Lovin' the nightlife

Dave Kubiak, new owner of the Bluebird, stands in the wide back room of the nightclub, gesturing around him with the earnest passion of a man deeply in love with his work. "You can feel the history that's here," he says, indicating the stage in the corner, raised from the floor about five feet. "Close to the stage, and when you're back here, you can just feel the energy."\nThe stage is no modest bar corner for a band to stuff itself into; a relatively wide expanse allows the act to open up and make a memorable performance. John Mellencamp stood upon this stage; so did Lou Reed, John Lee Hooker, Steve Earle and a host of others. John Mayer and Norah Jones were both here before anyone knew them.\nBloomington resident Scott Terrell has also played on the famous stage. "I would've done it for nothing," he says. "I've played in front of way more people, but this was special."\n When he played with the classic rock cover band Fortress, Terrell appeared as the guitarist in the group about 10 times, he estimates, the last being about five years ago. "We played mostly an older list, like Cream, Zeppelin or Jimi Hendrix," Terrell explains. The repertoire of Fortress is but one example of the wide diversity of music heard in the wooden and brick walls of the Bluebird.\n"I get reggae, folk, bluegrass, urban hip-hop," lists Kubiak. "I just try to bring in diversity, a wide spectrum of music."\nFor nine years Kubiak has booked acts to play at the Bluebird. For half of that time he has been general manager, and as of July 15, he owns the nightclub, as well as fellow Walnut Street establishment Axis. "Steve Ross approached me last October," says Kubiak, explaining that Ross owns two popular nightclubs in Indianapolis as well — The Vogue and The Patio — and wished to concentrate more on his home city.\n"If I was going to sell it to anyone, it would be Dave Kubiak," Steve Ross recalls. "He knows what it takes. It's been there since 1973, and I didn't want to see it go to someone who would go in there and run it down out of business."\nRoss had received offers for the nightclub before, but he decided to sell it to Kubiak when he felt it time to move on and hand over the reins to someone else. That someone else had to be Kubiak.\nKubiak, who studied economics at IU and began working at a small place called the Peanut Barrel across the street from the Bluebird during his college years, simply describes his feelings as "a passion for what goes on here." He and Ross both identify a list of memories that stand out to them from their years with the club.\n"I've had a lot of great times in that club," Ross says. "I got real close to it." \nOne story Ross told is of Dr. Bop and the Headliners: "That was a party on stage. They would throw pitchers of beer out to the audience just to see who could catch them."\nThe moments that are the most memorable for Kubiak are not his moments — they are "Bluebird moments." When Steve Earle came to play, Kubiak says, he felt the Bluebird had cleared a hurdle, gained a new level. He describes a more recent moment, about two weeks ago, when Dickie Betts highlighted the night. And what made the moment? Not just his own feelings. "People were coming up to me and telling me 'good job.'"\nKubiak describes his goals for the Bluebird, which have not changed as owner. "It's been an evolution of nine years. I just want to continue on that path, just keep getting more bands. And Axis as well. I want to try and make it more like the Bluebird."\nThe emphasis that Kubiak places on live music fits well with the Bluebird's spot in history as Bloomington's premiere venue for live bands. In a place that has played host to greats from the worlds of jazz, blues, rock and more, there is a tradition to uphold. "There is a significant difference from other bars," says Kubiak. "There are national acts that only play the Bluebird. Even the cover bands are the best around."\nKubiak has always booked a lot of cover bands to play the Bluebird. He explained that hearing music live -- hearing the songs they know -- is essential. "People are sometimes critical of cover bands. But live music, that's what's important to people."\n"When people come and see a live show, they hopefully come out a little happier," explains Kubiak. \n"His approach is like mine — he runs it like a business. It's not a big party for yourself," Ross says of Kubiak. "He wants people to come and enjoy the music and then come back. Since Kubiak's been booking the club he's gotten a lot of great bands."\nAmong the many stars who have appeared at the Bluebird are Jones, Mayer, Train and Michelle Branch. They all played the Bluebird not long before hitting it big on the record charts. Kubiak explains away this uncommon good luck with knowing people in the business such as agents and club owners, noting the importance of networking to success in the music business. "It's all working with quality people who give good advice," Kubiak says.\nJust as he strives to bring the best entertainment to the Bluebird's stage, Kubiak strives to make the Bluebird itself as pleasing an atmosphere as possible. The front room has high-ceilings and is roomy, with tall windows facing Walnut Street. One wall is wood-paneled, and the other is naked brick, a quaint homage to the past. The décor enhances what Kubiak calls the "ambiance" of the Bluebird. Instead of bright, loud neon signs advertising beer and liquor, the more muted effects of paintings dominate the room. Kubiak vetoes corporate advertising. "We can't have that," he says simply. Instead, paintings hang above the booths which line the brick wall opposite the bar, and a large canvas depicting a "Blue Man" holding a mug of beer presides over the bar itself. Kim Simpson, a "long-time friend of the Bluebird," painted that and one other and still another had been sitting unseen in Ross' garage. Kubiak plans to acquire more.\nIn the back room, photographs of many Bluebird veterans line the walls. Right beside the stage, an impassioned John Mellencamp is caught in the night he, Lou Reed and John Prime stopped in at the Bluebird for an impromptu concert. "This was before I was here," Kubiak says. "But basically, they were getting ready for Farm-Aid and they came and played. John (Mellencamp) also came for the 30th birthday (of the Bluebird) to watch the show."\n"He just called up and said, 'Hey, can we come down in about 10 minutes and play?'" recalls Ross. "They just wanted to play a three to five song set to practice for Farm-Aid."\nKubiak, who once declared to himself that he would do his job as long as he enjoys doing it, shows no signs of flagging. He still loves what he does: "Seldom does that happen. It's important to do what you enjoy doing as best as you can"