Finding a Place for Soothing Sounds among the Noise

Words by Sommer Brugal Photos by Eric Morales

In a city where hundreds of music venues feature a spectrum of genres, Collin Shook is hoping East Austin Piano Shop can stand out from the rest.

“There aren’t enough small venues [in town] that are listening rooms,” Collin says. The venue, which opened last summer off Pedernales Street, offers a moody environment — Collin isn’t one for fancy décor. This piano shop turned jazz club by night features limited seating and a BYOB experience.

For Collin, there’s always another time to catch up on conversation and be very loud and boisterous. So for the folks who visit, the piano shop will offer the “highest caliber of acoustic music,” whether they’re listening to intense and cathartic jazz or sentimental, sappy Americana folk songs on the guitar.

Collin’s love for music dates back to childhood. His mother is a piano teacher, so he started playing piano first. Growing up, he bounced from tuba to horns to drums to cymbals and nearly every other instrument imaginable. Eventually, he found his way back to piano after a teacher showed him how to improvise. That’s when his affinity for jazz took root.

Around the same time, he began working on and tuning pianos: first, to avoid having someone else doing it, then as a side gig. As a musician and entrepreneur, he’d tune pianos by day and then play music at night. I never thought I’d be a career piano technician,” he says. It was a slow progression, working his way toward older, bigger instruments. But “every time I finished a piano, I got to practice another section of a song.”

His passion for music and desire to ensure jazz had a place in Austin’s music scene led him to launch Monks Jazz Club in 2016, a pop-up listening series that held intimate shows three to five times a month at art venues, cycleries, and coffee shops.

The concept was a hit. Concert-goers always asked when he was going to open a bar to offer a permanent home for the event, but Collin never really considered opening his own place. Then, the pandemic hit. As a result, he began streaming shows online from his home, and before long, he needed more space. He made a deal with his landlord: 60 days to make it work or bust. Luckily, the concept worked.

In nearly a year’s time, the shop has hosted about 150 live stream concerts, with more than 100 shows featuring jazz music in collaboration with Monks Jazz Club. This summer, he hopes to open a hybrid version of the series, where viewers can attend in-person while others listen from home.

But the shop is more than a venue. It’s also home to a handful of vintage pianos Collin has fine-tuned and refurbished, and even more instruments, he’s hoping to repair in his free time. Perhaps more importantly, the space is where his love of pianos, his passion for Monks Jazz Club, and his desire to amplify music and musicians intersect.

Like most musicians, Collin wears many hats. East Austin Piano Shop is just the latest addition to his collection.

Something for Everyone
Jazz certainly has a place in Austin’s music scene. That’s why concerts, and live streams for now, will continue focusing on jazz bands and building the Monks Jazz brand. But for those new to jazz or looking for something else, rest assured other genres are featured 2-3 times a week. It’s a fun playground centered around elevating jazz and highlighting pianos. Between Monks Jazz and the Piano Shop, it’s a space to be creative and support musicians and music-lovers.

Contact:
monksjazz.com
501 Pedernales St, Unit 2E
@monksjazz
eastaustinpianoshop.com
@eastaustinpianoshop