the bloomington scene | bloomington, indiana

R.I.P., Howard Zinn

Kristina — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 23:38:22 +0000

BigThink sent me this video clip late last week, with the passing of historian, activist and author Howard Zinn:

Zinn’s legacy (1922-2010) may most clearly be seen with his seminal 1980 book, “A Peoples History of the United States.” His works shed light on social and political inequities throughout the U.S. history, and the activists who worked to change it.
For many, his voice helped “The People Speak.” And close to home.
In 2002, Howard Zinn told the standing-room-only crowd gathered at the Buskirk-Chumley, that behind nearly every act of terrorism is a grievance that sparked the action. Zinn talked about his life, sharing how he worked in a shipyard at age 18 and later took part in World War II as an Air Force bombardier. “It didn’t occur to me that I was dropping bombs on people,” he said. “What I came away with was that war doesn’t solve anything.” Zinn came to town via Union Board’s lecture series.
Fast forward to a few years ago, when Bloomington South grad Anthony Arnove sat down with Zinn to begin working on a companion book to Zinn’s original work, called “Voices of A People’s History of the United States.” This led to “The People Speak,” a 90-minute documentary of dramatic readings from the letters, diaries and speeches of the people who spurred social change throughout American history. It aired on TV late last year. It included such dissident voices as Frederick Douglass, Henry Thoreau, Sojourner Truth. Thanks to Arnove, Bloomington audiences got a sneak peek at the film.
Once the “Voices” book came out, celebrity readings sprang up across the country, with such stars as Danny Glover, Viggo Mortensen, Sandra Oh, James Earl Jones, Marisa Tomei, Wallace Shawn, Alice Walker, John Sayles, Patti Smith and many more. A lot of those names ended up in the film, which Matt Damon co-produced. (It also had music by the likes of Bruce Springsteen, Bob Dylan, Eddie Vedder, John Legend and more.) Damon has long been a fan of Zinn’s work. In the 1997 film he co-wrote and co-starred in, “Good Will Hunting,” Damon’s character talks to actor Robin Williams’s character about Zinn’s “A People’s History of the United States” and its significance in highlighting the contributions of average people who did extraordinary things.
Zinn has made, and will continue to make, great strides in educating the American people about its history, its government and the ever-pressing need to advance social change.

New Music Happy Hour

Kristina — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 17:03:48 +0000

Feel like you’re falling a little behind, as far as what’s up and coming in the overall music scene? Landlocked Music staffers have the answer.
At a new monthly party, called New Music Happy Hour, the Landlocked crew will DJ the newest and best upcoming tunes. (Who better to introduce hot up-and-comers than those whose hands unwrap new releases and get them spinning every week?)
The first-ever session starts at 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Bishop. Both admission and schwag (bands and record labels’ posters, stickers, samplers, etc.) are free. Since the event includes drink specials, it is for those 21 and older.

MLK Day and Cleveland’s pending visit

Kristina — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 23:31:54 +0000

In just half an hour, the Rev. Jesse Jackson will give his speech to the gathered Bloomington community, seated at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater, watching from nearby City Hall Council Chambers or surfing via live broadcasts, including the H-T’s here.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Orchestra, who was to perform a chamber concert tonight at IU, went on strike and has been in talks today with negotiators. There’s still a chance that an agreement will be reached and the group’s residency and big concert (Wednesday night at the IU Auditorium) will go on as planned. We’re still awaiting word on this and will update via Twitter and here (and also the news side) once we know more.

TUESDAY UPDATE: We learned this morning that all Cleveland Orchestra events at IU — aside from a couple talks/presentations (one today at 4 in the MAC) — have been cancelled.

