Purdue live music promoters look for a new, all-ages ‘Nest’
Plus, Rep. Jim Baird fires back at new GOP opponent’s allegations. IREAD scores are out for Greater Lafayette elementary schools. Testing the stomach for off-cycle redistricting in Indiana.
Support for today’s edition comes from Lafayette Rotary, hosting its 8th Annual Ice Cream Crawl from 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 23. Participants can visit any or all of nine Greater Lafayette ice cream shops to get a free sample of ice cream. Passports (tickets) are $10 for individuals and $25 for families of five or fewer from the same household and are available from Eventbrite. Proceeds from the Ice Cream Crawl fundraiser will go to Caregiver Companion and the Claire E. & Patrick G. Mackey Children’s Cancer Foundation. Visit www.lafayetterotary.org to learn more about the Ice Cream Crawl and the Lafayette Rotary organization.
This edition leads off with BiL correspondent Tim Brouk, looking at a piece of the local music scene bubbling out of near-Purdue neighborhoods …
PURDUE SHOW PROMOTERS SEEK DOWNTOWN LAFAYETTE SPACE FOR NEW ALL-AGES, NONPROFIT LIVE MUSIC VENUE
By Tim Brouk / For Based in Lafayette
The Nest may not be empty for much longer, just in a different location.
Local music scene tragedy struck in March when 21-year-olds Johnny Burrer and Damian Barkas were served notice that the West Lafayette house venue they had been operating — and living in — for two years would have to shut down. Of course, The Nest and other house venues that have popped up like live magical musical mushrooms in recent years are not exactly legal in terms of zoning and licensure, and with most being rental houses, most landlords prefer to not have live music for the public blasting from their basements. However, the Purdue University house show scene routinely draws hundreds of live music fans every weekend, dwarfing most shows in traditional venues in West Lafayette.
The Nest was one of several house venues in the New Chauncey neighborhood that have operated post-COVID-19 pandemic, showcasing dozens of Purdue rock bands and even touring bands to play basements, backyards and living rooms. However, The Nest’s inclusive nature, good sound, and even security and student EMT’s on hand made the space a favorite.
“I don't know if ‘professionalism’ is the right word, but we wanted to bring a level of polish to it that would grow the scene and spread it to a lot of people,” Barkas, a senior studying political science and communications at Purdue, said.
But a successful bash in Purdue Memorial Union’s South Tower March 29 and overwhelming support from regular showgoers have Burrer and Barkas looking to turn The Nest into a viable, nonprofit all-ages live music venue in downtown Lafayette.
The young Boilermakers first set their sights first on the second floor of the Jacques Building. The space in the West Lafayette Village building, which houses Tsaocaa, Garbanzo Mediterranean Fresh restaurant, Amused and Underground Printing, is an old ballroom with a stage, but its singular access point would require major renovations of the historic building, including the installation of two elevators, according to city codes. Burrer and Barkas then turned to downtown Lafayette and are finding possibilities east of the Wabash River.
“Downtown Lafayette is gorgeous, and I think a lot more students should come across the river,” Barkas said. “One thing we really want to focus on is encouraging that by creating a space over here and continuing that Nest-like brand and bringing that over here (to downtown Lafayette). People will recognize that and be able to come here and notice and realize how amazing (downtown) is.”
Barkas and Burrer hosted five fundraising shows this summer — one at The Arts Federation and four at the Pride Lafayette offices. All proceeds went to the next Nest.
The Pride/Nest collaboration will continue when Barkas and Burrer present bands on the Ninth and Main streets stage at OutFest, Pride’s annual festival set for 4 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 16, in downtown Lafayette.
Home is where The Nest is
Barkas and Burrer met as first-year students in and around the burgeoning house show scene where bands like Please Her, Code Red and Ironed Curtain were ruling West Lafayette roosts. Barkas said the scene provides an alternative for students uninterested in bar culture and it gives young musicians places to play.
“My freshman year, I had a tough time with making friends, and I kept going from friend group to friend group. There was never like a space where I could meet people,” Barkas said. “Once Johnny (Burrer) introduced me to the scene, I instantly fell in love with it. I'm like, ‘Oh, this is a place I can meet people. I can make friends.’ I don't drink. So, for me, like going to the bars, it doesn't make sense for me. So, I find that kind of community space really, really, really nice.”
The Nest, which got its name from the house’s roots as Burrer’s band Whirley Birds’ practice space, served as a safe space both literally and figuratively — no glass, no kegs and welcoming to the queer community while having security at every show. All shows ended before 11 p.m. when a West Lafayette weekend noise ordinance would kick in. Year two saw crowds of about 300 music-hungry Boilermakers at most shows.
“We were a big, safe space for a lot of the LGBTQ students on campus because a lot of them don't necessarily feel comfortable going to all the bars on campus or the Greek life and things like that,” Barkas said. “So it was that community space where people can kind of come together, create art, be together, make friends.”
