Students turn dining hall into improv jazz concert
A baby grand piano sits in the back corner of the Round in Forest Quad. Throughout the day, its ivory keys are open to the tinkering of any student, but Sunday nights are a different story.
659 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
A baby grand piano sits in the back corner of the Round in Forest Quad. Throughout the day, its ivory keys are open to the tinkering of any student, but Sunday nights are a different story.
Bluegrass music fans gathered in the Buskirk-Chumley Theater to see the SteelDrivers play Sunday. The show was part of the band’s tour for their latest album, “The Muscle Shoals Recordings,” which won the 2016 Grammy for best bluegrass album.
Members of the jazz community in Bloomington will pay tribute to the late David Baker with a concert at Bear’s Place tonight.
In an effort to introduce incoming students to the Bloomington music scene, Soma Coffee House and Juice Bar and Laughing Planet Cafe will be host to the pair’s first patio show featuring several local bands and solo acts.
Bloomington was the last stop for Brooklyn-based band Big Bliss on its tour through the Midwest. It played with Language, a band based in Indiana and Michigan, and was also accompanied by Bloomington bands Sleeping Bag and Jeron Braxton and the Tomogotchis.
Cloudy skies and a stormy forecast did not stop artists at the annual B’Town Jazz Fest from playing loud and clear.
A parking lot on the corner of 13th Street and Fee Lane was transformed into a concert venue on Saturday night. A growing crowd gathered by the stage for the 2016 IU Welcome Week Block Party, which showcased electronic dance music from headliner Zhu and acts by Matsu, MAX and Kiiara.
Productions ran longer for IU students and directors this summer during the IU Summer Theatre Program. The program lengthens each production up to a two-week run compared to the fall and spring productions’ nine-day runs.
A crowd gathered in a large, unadorned room to see New York-based band Izzy True play alongside local acts. The unfinished quality of the venue simply directed attention to the band Wednesday. The performance was part of the tour for Izzy True’s first full-length album, “Nope.”
Singer-songwriter Matt Ward grabs a nearby beer bottle. Rather than taking a drink, he uses the bottle as a slide for his guitar during a plucky guitar solo. The bottle bursts, and the crowd goes wild as beer drips down the neck of his guitar.
Nat Zegree and Eric Holmes knew it was going to work.
Junior Julia Bell sat with the children at the New Hope Family Shelter as the cello quartet played and told them to draw pictures of what they thought the music was about. She said she thinks they were mostly happy and sad faces, maybe some dancing stick figures and animals reflecting the tone of the classical piece being played.
He sees people of all different races, ages and nationalities as he imagines the audience. They’re not spread out, but close to each other and the stage. Their eyes aren’t glued to the television hanging on the wall behind the bar, but facing him, actively listening to what he has to say because they want to.
Actors will take the stage at 7:30 p.m. Friday to present audience members with an unconventional love story intended to call attention to what it is like to love without recognition.
IU’s African American Choral Ensemble is touring Germany this summer to perform at an international festival of sacred music, according to a May 6 press release from the IU Bloomington Newsroom.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Comedian Mike Lawrence made his debut at the Comedy Attic Thursday night.Lawrence’s repertoire includes his two appearances on “John Oliver’s New York Stand-up Show,” his own episode of the Half Hour, and his set on Conan.Comedy Attic owner Jared Thompson said he has also become one of the biggest guest stars on Comedy Central’s @midnight.Lawrence’s specific and interesting voice in comedy is what drew the Comedy Attic to book him, Thompson said.“Number one, you have to be funny, but so many people are funny, so you also have to have something to stand apart,” Thompson said. “Mike was it.”IU graduate Lauren Flores heard of Lawrence about a year ago, she said.“I like Mike because of the age range he appeals to,” he said. “A lot of his jokes are things I would joke with my friends about.”Lawrence got his start primarily by doing open mic nights, he said.“I worked at McDonald’s and made people laugh there,” he said, “And if you can make those people laugh, you can do anything.”Attendee James Stout had heard of Lawrence, but had never seen him live, he said.“I was looking for something new, a new experience and I had free tickets so I decided to come,” he said.Thompson said he had been keeping tabs on Lawrence and waiting for the opportune time to bring him to the club. A lot of comedians who come to the Comedy Attic rave about Lawrence, Thompson said.“We keep the week-to-week lineup so it feels like you’re reading a novel,” Thompson said. “We don’t want it to seem like the same thing every time they go.”With graduation this weekend, Thompson said the crowd might dwindle, but those who are lovers of comedy will continue to show.“A comedy lover who’s graduating will probably still come,” he said.Flores has been to many Comedy Attic shows since she graduated from IU two years ago.“I went to IU then never left,” she said. “This town has that effect on people.”Local James Stout also frequents the Comedy Attic since his cousin discovered the venue and recommended it to him.“I come a lot to do open mic,” he said, “and at the last show I came to, they gave me free tickets for three more shows.”The club generally does well when parents are in town, Thompson said.