Big Changes Afoot: Walter’s to Move Off of Washington

Holy freaking crap. Y’know, I really hate it when one’a them pesky Internet rumors pops up on the screen and makes my stomach feel like it’s dropped into my feet, and I had that exact thing happen this AM when I read that now-venerable H-town venue Walter’s on Washington is moving (or maybe closing). My jaw dropped, my heart sunk, and my brain furiously started stutter-stepping and trying to even comprehend the idea of the place being gone. I mean, the place has shows scheduled through November, for crying out loud; they can’t close their doors, dammit.

Thankfully, it turns out it’s the former (i.e., moving) and not the latter. Chris Gray over at the Houston Press was able to track down Walter’s owner Pam Robinson, and apparently she’s in the near-final stages of finding a new, winebar-/Condoman-less home for the club and all its denizens, which is good news for both Robinson, bands, neighbors, and music fans.

Well, mostly. I’ll be sad to see the old place go, honestly — I never thought Walter’s would measure up to the legacy of long-dead venue Mary Jane’s, but over the past several years, it’s become one of my favorite places to see bands, even more so than MJ’s. Hell, the sound has steadily improved since I first started seeing shows there, to the point where it’s no longer just a boomy, muddy-sounding room and much, much more of a Good Place to Actually Hear Music. (And people do care about that stuff — the lousy sound at The Engine Room was partly what kept me away from a lot of shows there.)

No word yet on where or exactly when the whole switcheroo will happen (hopefully it’ll be smoother than that interminable, soul-crushing Super Happy Fun Land move), but Robinson’s figuring on the new place being up and running by November, with the status quo continuing ’til then. phew.