Bloomington scene has room for tours and locals

Hosting acts from the local and national scene, Bloomington boasts over 15 live music venues in addition to numerous house shows, music festivals and large-scale concerts.

“Even though the sound quality is dodgy at times, I have enjoyed seeing bands play at the Buskirk over the years,” junior Amy Auscherman said. “The Cinemat was also a great place to see bands, though. Nothing beats a show in someone’s basement.”
Other notable clubs include The Bluebird Nightclub, Jake’s Nightclub and all-ages club Rhino’s. 

Though touring acts get most of the press, the local scene is where a true music lover can be enlightened. Bands come and go, but the local scene remains ever-growing. Fans of reggae will dig the mellow sounds of Coyaba, The Coke Dares play 40 songs in 30 minutes and still have time to make you laugh and The Buzzkills seamlessly interweave original tunes with classic rock favorites.

Graduate student Brent Funderburk has followed the local music scene for several years.

“For live music I like the Vid, the Bluebird and Max’s Place. From my limited ambit, I think it provides a lot of avenues to hear a lot of different kinds of music, from bluegrass to hard-core.”

Auscherman voiced similar sentiments about the city’s musical variety.

“I feel like the Bloomington music scene is pretty diverse,” she said. “My favorite Bloomington band is Tammar. They put on a good show and sound really great live.”

While local music is the life blood of the city, its music festivals are the soul.
Composed of groups from Hungary to India to Brazil, the Lotus World Music & Arts Festival floods several city blocks in September with soothing music and rhythmic beats. This festival not only draws music from around the world, but fans as well. It is the perfect welcome back to Bloomington. Don’t miss it.


The 16th annual Lotus World Music & Arts Festival
When: Sept. 24 to 27
More info: www.lotusfest.org

Big names coming to Bloomington
The Bluebird Nightclub:
Bone Thugs-n-Harmony on Sept. 6
Built to Spill on Sept. 28

Buskirk-Chumley Theater:
The Temptations on Sept. 10
Sufjan Stevens on Sept. 29

IU Auditorium:
N.E.R.D. on Aug. 29
Rain: A Tribute to the Beatles
on Oct. 15 and 16