“It’s kind of a middle ground between the bars and hanging out with parents,” he added.Lawrence said one of the best parts about comedy is the people he gets to talk to.“I was a really lonely, awkward kid,” he said, “and now I get to have fun and connect with people I normally wouldn’t have the confidence to talk to.”While in town, Lawrence visited some local shops, he said.“I went to the comic shop today, the Phoenix, and I went to the Kroger and did some people watching and some binge eating,” he said. Thompson said he feels confident about the success of the show.“From what I’ve seen, there’s no question the show will stand out,” Thompson said.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Graduate student Ben Wedeking walked over to a garbage can and clipped his fingernails moments before his performance. This is the way Wedeking, a string instrument musician, prepares his fingers for performance. Wedeking and eight other Jacobs School of Music students put on a concert at 7 p.m. May 3 in Rachael’s Cafe.Organized by Wedeking, the event showcased four different types of chamber music, ranging from pieces by Russian composer Tchaikovsky to rock tunes by the Rolling Stones. Working on a double major in violin and guitar performance, Wedeking has played a variety of chamber music pieces this past year. Chamber music refers to music composed for small groups that would be played in a small chamber or room, Wedeking said. He wanted to incorporate his experience with it in his act.“I wanted to do everything I’ve been involved with this past semester in one place and have all different groups in the same concert,” Wedeking said. The concert contained four different sections, the first being a string sextet performing a classical piece by Tchaikovsky called, “Souvenir de Florence.” The next section consisted of seven popular Spanish songs by Manuel de Falla for classical guitar and soprano voice. “As an undergrad, I remember hearing graduate students playing these songs with a vocalist, and I really admired these pieces,” Wedeking said. “I always wanted to play them.”He said these pieces were written by a classical composer but are inspired by Spanish folk music. These pieces portray the shift from classical to folk. The next section included classical guitar duos and mandolin/guitar duos deriving from the Brazilian choros tradition. “Choros is a genre not very well known as much as samba and bossa nova, but in Brazil, choros are just as popular as the other two genres,” Wedeking said.The last section of the concert included steel and electric guitar duos from the American folk tradition performed by Wedeking and Eli Schille-Hudson, a freshman studying guitar performance. “The idea is that we’re going on a journey from more academic and classical music to less academic and more folk-oriented pieces,” Wedeking said. As the only undergraduate student in the entire performance, Schille-Hudson said he and Wedeking had been jamming for a couple weeks when he asked him to be a part of the performance.They collaborated to choose songs they both knew how to play or were willing to learn from each other.“This performance is different from Jacobs’ concerts in that it’s out in public, and we’re not sure of who the audience is going to be,” Schille-Hudson said. “It’s also much more relaxed and laid-back.” Wedeking said along with this performance being more relaxed and laid back, it’s an opportunity for audience members to hear different types of music and experience different genres all in one concert. “The audience will hopefully find some links between the different styles and have interest in a new perspective or a glimpse into a variety of genres,” Wedeking said.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Chance the Rapper and Krewella will co-headline the 2014 Welcome Week concert Aug. 23, presented by Union Board, Residential Programs and Services and the IU Residence Halls Association.“I think they both hit separate demographics, and they’ll really work great together,” Union Board Director of Live Entertainment Brett Bassock said. “They both really compliment each other’s music.”The concert will also include SoMo, the supporting act, with special guests Misterwives and Skizzy Mars.When Bassock and former RHA President Clair Houterman began collaborating on the concert in February, one of their main goals was to target five different demographics, Bassock said.Chance the Rapper is a hip-hop artist from Chicago. His first full-length mixtape, “10 Day,” was released in February 2012. He released his second mixtape, “Acid Rap,” last April.Since then, Chance the Rapper has collaborated with artists such as Justin Bieber and Childish Gambino, and he has played at some of the country’s largest music festivals like Coachella and Lollapalooza. “Chance was at the top of our list,” Brett said. “I think his music speaks for itself. He’s an up-and-coming rapper. Chance is really making a name for himself right now.”Joining Chance is Krewella, who released its debut album “Get Wet” in September 2013. The album debuted at number eight on the Billboard Top 200.“They have become world-renowned for their infectious live energy, which has led them to headline some of the biggest festivals this summer, including Tomorrowland and Lollapalooza,” Bassock said in a release.Rather than just a concert, this year the Welcome Week event will become a festival.“This year, we are shifting toward the festival atmosphere with the IU Block Party 2014,” RHA President Stephanie Corona said.Instead of just music, it will include a bounce house, carnival games, a rock climbing wall, food trucks and more.The event will go from 5 to 8 p.m. with re-entry, while the concert portion will last tentatively from 6 to 10 p.m. on the corner of 13th and Fee Lane.