“It’s a place for community, and to celebrate music that we’re all totally a part of and love,” says Matt Sullivan, founder and co-owner of acclaimed indie label Light in the Attic, about his recently launched South Austin compound.
Called the Clay Pigeon, the new space’s free opening celebration invites the public to the sprawling, oak-shaded venue for an afternoon of crawfish, vintage art, and live music. Serendipitously, the space lies a few miles from the Live Oak Cemetery gravesite of folk legend Blaze Foley, who penned the property’s timeless namesake track.
A small but mighty section of a renovated home on the land also serves as the new brick-and-mortar outpost for Sullivan’s label, beloved by its fan base for reissuing the work of formerly underappreciated artists. Fan favorites include a 2020 re-release of composer Hiroshi Yoshimura’s ambient master class Green and Indigenous anthology Native North America, which received a Grammy nod for Best Historical Album in 2016. News of the Austin opening coincides with the closure of the label’s former Seattle storefront, but Sullivan says that the timing is unrelated.
“The industry has just gotten harder and harder – I feel like we were stretched thin,” he explains. “That was a seven-day-a-week record shop, and this is going to be open once a month, maybe more if people randomly show up.”
The label’s presence only scratches the surface of the Slaughter Creek property, just 30 minutes from Downtown but worlds away from the bustle of the city. Part vintage art gallery, event space, and Airbnb site, the compound represents a years-in-the-making family affair between Sullivan and his wife Jennifer Maas, as well as his ultra-creative set of in-laws. Parents Carol and Jim operate plant oasis Maas Nursery outside of Houston, while local music aficionados will recognize brother-in-law Alex as lead singer for psych rock mainstay Black Angels. Add in the creative direction of Alex’s wife, Michelle, and the space amounts to a powerful project for the crew to flex their artistic prowess.
“All those intricacies of everybody’s weird personality make the question mark of what this place will be really exciting,” says Alex, who will perform a solo set at the inaugural concert. Prolific local players Nicole Hale, Thor Harris, and Lindsey Verrill join forces for a set, while C.T. Cobb and Queen Serene contribute to the soiree’s soundtrack.
The acreage formerly served as a DIY music space venue known as Freedom Oaks. The new ownership preserved much of its structure, maintaining its original wooden stage and a plethora of charming old-school signage. Sullivan points to the venue’s built-in aura as a major draw, citing its energetic similarities to eclectic country juke Sam’s Town Point.
“Most places now feel super clean, with tall ceilings and concrete, without a lot of soul or character. At this place, that’s already here, so we’re just making sure it’s not all falling apart.”
While the venue’s post-opening schedule remains up in the air, Maas and Sullivan express a hope that lovers of the arts utilize the space to its full capacity and remain open to a wide variety of programming. Movie nights? Mini music fests? Nothing’s off the table.
“It’s just a creative space that everybody can use,” says Maas. “It’s got a stage, a place for people to stay, an art gallery, and a record store. Hopefully, it attracts people who are into that kind of stuff – that’s the biggest goal. If you build it, they will come.”
“Who knows what this place will even turn into? You look around and just start dreaming.”
The Clay Pigeon Grand Opening Extravaganza
Saturday 14, 11241 Slaughter Creek Dr.
instagram.com/claypigeonaustin
This article appears in June 13 • 2025.