Zack Palmer came by the nickname "Zack on Washington" honestly, literally growing up in the nightclub business as his mother, Pamela Robinson, ran Walters on Washington and then Walters Downtown. He had the kind of adolescence that many kids dream of, working for his mom for many years and eventually taking over as manager when her health began to give out. After Robinson passed away from cancer in October 2014, his first test was getting the proper permits transferred to his name, but the transition took only about three weeks. Another hiccup came in April, when the bill came due for the debts that Walters had accrued during Robinson's treatment. Palmer turned to the crowdfunding site Indiegogo, where he wrote, "I more crave an affirmation that the people surrounding Walters understand the importance of having a place to belong and are willing to back it." Happily, the club had accrued so much good will within Houston's music community that Palmer met his goal with several days to spare. Since then, some of the hottest indie-rock bands around, like Speedy Ortiz, Waxahatchee and Elvis Depressedly, have been through Walters, along with countless local acts and even Houston punk legends 30footFALL, who played their maiden show at the downtown venue in August.