PRINTBlogs from Bluebird
Erik Shookman
Let Lion performs at Eastide Tavern on Friday, Nov. 14.
November 15, 2008 | 11:29 a.m. CST
Check throughout the day for blog posts and photos from the Bluebird Music and Arts Festival.
Day 1
Let Lion performs at Eastide Tavern on Friday, Nov. 14.
Bald Eagle performs at Mojo's on Friday, Nov. 14.
Bald Eagle performs at Mojo's on Friday, Nov. 14.
Eric Enger (center) and Kiley Kozel (right) of Gentleman Auction House perform at Mojo's on ...
Kiley Kozel of Gentleman Auction House performs at Mojo's on Friday, Nov. 14.
Blueprint and DJ Rare Groove perform at the Blue Note on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Blueprint performs at the Blue Note on Saturday, Nov. 15.
DJ Rare Groove and Blueprint perform at the Blue Note on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Atmosphere performs at the Blue Note on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Atmosphere performs at the Blue Note on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Atmosphere performs at the Blue Note on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Abstract Rude (left) and DJ Rare Groove (bottom right) perform at the Blue Note on ...
Abstract Rude (right) with DJ Rare Groove (center) at the Blue Note on Saturday, Nov. ...
Illustrator, painter, and designer Bradley Pipkin (cq) creates live art during performances at Fieldhouse during ...
Drew Wilson of Alpaca Radio dj's a set for the Bluebird Music and Arts Festival ...
Mr. Tivis raps while Dr. Loomis dj's during the Bluebird Music and Arts Festival on ...
Cindy Woolf performs at The Blue Fugue on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Casey Reeves and his band performs at Top Ten Wines on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Cindy Woolf performs at The Blue Fugue on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Casey Reeves and his band perform at Top Ten Wines on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Rutherford performs at Harpo's on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Rutherford performs at Harpo's on Saturday, Nov. 15.
Blog entry #1
Just when the buzz from festival season (which, I believe, is only slightly shorter than hockey season) has completely worn off and die-hards start taking off their Lollapalooza bracelets, just when we have finally started tolerating the devastating musical choices our loved ones make, just when our inner music snobs go into hibernation and make us better people for it, Columbia throws Bluebird at us. Our inner music snobs reawaken, we begin judging our friends and family again, and we cling to those Budweiser bracelets like there’s no tomorrow. Yes, I am still wearing mine.
The first Bluebird Festival kicked off last night, but it seemed as though no one really knew there was a festival happening. There was low turnout pretty much everywhere probably due in part to bad weather. The Blue Note during Noah Earle’s set was the most deserted I’d ever seen it. The only place that didn’t lack patrons was The Blue Fugue, which boasted a beaming lineup of local acts like The Hooten Hollers and John Henry and the Engine.
The first act of the first night of the first Bluebird Festival was also the first in-store performance ever at Happy Time Media, the record store on Ninth Street. Chicago singer-songwriter Todd Kessler offered up his acoustic guitar jangles and silver-toned voice to about 10 patrons, which included the media, store employees and Bluebird volunteers.
Dave Angel’s country blues covers at The Blue Fugue were a delight, and I quickly made my way back there when I realized there was nothing really interesting going on at Noah Earle’s set. Earle’s soft folk songs are good enough, but The Blue Note (especially the virtually empty Blue Note) was not the right venue for him.
On returning to The Blue Fugue, I caught the last part of the Hooten Hollers’ set, a raucous, electric affair that revitalized the venue. In one sweeping stretch, they covered “The Long Black Veil,” “Highway 61” and “John the Revelator,” which inspired a dance party freak-out.
Ursus Arctos, a pop-jam outfit that uses weird, irregular rhythms and wayward chord progressions, was next on the bill. The music was good, but the live show failed to connect with the audience, as evidenced by the awkward, self-conscious dancing below the stage and the fact that more people were looking at their phones than the band.
The pleasantest surprise of the night was the St. Louis-based group Upright Animals, who gave On The Rocks patrons the one-two punch of '70s-inspired guitar rock and a flamboyant live show that included a strobe light and a smoke machine. Too bad they were playing to a crowd for whom “Video Killed The Radio Star” is the epitome of “retro-chic.”
I took one final pavement-pounding to catch the John Henry and the Engine set at The Blue Fugue and found the place standing-room-only. Young patrons macked in the pit or raised their beer bottles as the band breezed through their country-laced power pop and trash-talked Ha Ha Tonka. The set reached its peak when members of the Effects, who performed before John Henry and the Engine, joined the band on stage to play a cover of “The Weight” by The Band.
It was a great way to end a night that could have concluded very depressingly.
Bluebird Night 1 Stats:
Number of bands seen: 7 (Todd Kessler, Dave Angel, Noah Earle, The Hooten Hollers, Ursus Arctos, Upright Animals, John Henry and the Engine).