What’s up with Dunnkirk

Kristina — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 21:40:26 +0000

So, apparently U.Fester’s went quietly into the night late last fall, to make way for the new 902’s nightclub and sports bar/grill Hoosier Knights upstairs. We swung by over the holidays, but to not much avail as there wasn’t a flier or hours info or contact to be found. Just the two slick signs “902’s: Out on Top” and “Hoosier Knights” and hints of the nighttime parties that went on during bar-hopping, late-night hours.
Now that IU is back in session, the party space is back open for business. Next on the club’s event cal is Friday’s show by local alt-rock group White Roberts. In the band’s own words: “Inspired by the alternative rock movement of the 90’s, songwriting team Mike Cionni and Hank Whitaker combine clever lyrics with groovy tunes to create a sound that we have affectionately termed “dude rock”. Our message is simple: You don’t have to change your clothes to listen to us. It’s a party, and everyone’s invited.” If you check the main page of 902’s, there’s a Facebook (where everyone lives these days — that and Twitter, of course) link to a snippet of their Kings of Leon cover. It doesn’t open before 9, but stays open till 3. As a day-shifter, perhaps I’ll get to check it out this weekend. If I can brave joining the throngs of college-age fans on a dancing buzz, that is.

Upcoming shows – winter 2010

Kristina — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 17:04:11 +0000

Here’s a preliminary rundown of what early 2010 holds for you, starting with next week. This week holds in store some hot jazz, New Orleans jazz, textiles, chain mail jewelry and Elvis’s birthday. More to come.

The Bowerbirds

JANUARY
14 – Bowerbirds / Julie Doiron, at The Bishop.
15 – Bear in Heaven, at the Bishop.
20 – Cleveland Orchestra, at IU Auditorium.
23 – Foreigner, French Lick Casino.
26 – Tea Leaf Green, at the Bluebird.
28-30 – Christian Finnegan, at the Funny Bone.
28 – The New Deal, at the Bluebird.
28-31 – PRIDE Film Fest, at Buskirk-Chumley Theater.
30 – Jookabox, at the Bishop.
30-6 – Week of Chocolate, various locations.
FEBRUARY
10/11 – “Jesus Christ, Superstar,” at IU Auditorium.
11 – Dr. Dog, at the Video Saloon.
11 – Robert Earl Keen, at the Bluebird.

12 – Luke Bryan, at the Bluebird.
12-14 – Maria Bamford, at the Funny Bone.
13 – Krista Detor (CD release), at Buskirk-Chumley Theater.
14 – F—ed Up / Kurt Vile, at TBA.
16 – Drakkar Sauna, at Russian Recording.
18-28 – ArtsWeek: “Arts and the Environment”
19 – America, French Lick Casino.
20 – “The Welcome Table,” at Buskirk-Chumley Theater.
24 – Canadian Brass, at Buskirk-Chumley Theater.
25 – Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company, at IU Auditorium.
27 – Balmorhea, at Russian Recording.
MARCH
2-4 – “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast,” at IU Auditorium.
3 – Pattern is Movement, at the Bishop.
5 – Magnetic Fields, at Buskirk-Chumley Theater.
6 – Carrie Newcomer (CD release), at Buskirk-Chumley Theater.
6-13 – Pit Stop Music Marathon (location TBA)
18-20: Tim Wilson, at the Funny Bone.
23 – Woods / Real Estate, at The Bishop.
23 – Yo-Yo Ma, at IU Auditorium.
29 – David Bazan, Headlights, at The Bishop.
APRIL
5 – Henry Rollins, at Buskirk-Chumley Theater.
6 – The XX, at Buskirk-Chumley Theater.

Goodbye 2009, hello 2010

Kristina — Mon, 28 Dec 2009 18:50:37 +0000

There’s no way around it: 2009 was a rough year. But now that it’s nearly over, and a fresh calendar sits on my desk, it’s time to look forward to the future, the new year, as an exciting 365-day package of possibilities.

Looking back
Early in 2009, here at the office we lost a dear longtime coworker and friend, Kurt Van der Dussen (whose last touching and telling entry can be found here), as well as a freelance writer, Peter Noble-Kuchera, within the same week. PNK’s movie reviews could be heard on WFIU and read in the H-T. He split his work-time between those essays and his day job, raising funds for WTIU. (He once told me he actually slept underneath his desk one busy weekend.) We received many comments on his loved film column, “The Glowing Screen,” and most of them positive.
The biggest national story had to have been the string of celebrity deaths in what would have been a slow week in June: Ed McMahon, Farrah Fawcett, and of course, Michael Jackson. Tributes and tweets sprang up faster and bigger than the number of times his “Thriller” tracks spun on stereos in the ’80s. Other buzz generated from reality-meets-reality-tv scandals.

