In a Fishtown Garage, a Montgomery High School Grad Revives the Lost Art of Gathering

By Barbara A. Preston for The Montgomery News | August 5, 2026

• Joe Lockwood, a 28-year-old trumpeter and 2016 graduate of Montgomery High School, and his partner Morgan Walbridge opened a recording studio and gathering space in the artsy Fishtown section of Philadelphia.

Joe Lockwood of Belle Mead transformed the first floor garage of his Philadelphia row home into a music venue, rehearsal studio, and creative space.

Photo by Barbara A. Preston

The front of the building is unassuming, easily mistaken for a simple Fishtown, Philadelphia row home.

But, the word "Nostalgia" is painted over the garage door. And, as the afternoon light wanes and the doors swing open, the illusion fades. Sound spills out onto the street—the warm, oscillating hum of a vintage Hammond organ—and passersby stop. They peer in, then enter, drawn by a sensory friction that feels increasingly rare in a city dominated by digital convenience.

Welcome to Nostalgia Fishtown, a 70-person music venue that is the product of equal parts sweat equity, bureaucratic warfare, and a deep-seated belief music is meant to be experienced in the real world, not behind a screen.

From left: Joe Lockwood on trumpet, Morgan Walbridge on vibraphone, and the Welcome to Fishtown mural in Philadelphia.

Photos by Barbara A. Preston.

For Joe Lockwood, a 28-year-old trumpeter and 2016 graduate of Montgomery High School, this space represents more than just a venue; it is a “redemption” for a generation of artists who saw their creative communities evaporate during the pandemic.

“We kept seeing venues closing,” Lockwood told The Montgomery News, gesturing to his space, which, before its current life, served as a car garage, a furniture repair shop, and, long ago, a 19th-century carriage house. 

“It was like our community needed some sort of brick and mortar that still represents where we came from.”

Lockwood’s interest in music was fortified as a student in the Montgomery School District. By high school, he was in marching band, jazz ensemble, choir, and more. MHS music teacher Kawika Kahalehoe was especially influential.

“Mr. Kahalehoe introduced me to all the staff at University of the Arts [UArts] in Philly. He kind of took me under his wing. Yeah. He noticed how involved I was with music, how into it I was, and connected me to the right people.

“It the only college I applied to, and they gave me a big scholarship.” 

Lockwood said his Montgomery music teachers made him who he is today. "My classes were wind ensemble with Adam Warshafsky, choir with Jeff Woodworth, "Blues to Beatles" with Mike Brennan, and symphonic winds with Kahalehoe. Jazz ensemble was an after school activity.

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The Studio

The studio idea began during the isolation of 2020, while stranded in his childhood home on Spring Hill Road in Belle Mead, during the early months of the pandemic. He was student teaching at Montgomery High, which involved a lot of screen time that year.

Lockwood and his partner, Morgan Walbridge—a senior business administrator at Temple University and a professional touring vibraphonist—started dreaming of a performance space. It was fueled by a desire to recreate the DIY house-show energy they experienced during their college years at the now-defunct UArts. Walbridge and Lockwood met in the center city Philadelphia college, from which they graduated in 2020.

What Is a Vibraphone??? Just Listen Here...

Solitude for Solo Vibraphone, original composition by Morgan Walbridge.

The Journey

The journey from a concept to a fully permitted commercial studio venue was, by Lockwood’s admission, a harrowing two-year slog.

He credits his fortitude—and his work ethic—to a childhood defined by quiet, hilly landscapes and a deeply supportive home on Springhill Road in Belle Mead. His parents, Dottie and Glenn Lockwood, became the “day one” believers in his vision, helping him scout real estate when the concept of the venue was little more than a dream.

“My parents were just so on board with it,” he says. “There were so many times on the phone where I was on the verge of a mental breakdown, and they were the ones who said, ‘We are going to see this through.’”

Lockwood and Walbridge, as a young couple, faced zoning hurdles, and the logistical nightmare of navigating a “horizontally challenged” building that required a specific layout for restrooms.

They found their salvation not in bureaucracy, but in the community they were trying to build. A local bar owner offered the use of their nearby ADA-compliant bathrooms to satisfy city requirements, a gesture that allowed Nostalgia to secure its variance.

The result is a venue that functions as a physical time capsule. It features artifacts from Lockwood’s past, including a wall-mounted television salvaged from his old choir room at Montgomery High School and a charter from his dean’s office at UArts, proudly displayed.

A few nostalgic items on display inside Fishtown Nostalgia. Top left: MHS band uniform transformed into a pillow; Robot from "Lost in Space;" a television set from MHS; albums that Lockwood collected from his favorite local hangout—Princeton Record Exchange; vintage T-shirts for sale; and a Kodak film camera from Walbridge's childhood home in Rochester, NY.

The venue is BYOB and focuses on original, mainly instrumental, jazz and singer-songwriter performances. It is a philosophy driven by necessity and aesthetics; by keeping overhead low and avoiding the complexities of a liquor license, they keep the focus entirely on the music. 

They also launched the Nostalgia Artist Collective, providing recording packages that allow up-and-coming artists to capture “stems”—individual microphone tracks—during their live sets.

Last month, Philadelphia rap artist Tierra Whack filmed a music video at the studio. The viral boost that followed served as a validation of the couple’s vision.

Despite the attention, Lockwood remains rooted in his mission. On Wednesday nights during the school year, he leaves the Philadelphia venue to teach a stage band at his alma mater, MHS — keeping a foot in Montgomery.

“I feel like younger people are starting to use the term ‘IRL’,” Lockwood says, using the shorthand for “in real life.” 

Unplug, and join the crowd.  

Nostalgia Fishtown:

14 E. Jefferson St. Philadelphia

Free street parking

www.nostalgiafishtown.com

Live music|rehearsal studio| 

creative space |vintage apparel

Phone: 609.240.8994