Small venues make a big comeback

Local bands find audience interaction important when performing

By Alyssa Templeton

Published Dec. 3, 2006

Bloomington’s fast-growing music culture brings in not only some of the most famous names in the business, but a majority of young, local talent as well.  With the number of local bands on the rise, an expansion and movement from the bar scene to smaller venues seemed like a natural movement.

The owners of these small venues opened their vintage clothing stores, record stores and former small residences to let in the rising new talent and cater to local bands.  These performance venues may be hard to spot from the outside, but if one listens closely, one can hear what Bloomington has to offer its local music scene.

Photo by Alyssa Templeton Patrick Ward, lead singer of The Buzzkills, performs for an audience at Rhino's, a local Bloomington venue.  Smaller venues give local bands more independence and audience interaction during performances.

These multi-art venues provide spaces for artists to paint the walls with their works, or a rock band to fill the space with a lively audience any night of the week.  Local bands in Bloomington and across the nation are using these smaller venues to bring a more personal feel to their all-ages audiences. 

IU student, band member, lead vocalist and guitarist of The Buzzkills Patrick Ward, 21, says bands choose venues based on relationships with the venues, past experiences and prefer places they feel most comfortable. 

“You’ll find that if your music is truly good, you can bring all ages to different venues,” says Ward.  “That is what is great about Bloomington.  There is a place for everyone to play.”

The idea of the smaller performance venue is an uncomplicated way for local bands to create a fan base and promote their music.  Word-of-mouth, flyers and MySpace are all useful tools for the promotion of these bands.

“It’s a simpler, easier way for smaller bands on the more independent circuit,” says Mark Rice, 26, staff member of the Art Hospital, 1021 S. Walnut St.  “It’s definitely a community where it’s below the papers, where the people are varied, un-clique and open to new ideas.”

Breaking into the music scene begins by selling an image and genre of music to hometown crowds and keeping that crowd coming back for more.  Some of these intimate venues help local artists emerge on the scene when the owners open their space to friends who perform in local bands.

 “ I like music, so it was sort of a normal thing for me to open up my store for my friends’ bands to play,” says Cassie Slone, 25, owner of the Cherry Canary.  “I also thought it would be a good way to advertise.”

While shopping downtown, the Cherry Canary, 214 W. Fourth St., is open to browse through the abundance of clothes during the day and at night is transformed for a more lively audience.  The small space turns from a snug, vintage clothing store into a venue for hard rock or small duos performing for audiences of 20 to 70 people.

The Cherry Canary added performance venue as a trait to the cozy vintage clothing store about two years ago.  Slone has attracted friends of friends to play and even national touring bands.  The Internet proves a useful tool for her to contact different bands via MySpace.

“The store is completely my personality,” says Slone.  “It is a hip, eclectic space where everything is handpicked, and I can be selective, even when choosing what bands I want to play here.”

Bands that have close relationships with Slone are the ones that perform most often at her store.  A husband and wife duo, e.p. hall, began performing live one year ago and enjoyed the unusual performance venue when invited to play there by a friend.

“You almost feel like you are in someone’s closet,” says Jerel Hall, keyboardist, who is joined by wife Elise Percy Hall, lead singer and guitarist.  “It’s kind of like a community closet where you can perform ‘naked’ and openly with an intimate audience setting.”

The need for these smaller venues came as the music culture of Bloomington grew, Rice says.  With high school bands and college-age performers exceeding the number of places to play, Rice saw it as an opportunity. 

Walking into the Art Hospital viewers witness the blinding white walls artists use to adorn their work on, and in the middle of the room the large stage for independent rock bands to entertain eager audiences of all ages. 

“We kind of learned from being in a band and from playing in bars and smaller venues that there was a need for more venues in Bloomington,” says Rice.  “We modeled it after an art gallery/music venue.  It’s a space where shows can make it what they want it to be." 

Photo from Art Hospital website The Art Hospital, on Walnut Street, offers an open space for artists and performers to showcase their work.  The 12 founders created it to give more independence to artists and to expand the Bloomington music culture.

Even famous musicians, who have been out of the live performance scene for awhile, find smaller venues help them establish roots again with their audiences.  The St. Louis Dispatch followed Pete Yorn, a solo singer and guitarist, as he transitioned back into the music scene on a tour through some smaller venues and in-store performances in independent record stores. 

"Growing up, independent stores are where I learned a lot about the music that I ended up loving," says Yorn. "I always enjoyed the culture of those stores, and it seems to be disappearing. In some cities, the stores that I loved are closed up now, so this is a good way to help make sure they're around for a good while longer."

Local bands like The Buzzkills and e.p. hall, as well as famous musicians returning to the music scene, all have one thing in common, a need for audience interaction.  The interactivity between the performer and the audience can be felt in any venue, but it is especially noticed when comfortably placed between the walls of these independent venues. 

This close connection helps ensure these cultural staples of Bloomington will be around for awhile.

“It’s all about the love of the music,” said Ward.  “If you start small and work your way up, then you will just have to let your music and ability to keep a crowd bring you to the top.”

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