PRINTMusic Venues
November 13, 2008 | 12:00 a.m. CST
Eleven venues, 80-plus bands, two days. Bluebird Music and Arts Festival hasn’t taken flight yet, and it’s already shaping up to be quite the Columbian celebration. With local and international acts playing in venues as diverse as Cherry Street Artisan and Eastside Tavern, a two-day festival pass will guarantee one memorable weekend.
Cherry Street Artisan
Related Articles111 S. Ninth St.
The District’s basement coffee bar will be buzzing all weekend long with more than 10 musical acts. Not straying far from the easy-listening tunes you might find on a quiet Tuesday night, the Artisan’s highlights include Geoff Koch, Penny Marvel and Clifton Roy and Folkstringer, a colorful five-piece band from Naperville, Ill.
Happy Time Media
20 S. Ninth St.
Since its reopening last year, Happy Time Media has established itself as one of the best outlets for old-school vinyl and authentic rock ’n’ roll. It only makes sense that gritty guitar acts Todd Kessler, Kasey Rausch and Joe Stickley are lined up to bring a little live music to the record store.
The Blue Note
17 N. Ninth St.
Bringing in the biggest acts of Bluebird, The Blue Note will host Springfield favorites such as Ha Ha Tonka and Big Smith. Headlining hip-hop duo Atmosphere will light up the stage with its clever lyrics and fire up the venue’s sound system with its lively beats.
On the Rocks
1011 E. Broadway
Along with the regulars, Noah Sugarman comes here from California, and Musikanto will roll in from President-elect Barack Obama’s old stomping ground Chicago. Both artists originally hail from the South and share a twangy, country-influenced rock style that will be stuck in your head for days.
Mojo’s
1013 Park Ave.
As the area’s only roadhouse venue, Mojo’s snagged a bang-up roster. The bar will bring two of
Emergency Umbrella Records’ biggest acts to the stage. Gentleman Auction House, a St. Louis band whose Christmas album will be released Nov. 18, will bring its energetic indie rock while Bald Eagle, a Mojo’s regular, will be playing its guitar-riff heavy singalongs.
The Penguin piano bar
1025 E. Broadway
Columbia’s only piano bar is giving its ivory ticklers the night off and enlisting crooners Mike Renick, Adam Stanley and Ryan Groff to take over the stage. There won’t be any piano men, but there will be plenty of diverse guitar strummers, drummers, singers and even a saxophonist. The Penguin will keep patrons on their feet, quickly trading Los Desterrados’ flamenco flavor for Curb Service’s hip-hop turntables.
The Field House
1107 E. Broadway
The Field House’s jukebox occasionally busts out rap tunes, but the lineup of live DJs will be the ones spinning beats and making the walls shake this week. MU grad and local rapper Steddy P will take over the mic with his socially conscious, politically progressive rhymes.
Eastside Tavern
1016 E. Broadway
The grittiest of Bluebird’s venues, Eastside Tavern hosts some of the more hardcore bands of the bunch. Expect banging drums, downtrodden lyrics and lots of screaming from Ghost in the Machine, Decadent Nation and Let Lions.
Harpo’s
29 S. Tenth St.
Harpo’s has had live music in the past, but this bar is trading its typical guy-and-his-guitar acts for funk-infused, instrument-heavy groups East Ash Street Band, Jam Room Band and Big Medicine. Hazard to Ya Booty, a Motown-inspired group whose sound lives up to its name, will turn the corner bar into a full-blown dance floor.
The Blue Fugue
120 S. Ninth St.
Many of Columbia’s native bands started on the stage of this Ninth Street mainstay, so it’s only fitting that local names John Henry and the Engine, Ursus Arctos and Bockman return to dominate The Blue Fugue’s bill. No music fest would be complete without The Hipnecks, a favorite of Columbia natives and college students alike.
Top Ten Wines
207 S. Ninth St.
For those with a more refined palate — for spirits and songs alike — Top Ten Wines is the place to go Saturday. With a nice glass of vino in hand, listeners can take in the smooth sounds of solo acts Noah Earle, Casey Reeves and Travis Linville at the bottle-lined wine shop.
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