But all good things tend to end, and despite its clean record The Nest as a house venue was no more.
“I think initially we were so depressed. We were devastated,” Barkas said. “To have the city and my landlord put a document in front of me that says, ‘You cannot do this or you will functionally become homeless.’ It was really depressing to say the least.”
Luke Darland was a regular at The Nest, and their band Joy Buzzer performed at the July 26 fundraising show at Pride Lafayette. The young guitarist and singer was more than happy to lend their talents in the name of The Nest.
“We played our first show at The Nest, and we've been playing with them as much as we can ever since,” said Darland, whose alt-folk band played three of the five summer benefit shows for The Nest. “The Nest has always been a particularly queer, safe space and we are very much aligned with the queer community. And so having a place that we can go and not worry about people watching us and maybe meaning harm a little bit when they see us or maybe wanting us to not do well — that's never been the case with The Nest. Everybody shows out and everybody loves real big with their hearts.”
Partnership in Pride
Derrick Jones, Pride Lafayette executive director, did not hesitate to work with Burrer and Barkas to help find The Nest a new home. Michelle Dennis, a former West Lafayette City Council member, referred the young promoters to Pride, and the partnership was a summer hit.
“I had known of The Nest, and I knew they had been doing the occasional drag performance. So, I knew it was a queer-friendly space,” Jones said. “And just talking to them the first time we met, we sat there for two hours, and my marketing mind got going, and I just thought, ‘OK, how can I help these guys?’ And is there a way that we as a community can help these guys because a lot of ‘The Nest Heads’ are somewhere on the queer spectrum. And I thought, ‘Well, this just seems like a natural fit.’
“We're in downtown but if you're on campus, you don't know we even exist,” Jones said. “The LGBTQ Center on (Purdue) campus, we've got a great partnership with them, but the students don't come across and they don't know that there are even broader community resources available. So, it’s been a win-win with The Nest.”
Letting dozens of young live music fans into a space that usually holds meetings and small, quiet gatherings was a new experience.
“I love the vibe. I love the atmosphere,” Jones said. “I love having all of these people just kind of hanging out in front of the Pride Center in between sets. They definitely have their own community bond. And I'm just glad that they feel comfortable enough at the Pride center to continue that and to carry it on.”
Barkas said the Pride collaboration breathed new life in the young men’s quest to keep nestled in the music scene that promises to be strong around Purdue for another academic year.
“It's insular over there (at Purdue) because they don't know what's going on in Lafayette,” Burrer said. “But there's so many Purdue students that could benefit from having this as a space that just don't know about it. So hopefully we've helped that a little bit.”
What’s next
As Burrer and Barkas enter their senior year, they plan on hosting shows — either at a permanent space or temporary — after their 2026 graduation.
“This is what I want to do — booking and working with artists. It’s what I want to do for the rest of my life,” Barkas said.
They only need to remember what the original Nest accomplished in just two years.
Barkas recalled, “We asked for people to write to us after things got shut down and some of the things people wrote were school-like essays about how The Nest was a formative space for them. They wrote, ‘I'm going to tell my kids about this. My partner and I met there two years ago.’”
Burrer agreed that The Nest grew into something much bigger than a basement where bands would perform most weekends.
“I kind of see the music as a means to an end where the music brings everyone together,” he said. “The real point is the community that it builds. That's our community.”
Tim Brouk writes about the local music and entertainment scene for Based in Lafayette. Check is weekly Tim’s Picks column on Thursdays.
THIS AND THAT/OTHER READS …
BAIRD FIRES BACK AS CHALLENGER ENTERS 4TH DISTRICT GOP PRIMARY: After state Rep. Craig Haggard, a Mooresville Republican, hinted that U.S. Rep. Jim Baird was looking to retire from his 4th District seat and grease the way for his son, state Rep. Beau Baird, to be his replacement, the congressman sent a fiery response Tuesday, via email.
While repeatedly touting that he was two-time Purple Heart recipient and Vietnam veteran, Baird called Haggard’s implications that he was looking to retire “disgusting and false attacks.”
“What will he say next?” Baird wrote. “As a two-time Purple Heart recipient and Vietnam veteran, I know how to stay focused under fire. I will not be distracted by political games. My mission remains serving the people of the 4th District and earning their support in 2026. … “I have been the only Trump-endorsed candidate in the 4th District since 2018. Every time I have sought his endorsement, from 2018 through 2024, he has stepped up without hesitation. As a two-time Purple Heart recipient and Vietnam veteran, I understand the importance of completing every mission we start.”
Baird has not formally announced that he would run again in the 4th District, where he first won in 2018. The 4th District includes a large swath of west-central Indiana, including Tippecanoe County and the seven counties that surround it. The primary is May 5, 2026.
This would be the second, two-year cycle where Baird has been challenged in the Republican primary. Baird beat Charles Bookwalter, a business owner from Thorntown, in the 2024 primary.
