Bloomington’s rock authority: Andy Hollinden

From the classroom to the Bluebird, IU professor Andy Hollinden brings his knowledge of rock history to his students.

Back for his third show in two years after a 13-year hiatus, Hollinden will be playing Friday at the Bluebird Nightclub.

“I teach about 1,000 students a year at the School of Music, so there are a lot of people walking around this town who’ve had me as their professor,” Hollinden said.

“By the end of a semester, my students have a pretty good idea of who I am, and I hope they think of me as a friend. These Bluebird shows give me a chance to reconnect with people I’ve influenced in some way, and frankly, it’s an honor.”
Hollinden has been performing since 1978 with the band Maxwell around Tell City, Ind., his hometown.

He has been a Bloomington performer since 1984, when he would play Mondays and Tuesdays at the Bluebird with his punk/new wave band Skwee-Bee-Dee, losing money on most nights before packing up and working at 6 a.m. at Rax Restaurant with the band’s drummer.

Hollinden expressed his enthusiasm for playing at the Bluebird.

“I have a history with that place, both as a performer and as a music fan,” he said.
“That stage exudes history. It’s palpable. You can smell it.”

The Woomblies will be kicking off the night at 10 p.m., followed by two Hollinden sets starting around 11 p.m..

The first set will consist of all original material with the set primarily drawn from his three albums, “Grieve For The Living,” “Trust Yourself” and “Heat To Fragrance.”
Five songs off Hollinden’s newest CD, “Grieve For The Living,” will make their world premiere Friday.

After the first set, Hollinden and his band will play a set of classic rock songs by the bands and artists that are taught in his rock history class. This includes the likes of Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Neil Young and The Who.

The show is titled “IU Rock History Professor Night” and will also feature fellow IU professor and Beatles enthusiast Glenn Gass for a good portion of the second set.
Additionally joining Hollinden will be David England (guitar and vocals), Rich Morpurgo (lead guitar), Mark Galup (guitar and vocals), Matt Brookshire (bass) and Jamey Reid (drums).

In the past few semesters, Andy Hollinden’s shows have left crowds happy and satisfied.

“His shows have so much energy the crowd can’t sit still,” senior Alex Thompson said. Thompson added he is excited to see Hollinden rock the Bluebird before he graduates.
Hollinden expressed how dear this opportunity is to him.

“When I think back over my life, certain memories serve as bookmarks,” he said.

“Many of them are music-related – concerts I attended or music I listened to with my friends ... I like to think that today’s students will fondly recall their rock history classes, the music they learned to love and, perhaps, that night their professor rocked the Bluebird.”