Other national notables that left this world include John Updike, Billy Powell (of Lynyrd Skynyrd), Will Rogers, Dave Arneson (founder of D&D), Dom DeLuise, Jay Bennett (ex-Wilco), Koko Taylor, David Carradine, Walter Cronkite, Les Paul, Don Hewitt (”60 Minutes”), Patrick Swayze, Mary Travers (Peter, Paul and Mary), Ken Ober (MTV’s “Remote Control”) and Brittany Murphy.
In local news, later in the year, we lost a very special jazz musician, bandleader county council member, Al Cobine, and a major concert hall, the Little Nashville Opry, burned down. The video store Cinemat closed, and later the space was reborn as a full music venue and bar, the Bishop. Controversy spread in the Bloomington arts community, as arts groups came at odds with financial changes such as the Waldron’s rental hikes and canceled programs.

On a less heavier note, the 30th anniversary of “Breaking Away” was commemorated with a bike tour and special screening. Little 500 headliners rolled into town: Flight of the Conchords, Ludacris, Soulja Boy. Comedian/star Robin Williams performed in the fall to near-sold-out crowd at the IU Auditorium at a show postponed from the spring when he had heart surgery. Other famous performers that visited Bloomington were folk icons (Joan Baez, Bob Dylan), punk royalty (Tommy Ramone), Latin legends (Los Lobos, Los Lonely Boys), Motown masters (The Temptations), bluegrass beauties (Sara Watkins), R&B crooners (Aaron Neville), rockin’ singer-songwriters (Lucinda Williams) and even a theater legend (Stephen Sondheim). Taking acoustic turns were performances by Lyle Lovett, Steve Earle and Over the Rhine.

Comedy characters Doug Benson, Arj Barker, Maria Bamford, Tim Wilson, Brian Posehn, Josh Blue, Kristin Key, and dozens of stars and wannabes (the first-ever comedy festival/competition) rolled through town, with the Funny Bone packing in a major contender nearly every week and Comedy Caravan holding down the fort at Bear’s.
The “Chickens (came) Home to Roost” (former Screaming Gypsy Bandits members) mid-year. Museums went on a summer scavenger hunt; galleries again walked through art. Cardinal Stage climbed ev’ry mountain, including a holiday round of “The Sound of Music.”
Spirit of ‘68 Promotions brought in quite a roster of major indie acts, from Grizzly Bear to Elvis Perkins in Dearland. Dunn Meadow had its re-greening, following 1000s of peoples’ foot traffic for the Victoria’s Secret concert by Girl Talk and Cobra Starship. The Lotus festival had another successful year. Hoosier rock star John Mellencamp had an event-full ‘09, from the inauguration concert to Pete Seeger birthday bash to Farm Aid and his own summer tour and live album.

Several honors came to Hoosiers. “Musical America” dubbed Joshua Bell the instrumentalist of the year. IU-related musicians receiving awards included soprano Angela Brown, pianist Menahem Pressler, violinist Stanley Ritchie, cellist Janos Starker, ballerina Violette Verdy and soprano Camilla Williams. The Singing Hoosiers sang at the Indiana Inaugural Ball following President Obama’s inauguration. The Hoosier Youth Philharmonic went to France for D-Day anniversary concerts. IU students Daniel Stein (on flute) and Dash Nesbitt (viola) took part in the first-ever YouTube Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall. The IU-run Web site GameZombie.tv again got a Webby nod. Two local blues acts — Mark Galup and Nine Below Zero — took regional blues challenge titles. And “D Tour” made its national TV debut on PBS’ “Point of View” show.

Looking forward
Now, let’s see what 2010 holds for us. You can kick it off Thursday with any number of local New Year’s Eve parties. If you choose to partake in libations, city groups are having free cab rides that night, so party responsibly. In Sunday’s paper, we’ll have a sampling of what’s to come as far as live events in early ‘10. There’s already much to look forward to.