No Democrat has filed or announced a run in the 4th District.
Meanwhile, Indianapolis Star reporter Kayla Dwyer had more from Haggard’s formal campaign announcement, made Tuesday evening in Plainfield. Haggard already took some shots at Baird for his use of franking, saying that the congressman has been using the tax-paid mail privilege to prop up a potential Beau Baird run. During his event Tuesday, according to Dwyer’s reporting, Haggard said: "I’m sick and tired of people going to D.C. and worrying more about a vote based on them being re-elected than doing the right thing.” For more: “With a challenger and some jabs, this Indiana congressional race is already contentious.”
THIRD-GRADERS’ IREAD SCORES PUSH UP STATEWIDE: From Indiana Capital Chronicle reporter Casey Smith on Wednesday morning: “Indiana’s latest reading assessment scores showed the largest year-to-year improvement since the state began IREAD testing in 2013, rising nearly five percentage points from last year, according to new results released Wednesday. The new data revealed that 87.3% of third graders — about 73,500 out of more than 84,000 students statewide — demonstrated proficient reading skills in 2024-25. That’s roughly 6,000 more proficient readers than a year ago and the highest rate since before the pandemic.” For more from the Indiana Capital Chronicle report: “Indiana sees historic jump in third grade reading scores; retention data still pending.”
Here’s a look 2025 scores for third-graders in Greater Lafayette, according to state data released Wednesday.
Lafayette School Corp.
Overall: 89.7%
Edgelea Elementary: 93.7%
Glen Acres Elementary: 89.7%
Miami Elementary: 85.9%
Miller Elementary: 89.3%
Murdock Elementary: 79.7%
Oakland Elementary: 83.7%
Vinton Elementary: 93.7%
Earhart Elementary: 95.6%
Tippecanoe School Corp.
Overall: 91.1%
Mayflower Mill Elementary: 83.8%
Wyandotte Elementary: 85.1%
Hershey Elementary: 98.2%
Mintonye Elementary: 94.7%
Dayton Elementary: 90.6%
Burnett Creek Elementary: 94.2%
Wea Ridge Elementary: 85%
Battle Ground Elementary: 99.1%
James Cole Elementary: 96%
Klondike Elementary: 88.6%
Woodland Elementary: 88.5%
West Lafayette Community School Corp.
West Lafayette Elementary: 91.7%
Paramount School of Excellence, Lafayette (charter school)
Overall: 96.2%
Private schools
Saint Lawrence Elementary: 100%
Saint Mary Cathedral School: 93%
Saint James Lutheran School: 100%
Lafayette Christian School: 100%
Faith Christian School: 100%
POTENTIAL REDISTRICTING MOVEMENT: Since Vice President JD Vance came to Indianapolis last week to push the idea of a mid-decade districting for Indiana’s nine seats in the U.S. House, doubts about the plan are starting to grow among state Republicans who might benefit from that scheme and would be essential to getting that concept through the General Assembly. Among the updates:
Indiana Capital Chronicle reporters Leslie Bonilla Muñiz and Niki Kelly wrote: “‘Optically horrible.’ A ‘hard no.’ In ‘bad form.’ Hoosier leaders might be busy taking behind-the-scenes feedback on the prospect of early redistricting, but rank-and-file Republicans are increasingly going public with their opposition.” For more: “Indiana GOP lawmakers, politicos, pan prospect of early redistricting. Government experts weigh the costs and payoffs for the state’s ruling party — and democracy.”
Back that with this, via Leslie Bonilla Muñiz at the Indiana Capital Chronicle: “Gov. Mike Braun hasn’t yet decided if he’ll call a special session to redraw Indiana’s congressional map early — but said he and GOP legislative leaders are ‘considering it seriously’ as they wait to see redistricting results out of Texas.” For more: “Braun noncommittal on early redistricting; decision to depend on Texas action and Indiana lawmakers.”
Indianapolis Star reporter Kayla Dwyer had this: “Gov. Mike Braun says he will lean on the will of the legislature when it comes to President Donald Trump's push for mid-decade redistricting in Indiana. Already some of those legislators are making their ill feelings known.” For the rest: “Braun wants feedback from lawmakers on Trump's redistricting pitch. So far, they're opposed.”
INMATE DEATH REPORTED AT TIPPECANOE COUNTY JAIL: The Tippecanoe County coroner’s office reported Wednesday that Russell Glen Stout, an inmate at the Tippecanoe County Jail, died late Tuesday. The coroner said Stout was a 38-year-old from Monticello. More details, including the cause of death, were expected once the coroner did an autopsy, scheduled for Thursday, and an investigation by the Indiana State Police.
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Having served our country in battle and making a major sacrifice is not grounds for Baird and his son to claim permanent ownership of this Congressional seat.
I want the Nest guys to replace Baird.