Black Sparrow Music Parlor

Black Sparrow Music Parlor is a 100-person music room in Taylor, Texas, despite the Austin city field in this listing. Established in 2016, it pairs live performance with a coffee-and-beer bar. Its distinction is scale: a compact, 3,000-square-foot downtown space whose stage, lounge, bar and recording booth keep the action close to the audience.

Rebuilding the Sparrow

Owner Shannon Bagent found the downtown building in 2016 when it was derelict, with a failing roof and ceiling, then put her savings into turning it into Black Sparrow. Her aim, Taylor Press reported, was a locally run room for a town where she saw space for counterculture. The venue’s own site dates the operation to 2016.

Two interruption dates explain its present shape. The pandemic shut Black Sparrow on March 18, 2020; it reopened July 2, 2021 with live music alongside Greenhouse Craft Foods, WAXPLANT and Frock On Vintage. On January 8, 2023, Black Sparrow closed again after Greenhouse announced its departure, leaving Bagent to seek permits for a new iteration while KBSR continued broadcasting from the building. The current site again identifies Black Sparrow as a music venue and coffee-and-beer bar.

The room now

Artist booking begins with a performer inquiry form linked from the venue’s site. The calendar’s mix of open jams, open mics, folk, country, jazz, indie, rock and punk nights suits listeners who like local bills with broad stylistic range. Inside, expect a dedicated stage, bar and lounge areas, plus a recording booth; a long hallway runs back to a fenced yard with alley access. Professional analog sound is part of the room’s setup, a useful detail for shows built around attentive listening.