There’s a house on Ash Avenue with a pulse. Walking down the road, it screams typical Tempe suburbia until the sound of music fills the air. Further down the street, the music gets louder. Follow it and you find The Manor — a home where music lives.

Upon crossing the threshold into the house, amplifiers and instruments lay strewn across the floor.

In the living room, a sheet covers the window and acts as a backdrop for performances. Christmas lights hang from the ceiling and add a warm glow to the room.

Justin Keefer, a December 2009 graduate in computer systems engineering, and Jes Barnett, a justice studies junior, are both dedicated to the music scene and live in The Manor.

“House shows are typically the best,” Keefer said. “It’s always cool to see good bands play in a small intimate setting.”

Over the last two years, The Manor has gained notoriety among music lovers from all over Tempe, calling itself “a clubhouse for losers.”

“We’re not driven by any sort of profit,” Keefer said.

Most of the time the venue loses money on shows, Barnett said.

“We take a risk but you kind of are doing it for yourself and people you like,” he said. “In the end it’s worth it.”

The Manor is open to many different music genres. Everything from hardcore, indie rock, punk, folk and acoustic rock has been performed.

Since it’s a house and not technically a venue, Barnett and Keefer do not normally charge an entry fee but accept donations, all of which are given to the bands.

The Manor, which is near Ash Avenue and University Drive in Tempe, is so well-known in the underground music scene that touring bands that sell out large Valley music venues often play shows at The Manor afterward, Barnett said.

On Aug. 5, band Awesome Color played a free show at The Manor after touring with Sonic Youth.

Former computer information surveys student Bert Allen, who is currently taking a semester off from ASU, is friends with The Manor owners and frequently attends shows there.

“I like most of the bands that come through,” Allen said. “It also helps that it’s my friends’ house.”

The Manor is different than the other music venues in Tempe: the owners don’t care about selling merchandise or profiting from tickets — it’s all about the music, the bands, friends and having a good time.

Barnett said most people are coming with the same ideas and the same intentions — to see good shows.

“People have been doing house shows like this since the ‘80s,” Keefer said. “We’re just carrying the torch.”

Reach the reporter at mmbarke1@asu.edu