The Bloomington Music Expo is coming Friday and Saturday to the Monroe Convention Center, bringing with it an extensive market of vinyl records and a lineup of live music acts.
The convention center will be split between a stage for live music and a merchandise area, where more than 50 vendors will be selling vinyls, CDs, art, apparel and sound equipment, said Mike McAfee, executive director of Visit Bloomington and organizer of the expo. Food and drinks will also be available onsite. McAfee said that the event will be perfect for all music lovers, whether you’re just a casual fan of live music or a die-hard collector who plans on showing up early to search for a rare Rolling Stones record.
Doors of the convention center will be open Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. following a kickoff performance by musician Will Johnson at 5 p.m. Friday night at Lennie’s Brewpub. At the heart of the event is a celebration of the local music scene, which McAfee described as being incredible for a city as small as Bloomington.
“Our music scene goes back to Hoagy Carmichael and Booker T. Jones,” McAfee said. “We have a long, rich history of music in this community, and people are just really proud of that and they love celebrating it, and that’s kind of what the expo is all about.”
This event is a combined effort between Visit Bloomington, Downtown Bloomington Inc., Landlocked Music, Orbit Room, Secretly Canadian, WFHB Community Radio and Bloomington Brewing Co., which will be serving a Vinyl Slap craft beer canned specially for the expo. This will be the second Bloomington Music Expo, and McAfee said turnout is expected to be at least the same as last year’s expo, which amassed about 1,000 people.
The lineup of musicians includes live DJs, Shai Marie, Glitter Brains, Lara Lynn & The Kid, Magnolia Electric Co. and Will Johnson, who’s kicking off the expo with his performance at Lennie’s.
“It means a lot to be picked to do that,” Johnson said. “I’m always happy to play shows in Bloomington, it’s become sort of a second home over the past few years. Coming to play music there is a special thing.”
Johnson will also be performing with Magnolia Electric Co., the band of late musician Jason Molina. The performance will pay tribute to Molina, who McAfee said is a hero to local music fans for his artistry and his beginnings with Secretly Canadian, a Bloomington-based record label. Johnson released an album called “Molina and Johnson” with Molina in 2009, and is excited to honor the life and music of his friend at the expo.
“I just want to do the songs justice,” Johnson said. “I’m just working hard to try to honor and deliver the songs as best as I possibly can with the band. That’s going to be all I’m thinking about.”
Also part of the lineup is singer-songwriter Amy Oelsner, who is eight months pregnant and excited to play her last show before having her baby. Some of the proceeds of the expo will be going towards Girls Rock Bloomington, of which she is the director.
“It’s a music camp for girls and trans and nonbinary youth, so I’m very excited about that and glad I can participate through playing my music,” Oelsner said.
Tickets, available online and at the door, are $5 for general admission and free for students with a valid student ID. All proceeds will go to the Shalom Community Center, Girls Rock Bloomington and WFHB Community Radio.