On the Monday before Christmas…

Kristina — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 17:15:18 +0000

An idea came to me: to Twitter to “12 Days of Christmas.” It was inspired by the 12+ songwriters at the Players Pub tonight. There’s also two holiday events on Dec. 23 (Wednesday) that I got word on via e-mail in red and green text: a Stardusters concert at the ‘Pub, and “Jazzular Tunes” by Andy Cobine and Scott Kellogg at Wandering Turtle. Here’s the twittering:

Tonight: 12.songwriters singing (Pub) 11.karaokers playing ( @thebluebirdbar), 10.Grannies raging (Rachael’s), 9.lightsa’glowing (square)…
8.Edwards gitfiddling (fairgrounds), 7.wrappers wrapping (mall), 6.dancers dancing (Arthur M.), five~closed~businesses…
4.cast rehearsing (”Sound of Music” opens Tues.), 3.art displays (Venue, Turtle, Trinity), 2.free parking lots & a calendar in a few tweets

Happy holidays.

Your holiday lights (insert here)

Kristina — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 19:23:50 +0000

Hey folks; it’s always pretty wild around the holidays, with the craze building right up until the big days (I still can’t believe Christmas is next week and Hanukkah is under way!), with school finals, final sales, last-minute shopping and whatnot. We’ve seen a lot more art shows and bazaars and music benefits in fall/winter 2009, but one aspect of festive occasions seems to have faded in particular: holiday lights. Perhaps it’s the recession. Perhaps it’s lack of interest. Perhaps it’s to save energy. If you travel the night roads, you don’t see as many houses glowing with lines of colored lights and displays as in years past, though a few persevere. (It doesn’t help that stores aren’t selling as many varieties of lights or trees as before, and most are the pricier LED.)
And yet, this is the time when live events wane and a road trip for sparkly spectacles is just the ticket to lift spirits. If you spot a display while you’re out and about, please post about it here. Those of us who are wintering in town will be grateful for your glittery support.

2 locally based bands, 2 different stories

Kristina — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 15:27:54 +0000

Before snow freezes traffic and students vacate in post-finals relief, Bloomington is bustling with holiday (and nonholiday) activity. As always, time and print space only goes so far. However, two local music groups have been creating a buzz in their own way, so I wanted to share their stories. One has taken the way of indie rock label/touring. The other has made headway via the underground scene/basement shows. Both perform in town this weekend at the Bishop. Meet the Early Day Miners and Horribly Wrong in these brief courtesy tidbits, or via their shows here and here.

Early Day Miners
On Saturday’s show will be the homecoming party after Early Day Miners’ winter European tour. “Early Day Miners are a prime example of what the Bloomington music scene is about: originality juxtaposed with familiarity. Their down tempo, laid-back songwriting could earn them the title of shoegazers, while their organic sound is ever inviting of porches and camping retreats. The group’s latest release, The Treatment, is poppy and less sprawling than previous efforts. The band’s label Secretly Canadian says the newest record, “resolutely ditches the slide guitar in favor of overlapping layers of loops, tight motorik rhythms, and guitar and bass processed to resemble cello or brass.” Epitonic music blog claims, “The music just is — warm, calm, unvarnished, as simple and lovely as the stretch of sky and land to the horizon’s hinge.” The group calls Bloomington home, but is currently on tour with various dates in England and Ireland.”

