25 years of LFB at Buskirk

When John Plenge received a phone call inviting him back to Indiana for the 25th anniversary of Live From Bloomington, he immediately accepted and booked a flight from his home in New York City.

“I didn’t know it was still in existence until I got that call,” Plenge said. “It was like getting a call from a son. It was a wonderful surprise.”

In 1986, Plenge was a Jacobs School of Music student with a vision, one that would become Union Board’s Live From Bloomington and would raise money for the Hoosier Hills Food Bank.

“My original idea was to create an album that was composed of jazz, rock, blues and other representations of the various musicians and genres in Bloomington’s local music scene,” Plenge said. “I always wanted the main focus to be raising money for the hungry though.”

Even though Plenge graduated the year after he founded LFB, the idea was not abandoned. In the past 25 years, LFB has raised more than $75,000, not including this year, and a quarter of a million pounds of food for the Hoosier Hills Food Bank.

This year’s director, Caroline Shurig, kept LFB’s purpose and invited back Plenge and Larry Jacobson, director of the production of the fifth LFB album, to serve as a reminder for this initial purpose.

“You could see generations,” Jacobson said. “John was the one who first brought the album to vinyl. I brought it to CD, and now Caroline will be digitalizing the album for the first time. Soon all of the past 25 albums will be available digitally.”

Accompanying the modernization of technology, Shurig along with Loren Gurman brought a new twist in content to the LFB album.

“The Live From Bloomington album has always been a collaboration,” Gurman said. “This year was different in that we gave the album a theme and had different bands and musicians record a song they wrote for the album which involved Indiana in some way.”

Gurman’s project was named the Brio Pop Society, and from that 12 songwriters each wrote a song to perform for the album which was recorded with Jake Belser of Farm Fresh Studios. Topics ranged from John Dillinger to the Bloomington Cutters to Gurman’s own song about one woman’s ability to forgive.

Though the concept album by the Brio Pop Society’s initial aim was to “invigorate the founding spirit” of LFB, not all reactions were in support of the idea.

“I was approached by someone who asked if I was a part of the Brio Pop Society, and then he told me that I murdered Live From Bloomington,” Gurman said.

Despite this opinion, most seemed to be in support of the renovation, and Friday’s sold-out show at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater was a reflection of its
success.

“Personally, I think it was cool,” Jacobson said. “John’s initial idea for LFB’s album was thinking outside of the box, and I think the Brio Pop Society’s album supports that by doing something different but still collaborating different local musicians and raising funds for The Hoosier Hills Food Bank.”

Senior Robbie Kleinberg, a collaborative musician from this year’s album, said he enjoyed the work that went into the album’s production and that it was a positive experience. Even though the Brio Pop Society had positive feedback, Gurman said after talking with Jacobson, it seems to be a “sensible solution to develop the Brio Pop Society as a separate entity from LFB.”

The brief controversy seemed to have no effect on the evening’s impassioned feel. The crowd left their seats and gathered at the front of the stage when headliners Murder By Death took the mic.

“I’ve known about LFB for many years now, and it’s cool because I only live a couple blocks away from here,” Murder By Death lead singer Adam Turla said. “It’s a great thing, and I hope it helps a lot of people.”

On stage, Turla and the rest of his band had people clapping along and swaying to the indie rock music. LFB member and sophomore Bridget Borrowdale danced in the back in her usher suit.

“I wanted to get involved because it’s a good cause and I love music,” Burrowdale said.
A good cause, music and community is exactly what LFB has always been about.

“I hope that one day we won’t have to be doing this to feed the hungry. Hopefully, that will not be a problem our society will be facing anymore,” Plenge said. “I think it would be great in upcoming years if LFB could focus on issues such as renewable energy and raising funds for other environmental causes.”

With the introduction of LFB’s next director, Brandon Washington, all that is certain is that its directors hope to keep LFB an honorable event for all of the Bloomington community.

“I can’t believe it has lasted for 25 years,” Jacobson said. “I wish the best for the 26th year, and I look forward to being invited back to the 30th anniversary.”