well.”
Dean, meanwhile, highlighted the importance of basement venues to the bands that play in them.
“I think it’s most important for people that want to start a band and are interested in performing,” Dean said. “You need those basement DIY venues in order to get your foot in the door and establish yourself as a performer because you have a musicianship side and a performing side, which both take a lot of practice and skill to do.”
Ultimately, while DIY can be “a forever kind of thing,” the owners say they will miss the Secret Tunnel.
“We’ve had all of the bands who have played here sign the wall downstairs, and I might tear up a bit having to leave that,” Smith said.
Latham agreed, adding that the Secret Tunnel is ultimately one part of a massive community that spans the globe.
“I hope people who come to these know that not every house venue is good – there are definitely some not-great ones – but the community is everywhere,” Latham said. “You can find places like us everywhere. We don’t exist coincidentally. It’s all connected.”