Horribly Wrong
“On the surface of Midwestern underground rock and roll, you’ve got The Stooges and The MC5 from Michigan. You’ve got The Dead Boys and Cramps from Ohio. They got out, but not everyone does. Go under the surface, you’ll find The Pagans or Rocket From the Tombs. Let’s leave Ohio. What about Indiana? You hear names like The Gizmos, The Zero Boys, Dow Jones and the Industrials, Sloppy Seconds. Keep going, south of Indianapolis, down Route 37, 45 miles or so, you’ll come to Bloomington.
“…Bloomington is home of a thriving punk/indie rock scene. Aside from the regular bars and clubs bands can play, there’s always been an informal network of basement shows. You might see a band play the Bluebird one night and in someone’s tiny, musty basement the next. You might be friends with these people. If not, you can become friends with these people. The beautiful thing about Bloomington’s underground music scene is that it lacks barriers; you can have a beer with the guys and gals that just rocked your socks off.
“Although the members all came from someplace else, eventually all moved someplace else, Bloomington is the birthplace of The Horribly Wrong. Formed in late 2002 when Bloomington residents Cody Leitholt (a recent IU grad) and Seth Murray (then an IU freshman) met and bonded over bands such as The Mummies, The Misfits and one-man super-no-star Hasil Adkins. They worked out some songs in the vein of the aforementioned bands: catchy and energetic tunes with off-kilter lyrics. The original line-up of The Horribly Wrong included a keyboardist (Kristin Peach, who would leave the band before their first show.) Seth asked Dustin Wessel to play drums for a song the trio had been working on. They recorded the song at Dustin’s parents’ house and he began drumming full-time.
“The Horribly Wrong never technically broke up but went on indefinite hiatus in August 2005 when Cody moved to Austin, Texas, with the idea that the band could play whenever Cody made his way back to Bloomington. In between, band members estimate they played only about 20 live shows but fans attest to their manic, drunken rock and roll fury. The band’s biggest show happened to be a reunion show, at Bloomington’s (late) Second Story nightclub on 6/06/06 (fitting with their horror imagery.)
“Ah, that drinking thing. There was the time in Milwaukee where Cody and Seth drank a bottle of Thunderbird – each – before a show. Seth didn’t quite make it through the set. Actually, he fell down and a well-intentioned fan picked up Seth’s bass and tried to help The Horribly Wrong finish their set. Then there was the 2005 “Battle of the Bands” that Dustin notes for The Horribly Wrong’s sobriety.
“C’mon and Bleed With was recorded in early 2004 but was never officially released. Only about 70 CDRs of the album were made, either given to close friends or sold at live shows. According to Cody, the band spent a lot of time in the studio recording the album. ‘After the tracking,’ he said, ‘we did a really hurried mix so we could have CDRs to sell at an upcoming show.
“’We took the rushed mix and ran it through an old tape deck,’ he continued. ‘I buried the needle in the red and spit it back out to a CD burner. Seth made some creepy sound effects to put between songs. We broke some bottles and recorded that. And that was the album. CDR copies of 18 songs that were painstakingly recorded, hurriedly mixed and mastered by blowing them out through a five dollar Goodwill tape deck.’
“Eradicator Records is an independent record label started in 1997 by Bobb Easterbrook, originally an outlet for his bands. Mutual friends introduced Bobb to The Horribly Wrong. After coming out a little worse for the wear, physically, at a particularly chaotic basement show, he knew The Horribly Wrong’s music had to be heard by the world. A 7” EP was released in 2005 (a split between Eradicator Records and Spin the Bottle Records) and quickly sold through two pressings (the first in three days, the second in five) reaching even Europe. Yet the album never saw the light of day.
“C’mon and Bleed With will be a split release between Bloomington’s Eradicator Records and S*** in Can Records, from Annecy, France. It’s limited to 500 copies on 180-gram vinyl (100 on blood red vinyl, 400 on black vinyl), with silk-screened covers. Red vinyl is only available through mail order or at one of the band’s few area shows. For the technologically advanced, there will be a digital download card included with the record.
“Members of The Horribly Wrong are still active today. Cody plays guitar and sings in the Austin, Texas band Lost Controls. Seth is a member of the Nashville, Tennessee-based Natural Children. Dustin plays drums for the Bloomington-based Country Death and is married; he and his wife recently celebrated the birth of their son.
“The Horribly Wrong will be playing several area reunion shows to promote the release. You can catch them in Bloomington at The Bishop on Friday. Ask them about their secret recipe for blood.”

Happy (early) Thanksgiving

Kristina — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 00:49:21 +0000

The town slows down enough to get in a good meal, then picks right back up again with local music, holiday festivities and students returning from family visits. Chances are the local masses will once again head downtown Friday night for the Canopy of Lights ceremony and fun, followed by Saturday’s holiday market. Some clubs will be dormant for a couple days, but soon after have sound bouncing off the walls and touring acts like Camera Obscura hitting their stages. So it’s a short week here, but still plenty to do (including the four movies opening tomorrow) in Bloomington.
For now, remind me to never comment on a story again. (A helpful gesture was met with balked readers. I just don’t know what people want anymore…)