Fish Astronaut Live at Kulak's Woodshed in North Hollywood

You ever play a song and feel like you’re floating? Like the room, the people, the walls covered in music history—everything is just carrying you along like a warm, weightless current? That was Monday night at Kulak’s Woodshed.

Kulak’s is one of those rare places that still feels like music. Not industry, not algorithms, not streams or trends—just music. Tucked away in North Hollywood, it’s a tiny, quirky space that looks and feels like someone’s living room—if that living room were built for magic. The walls are lined with instruments and music memorabilia, the couches are cozy, and the energy is always open, always real.

Madeline Rosene performs "Fish Astronaut" live at Kulak’s Woodshed in North Hollywood, CA, with co-writer Alec Daniels on piano.

Kulak’s: A Home for Weird and Wonderful Music

Kulak’s Woodshed has been around since 1999, and it’s basically a sanctuary for songwriters. You don’t come here to flex, you come here to share and grow as a songwriter. There’s a respect for music that feels almost sacred, like each song gets its own little ceremony.

They run Monday night open mics where musicians of all kinds—old souls with acoustic guitars, fresh-faced dreamers, poets who sound like prophets—get up and lay their songs bare. There’s a live stream, too, so technically you can be watched from anywhere in the world, but in that moment, it just feels like the room. A warm, listening room.

Bringing Fish Astronaut to Life

Playing "Fish Astronaut" at Kulak’s felt different. The song is weird. It’s a little sad, a little dreamy, a little out-of-body—which, coincidentally, is exactly how I felt singing it there. It was like I was swimming through space, gliding on the current of that room, that night, those people.

It’s not every day you get an audience that actually listens, like really listens—not just waiting for the chorus, not just looking for a drop, but catching every lyric, every note, every breath between them. I watched people tilt their heads, eyes half-closed, letting it sink in. That’s the kind of intimacy Kulak’s creates.

By the time we played the last chord, I knew. The song had landed. Or maybe it was still floating. Either way, it was understood.

Why These Spaces Matter

Kulak’s Woodshed is a reminder that music doesn’t need a stadium, a record deal, or a viral TikTok to mean something. It just needs a space where people listen, where songs get to be stories, where musicians get to be more than content machines.

If you haven’t been to Kulak’s, go. Play if you have a song in you. Listen if you don’t. Either way, you’ll leave different. A little lighter. A little more full. 🚀✨ https://kulakswoodshed.com/