Five ways to play

We sat down with some local music venues to discuss what makes their concerts so special.

In a college town with one of the top music schools in the nation, there is bound to be local musical talent. Throw in a variety of bars and live music venues, and almost every day of the week offers an opportunity to catch a listen.

MAX’S PLACE
Family restaurant
109 W. Seventh St.

TYPE OF MUSIC
“Basically, anything that’s off the beaten path,” owner Travers Marks said. “We don’t really go for big cover bands. We like classic rock, but we don’t usually book it. We don’t like top 40, but bluegrass, reggae, blues, jazz, any weird combination thereof, singer-songwriters, that’s Max’s Place.”
 
THE BLOOMINGTON SCENE
“It’s a breeding ground,” Marks said. “It’s a place where you are not likely to make much money playing, but you’re going to be able to find the people you need to start the band you always dreamed of.”

THE MAX’S PLACE SCENE
Marks says two simple words sum up the restaurant’s niche within the Bloomington music scene: Hirsute (meaning shaggy) and liberal.  

BEFORE YOU GO
Don’t eat before seeing a band at Max’s Place. Grab a table with your friends, share a pizza and stay awhile.


RACHAEL’S CAFE
Coffee shop
300 E. Third St.

TYPE OF MUSIC
Owner Rachael Jones says people looking to soak up music at Rachael’s can expect to hear punk, folk, Irish music and hip-hop, as well as plenty of local independent acts.

THE BLOOMINGTON SCENE
“I feel blessed with how many places there are to go,” Jones said. She also said the Jacobs School of Music has a positive influence on the talent and musical diversity of many of the bands that play in Bloomington. Especially when the bands are made up of students.”

THE RACHAEL’S CAFE SCENE
“We are so many different things,” Jones said. “We are a coffee shop in the daytime and a music venue at night. We also are not limited to people 21 and over. Any age can come.”

BEFORE YOU GO
While Rachael’s Cafe can fill the place to capacity at night with its live music and DJ events, don’t forget that it’s also a great place to study or relax during the day.
The place is adorned with bizarre sculptures, stimulating artwork and loaded bookshelves for customers to enjoy.
And even though the tables and chairs are removed for dance parties, the couches are always there if you need to take a breather. 


THE BISHOP
Bar, show ages vary
123 S. Walnut St.

TYPE OF MUSIC
“We’re not too genre-specific,” owner Stephen Westrich said. “(We have had) everything from rock bands, indie rock bands, alt-country, hip-hop. But if we lean towards one thing it’s an indie rock environment, I guess.”

THE BLOOMINGTON SCENE
“I guess I would say that we’re lucky to have an abnormally productive music scene,” Westrich said. “I grew up in a town the same size of Bloomington, and there was nothing going on. It’s unusual the amount of quality coming out of here.”

THE BISHOP SCENE
“In terms of places that regularly do live music, we only do original music,” Westrich said. “We definitely embrace local bands like nobody else does and we really solely concentrate on original music. We’ve turned down things we know would bring us 200 people, but we don’t do them. There’s an audience for those kinds of things, but we brand ourselves as something different.”

BEFORE YOU GO
People over the age of 21 can go directly to the bar area after checking in at the door, but anyone younger will be directed to the stage area to hang out until the bands get on. 


RHINO’S
All-Ages Youth Center
331 S. Walnut St.

TYPE OF MUSIC
“We’re very open-ended,” assistant director David Britton said. “We do everything from national and international touring bands to local high school bands. We do metal, hip-hop, rock, folk music and really a lot of everything, but we do try to concentrate on local music.”

THE BLOOMINGTON SCENE
Britton said the music scene in Bloomington is pretty good, considering the fact that many local bands are getting national attention. However, he also says the scene could use a pick-me-up from local music fans.
“I’d like to see the audience grow more,” Britton says. “It’s kind of a small town, and there are a lot of good bands, but there are not necessarily enough people to see them on any given night of the week. There is a pool of maybe a thousand people who go to shows, and if we had more of the populace aware of what’s going on, it would help out a lot.”

THE RHINO’S SCENE:
Britton said what sets Rhino’s apart from many of the other live music venues in Bloomington is that it’s an entirely all-ages club.
He says he also likes to take the risk of booking younger bands that can’t get booked at other places because of age restrictions. 
“We’re also a bigger venue compared to some of the other places,” Britton says. “So we can bring in bigger name artists.” 

BEFORE YOU GO
Students from the local Harmony Education Center started Rhino’s in 1992. Since then, the venue has offered a variety of non-music programs for youth. In the past, Rhino’s has helped organize film screenings, dance parties and various fundraising events.


THE BLUEBIRD
Nightclub, 21+
216 N. Walnut St.

TYPE OF MUSIC
“A huge variety,” owner Dave Kubiak said. “That’s probably the most unique thing about it.”

THE BLOOMINGTON SCENE
“Because of the music school, there is a uniqueness to play different types of music because the students are a little more cultured and have a broader scope of what to play,” Kubiak said. “You get a lot of students down here who are musically inclined.”

THE BLUEBIRD SCENE
“It’s really a hybrid of different things.” Kubiak said. “Most clubs try to stick to one type of music, and largely because of the size of the Bluebird, it’s a more unique place in that we have to keep it entertaining.”