“I wanted to make it an experience where students can come and in-between sets, they’re not just standing around waiting for the next artist,” Brett said. “I’m really just trying to encompass what Indiana University represents with a safe environment but providing a fun experience.”Last year, tickets to the concert were free. Because of the expansion of the event, tickets will cost between $10 and $15 this year.Union Board worked to book the talent, collaborate with the auditorium, produce the concert and plan the carnival.RHA will work to market the event throughout the summer, specifically to students at freshman orientation.The concert is open to all IU-Bloomington students.Bassock said Union Board is aiming for a crowd of 4,000 students, which would double last year’s attendance.“It’s more of a memorable experience that their senior year these freshmen can look back and they can say, ‘That’s what introduced me to Indiana University,’” he said. “That’s how I really became immersed.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the past five weeks, sophomore Jo Fipps has been traveling to dining halls all over campus, suprising many students by standing up and singing covers of songs.Fipps will perform his final show of the school year for his “For the People Tour” at 12:30 p.m. Friday at Wright Food Court.He started his tour at Wright Food Court and since then has performed at Gresham Food Court, The Restaurants at Woodland, Edmondson Dining Room and the Hoosier Cafe & Store at McNutt. Fipps’ main goal with the tour is to spread happiness and lighten the mood for students who are under pressure with finals and the end of the semester, he said. The event is sponsored by student-run website designer and video production company Mills Digital.“College is a place where you can do anything you want in order to find your favorite outlet,” Fipps said. “This would be a nice way to have a little spontaneity in their life, to laugh for a couple minutes while a crazy person sings in the dining hall.”Throughout the weeks he has been touring, Fipps went from singing a cappella to slowly collaborating with other students by incorporating instruments with his performances. He plans on having a live band for his finale, featuring students playing a violin, bass, synthesizer and drums.As a group, they will be performing a cover of “Party in the USA” in the middle of Wright Food Court. Jacobs School of Music student Jasmine Scott, a friend of Fipps, has attended each of his weekly performances. She was asked to join him when he was interested in expanding his tour acts.“It’s been an awesome experience just getting to do something fun and putting smiles on everyone’s faces alongside Jo,” Scott said.With the word spreading about his tour around campus, Fipps has been receiving more promotion with his Facebook and YouTube accounts, “Ernie Jo Official.”“It’s been up and down with each of the venues I’ve been at with the structure of the dining halls,” Fipps said. “It was rough getting people engaged the first week, but throughout the weeks people have been beginning to enjoy it by laughing and singing along.”Fipps is planning on doing another tour next spring titled “No Compromises.”“I think Jo’s contribution to IU with this tour is completely awesome,” Scott said. “I love watching him unexpectedly serenade strangers in food courts. It makes me laugh and I know it makes others laugh as well.”
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Comedy acts accompanied the aroma of pizza eaten by patrons Tuesday at Max’s Place, which stages Comic’s Night every other Tuesday.Comic’s Night was originally formed by a man simply known as Tucker, and was later sustained by Kenneth Armstrong and Bob Nugent. Nugent is also a member of the Limestone Comedy Festival, a three-day event staged at multiple Bloomington venues.Comic’s Night shows are laid-back and typically last about an hour and a half. Profanity may be used in good taste, but Armstrong and Nugent respect that Max’s Place is a family-oriented restaurant, and have moved the original starting time of the event from 8 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. The later time does not, however, restrict the number or quality of performers brought to play.“We try to keep it around 10 to 12 performers,” Nugent said. “And we usually have a closer, somebody who ends the show that will do more time.”Nugent said auditioning for Comic’s Night is not necessary, as comedians are selected by contacting Nugent.“I generally ask that people perform at the Comedy Attic first,” he said. “For one, here it is not as easy. We are not going to have the size of the crowd they have, and if it is a smaller crowd, it is much harder to make them laugh.”The comedian community in Bloomington is why Comic’s Night exists. For the people who exhibit their acts, the event gives them the opportunity to compete with their fellow comedians. “In Indy, you don’t go to a show and see that guy again and think, ‘I want to do as well as he does,’” Nugent said. “Here, if I see Kenneth do well, I’m like, ‘Wow, I have to write better, because my friend is doing better.’”Nugent and Armstrong agree that the caliber of comedians places like the Comedy Attic bring to Bloomington is high. “Support Bloomington comedy,” Nugent said. “The Bloomington comedy scene right now, I would say is as good as Indy’s, probably as good as Cincinnati’s or Louisville’s.” Laughter for Nugent and Armstrong is essential to being a human being. To them, it is the sheer personification of happiness. So, Comic’s Night is their gift to Bloomington, they said, and they are grateful for Max’s Place giving their group a place to perform.“Everyone is a stand-up comic and been the guy that made everyone laugh,” Armstrong said. “Everybody wants that feeling, but it takes a lot of cojones to really do it on a stage in front of people.”