Lowbrow Palace is a live music venue that held its grand opening of its new and improved location in Central El Paso at 1006 Texas Ave. Sept. 2-4 by hosting different events to commemorate its 11-year anniversary.  

The Lowbrow Palace kicked off its grand opening weekend by hosting indie rock legends, Modest Mouse, at 7:30 p.m.  Sept. 2 in a sold-out show. 

Matthew Ferrer, a bartender at Lowbrow Palace, spoke on how the two venues have compared. 

“The old venue was chaotic, and it was extremely small compared to the one right now.,” Ferrer said. “But with that being said, there was an atmosphere and a vibe, if you were there, you’re never going to forget it. That’s kind of what we’re trying to implement here, just on a bigger scale.” 

The new venue space follows an industrial modern architecture. It consists of impressive audio, two stages, an indoor bar illuminated by neon lights and a repurposed outdoor shipping container bar.  

“We are excited to call Lowbrow Palace our new home and future for live and touring music,” said Lowbrow Palace co-founder Patrick McNeil, according to a news release. 

PurseFind, a business focused on vegan handbags, was one of the many vendors Lowbrow Palace had at the “The Rodeo: Night Market” event that took place from 6-10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 3. The market hosted different vendors which sold food items, accessories, clothing items and more. 

Founder Salma Atiya started her PurseFind in April 2020 and focuses on finding and curating handbag collections that are vegan. The brand focuses on finding bags from women-owned brands and minority-owned designers around the United States. 

“I went to the old one a lot of times. The new venue is awesome, it’s great that they’ve expanded,” Atiya said. “Obviously I miss the small venue; it was just that hole in the wall bar that you really liked with the best shows.” 

Atiya did mention that she has been to a couple of the shows Lowbrow Palace has hosted at its new venue and plans on coming to future shows and events.

Pica Dientes founder, Ruth Martinez, was one of the many food options available at the night market, which specializes in selling spicy homemade candies after opening during the pandemic. Martinez also spoke on how she feels about the new venue. 

“I love it. It’s really nice. It’s spacious and it’s homey,” Martinez said. “We’ll be back, for either shows or markets. We’ll be here.” 

Following the market event, Lowbrow Palace hosted a Drake vs. Kanye night dance party from 10 p.m.- 2 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 3. Lowbrow Palace wrapped up its grand opening by hosting bedroom pop-indie band, Triathlon, at 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 4. 

Tickets and more information on future events taking place at Lowbrow Palace can be found at www.lowbrowpalace.com. 

Emily Autumn Velasquez is the editor-in-chief and may be reached at [email protected]; @byemilyautumn on Instagram; @emilyautumn20 on Twitter.