Photos line the walls of The Bluebird nightclub, showcasing the many artists who have played at the venue throughout the years. From John Mayer to Zach Bryan, there is no shortage of big names who’ve performed at the club.
The Bluebird first opened as a bar and deli in 1973. But when bar owner John Ross opened a music venue in the back, the establishment quickly transformed itself into a staple of the Bloomington music scene.
58-year-old David Kubiak, the current owner, officially purchased The Bluebird in 2004 after booking and managing it for several years prior. As an IU alumnus who graduated in 1991 with an economics degree, Kubiak went to the bar and music venue throughout his time at IU.
As the music world has continued to change, The Bluebird has morphed with it, Kubiak said.
Through the years the bar has tried to please crowds by hosting artists or genres who were relevant to the time. One of the biggest challenges though is predicting the relevancy of these genres while booking performers.
While popularity of genres changes often, Kubiak said country seems to be one of the most popular currently. Though Kubiak says country music is not the long-term plan for The Bluebird, many country musicians have been touring and playing at The Bluebird in recent years.
As the owner of the establishment, Kubiak also works on scheduling artists to come play and all of the things that go with that including ticket pricing and promotion.
“I’m conscious of trying to get different segments of campus or people that live in town,” Kubiak said. “I want everybody to try to experience The Bluebird at some point so if you are into a certain genre of music, I mean we want to have enough variety that everybody can come experience it.”
The other side of finding artists to perform is thinking about the weekend crowd. With parents and alumni coming to Bloomington often on weekends, for games or other events, Kubiak said he must take that into account when scheduling artists. He wants to bridge the gap between college students and parents, offering music they can both enjoy.
Cover bands are often among the musicians scheduled for weekend performances because of their relatability to different generations. However, Kubiak likes to give opportunities to local bands as well, giving them the chance to get their leg in the door of performing. One of these is IU student band Opal, a classic rock band that formed through Bloomington Delta Music Club.
“Opal is a great example of the newest band that’s really starting to get their legs under them, and they’re still improving every time,” Kubiak said. “It’s really exciting to watch really. You’ll see their musicianship grow, their stage presence grow, then they’ll start toying with song selection of ‘this is what’s working and potentially not working’ and they’ll eliminate it. It’s the confidence on stage and all of that, then you watch their fan base grow at the same time which adds more energy to it.”
Having new campus bands play at the venue helps in two ways. It not only helps to improve the band’s skills, but it helps the bar by bringing more students out to the bar so they can watch their friends.
Since their first time playing the music venue in November last year, Opal has continued to grow a presence at The Bluebird.
“Ahnay, our guitarist from the band, it was like right before Thanksgiving break, and he was driving past The Bluebird, it was the first day it was snowing last year, and he saw somebody was there so he was just like, you know what, I’m gonna regret it if I don’t go say hi,” Frances Stemme, Opal’s bass player, said.
After knocking on the door and talking to Kubiak, the owner decided to give them a chance and the band had a gig booked for the very next day. Through their performances at The Bluebird, Opal has found a community within the music world. They’ve also gained a lot more support and have made friends with other bands and gotten to know the staff.
Stemme has felt inspired by the many bands that have performed at the venue before. Namely Six Foot Blonde, an IU student band that started in Bloomington but has since then grown a larger platform and is playing in bigger cities.
“I think it’s just a really great venue for like younger bands to get the experience that we’ve gotten as performers to build up a fan base, to kind of get their name out there in the community and it’s also just a really great place to go and listen to music,” Stemme said. “It’s definitely been the highlight of my college experience. It’s been so cool, I can’t believe I play there.”
As a large part of the local music scene and very popular among students, The Bluebird offers many opportunities for community members to hear their favorite bands or even discover new ones.
For IU senior Morijah Kahl, it’s watching live music — and finding good deals on drinks — that draws her to the bar.
“You can’t beat live music,” she said.
One of her favorite bands that she has seen at The Bluebird was Yours Truly, another band that started at IU. Though the members have since graduated and gone their separate ways, the band’s performances at The Bluebird are fondly remembered by fans like Kahl.
Along with the music and drinks, Kahl likes the venue because of the different crowds it draws based on who is playing that night.
“I think it’s a good way for, you know, small artists to get exposure early on,” Kahl said. “Also, the crowds I think are usually pretty good about, I don’t know, providing some rowdiness that can be fun, I think, for newer artists.”
