Ettinger ends hiatus to perform at Bishop

Local performances by Dylan Ettinger are hard to come by.

“In Bloomington, it seems as though it is easy to overstay your welcome in the local venues,” Ettinger said. “I try to avoid playing here too often and usually only play when invited.”

However, when Ettinger first saw fellow Bloomington artists Kam Kama live, he said he decided to end his four-month concert hiatus to team up with them and Mark Trecka for a performance at The Bishop.

The Bishop will be hosting all three local groups at 9 p.m. today.

“I am very excited to be performing at The Bishop,” guitarist Jim Kalwara from Kam Kama said. “They are definitely the local hot spot for the under-21 crowd.”

While each member is a veteran of previous musical projects, the members of Kam Kama have been playing together for a little less than a year. They first year for the band has received some reception — four local shows and two out-of-town gigs at smaller venues have rounded off the last year for Kama, along with a self-titled demo which was released on cassette.  

“This is definitely the first band I have felt particularly serious about,” Kalwara said. “But with five people, and two of them still in school, our practicing schedule gets hectic sometimes.”

The members of Kama describe their sound as post-punk and ’80s British alternative, which is somewhat different than the music Ettinger has been working on lately.

Ettinger, who has always been a self-described experimental artist, said he has been toying around with a more classic synth pop sound.

“I am going to be premiering some new songs at the concert,” Ettinger said. “I am not sure if it is just me trying to stay current, but I have been really into new wave pop lately, and that will definitely come through at the show.”

Ettinger said that he has stayed in Bloomington since graduating last spring because he believes it has the best music scene in Indiana.

“Of course I have plans for the future though,” he said. “My music seems to be well received in Europe, so I may try my hand in making music overseas.”

As for tomorrow night, bassist of Kam Kama, Scott Ferguson, said the mix of sound heard by both Kam Kama and Ettinger is something worth embracing.

“Regardless of what the concert is, the bands don’t always have to mesh perfectly to make it a good show,” Ferguson said. “Sometimes it’s quite the opposite.”