Issue link: http://maconmagazine.uberflip.com/i/1534028
April/May 2025 | maconmagazine.com 103 Find out more about how Kirsten founded the Big House and more in part two of this story, coming soon in our June/July Music Issue. MAR 21-30 somethingforeveryoneat maconlittletheatre.org Feb 7-16 Feb 21-23 Rent:May9-18 FrozenJr:June13-15 maconlittletheatre.org Rent:May918 FrozenJr:June13-15 Rent:May9-18 R M 918 time I ever saw them live. I never saw a complete show until I went out to Telluride, Colorado, and I was just blown away. I thought, how could I be such a music nut and have missed this great band? It just was astonishing to me how good they were. I look at it and I think so much is meant to be. Life unfolds in mysterious ways, and to me, I have all my life paid attention to my own inner voice. Sometimes I'll just blurt out stuff like, "Oh, a rock and roll bed and breakfast at The Big House. Let's do that." Well, that got us here. "Oh, let's have a pop-up gallery." I just didn't imagine it being a 10-year job for me, you know? I pay attention to those internal urges or ideas that come and I mean, I'm not through having ideas. What role do you think music still plays in Macon? There is something that attracts people. I don't think it's ever going to lose that. When the Allman Brothers were here, it was sort of a music mecca. I mean, people just wanted to come down here when Phil Walden had Capricorn Studios and it was just rocking all the time. Grant's Lounge was integrated. I'm sure there were a lot of parents that were just horrifi ed that their white girls were hanging out in this place where there were black people. It was a diff erent world. I think music is in the soul of Macon. When I saw that house, I knew The Big House was never my home. I was a custodian there. I just was a caretaker. It never felt like home to me. I was never able to fi nish it, for one thing. I just was kind of getting through it day by day. It was not easy. It wasn't easy at all. Can you off er a challenge to Downtown Macon supporters? I'm just going to remark about this. You know, there's a whole segment of the Macon population that live way north of here in their little enclaves, and they just think it's dangerous down here. Well, let's face it. It can be dangerous everywhere. And when I was working at the theater, I would walk at three in the morning to my car in the dark by myself. I have never been afraid in Macon. Never. It's not that crime doesn't exist, it does everywhere. So, you know, I would like to challenge the people that do live in Macon to be champions for it. And get those people to come, you know, instead of eating at Natalia's, come down here and eat at one of the restaurants. The restaurants down here are fabulous. And young people, I mean all these lofts, it's just so much more vibrant and interesting. When we moved here, there was one place to go to hear music, and that's Grant's Lounge. My challenge would be to become a champion for this amazing community. The arts scene, the music scene, and all these little art galleries that are popping up everywhere, and these art classes that are available. I just think people should talk in a more positive way about what Macon has to off er. Listen, The New York Times, and Travel and Leisure magazine, and the Washington Post, they all said Macon is one of the top places to visit in the country. And for some reason the people that live here don't get how special this place is. It's like familiarity, breeds contempt in a way. And it is special. It's very special. It's going to be even more special. You know, it's not going to take long." I've been here for 32 years, and I have watched Macon evolve into something. It became a place I want to live in. I had a hand in creating that, and so did Kirk. We had a hand in creating a vibe in a space that we wanted to continue to live in."