Band that wasn’t as bad as I originally thought: Upright Animals
Band I wish I had seen: The Effects
Band I’m not really sorry I missed: Ha Ha Tonka
Number of times I saw the same people in different venues: 10
Number of times the person was singer-songwriter Todd Kessler: 3
Number of beards at Kessler’s set: 6. (This doesn’t seem like a lot, but when you consider there were around 10 people there, it’s huge.)
Band with the most sideburns: Upright Animals.
Number of indoor smokers at the Fugue: 3
Number of carabiners spotted at the Fugue: 6
Atrocious sweater tally: 1. So ironic, that it’s not.
— Caroline Evans
Blog Entry #2
After a slow start, I was beginning to think Bluebird was going to pass by without notice, but the rules of successful concerts are the same as real estate: location, location, location. I nearly fell asleep at The Artisan early in the night, so I headed over to what was supposed to be Scouts at Eastside Tavern. Eastside is fantastic because it “comes with its own built-in crowd,” as one patron put it. Instead of Scouts, I heard Beau Jennings (of Brooklyn-based folk rock band Cheyenne, which played later) quickly strum his guitar and piano in an all black suit with his hair slicked to one side. It was the kind of energetic, fast-paced, southern-inspired rock that embodies the festival's slogan: “The country we come from is called the Midwest.”
For even more southern rock, I headed to Harpo's for Big Medicine. The band was decent, but the only thing that kept me there was their lead guitarist whose complex solos and guitar slide made the whole band instantly more attractive. Again, the crowd consisted of five actual spectators, one friend of the band and a table of kids eating before a sorority formal, and they moved to the quite part of the bar after the second song.
Ha Ha Tonka had a surprisingly good set at The Blue Note that blew away their performances at Summerfest this year. Surprisingly, they sang a cappella for one song, which was either very brave or very stupid. I'm still deciding which. Alas, The Blue Note was eerily empty, so it was time to move on.
Up next was Gentleman Auction House, who played to a smaller, but much more enthusiastic and appreciative crowd. Their upbeat, good-mood pop rock falls somewhere in between Squirrel Nut Zippers and Bright Eyes. They debuted a song from their upcoming album Christmas In Love. It didn't elicit images in my head of Bing Crosby sipping eggnog (although I secretly wish it had), but rather it was a slower, sweet sound.
King Thief got a good response out of the crowd at Eastside, though they could barely fit in the small venue (their keyboardist had to play behind a stack of equipment cases). This was the point in the night when everyone seemed to loosen up. I'm not sure if it was the music or the $4 double wells.
It seems the big winners of the festival have been The Blue Fugue, Eastside Tavern and Mojo's. This proves once and for all that Columbia music goers love themselves a good dive bar. I do, too. I predict the same tomorrow night with the addition of The Blue Note for Atmosphere's set.
— Dan Michel
Blog Entry #3
Saturday, 2:45 p.m.
Every seat was filled Saturday afternoon at the Artisan and every eye was on Celandine, who performed songs that were both upbeat and soothing. Their combination of guitar solos and memorizing vocals had a little girl, no more than 3 years old, with blonde curly locks, sky-blue eyes and red cheeks dancing, swaying side to side and watching in awe directly in front of the stage. Others sipped their coffee or latte of choice as they enthusiastically listened and watched as Becky Dahm, one fourth of Celandine, switched back and forth from playing the harmonica and guitar to singing vocals throughout most of the song selections.
Clifton Roy and Folkstringer took over the stage roughly 15 minutes after Celandine sang their last song. The band played a variety of original blues, bluegrass to even country that had the audience either clapping their hands, nodding their heads or stomping their feet. Each of their sultry blues numbers was completely different than the one before. At their prime, Clifton Roy and Folkstringer entertained about 70 people. Towards the end of the performance, the audience slowly began to dwindle. But those 40 or so who stayed gave the band a warm round of applause after the last song.
— Dolores Obregon
Blog Entry #4
It looks like the bluebirds are heading south, because attendance to performances at both The Field House and at The Penguin has been rather desolate. Although Ryan Groff’s voice is whimsical and can reach insanely high notes, only 10 people came by to watch his show. Referring to his show today as “intimate,” Groff tried to make the best out of the situation. “I was blown away. It was the most fulfilling ... and satisfying nourishment I’ve ever had,” says Bluebird attendee Diane Kuschel. “I’m still in shock and am so thankful for his gift. Ryan’s performance was relaxing and energizing at the same time.”
Groff described the setting perfectly: intimate because it almost felt as if he was singing to each one of us in the room individually. Groff and his band called Elsinore plan to be back in a few months.
— Dolores Obregon
Blog Entry #5
4:45 p.m.
Maybe it’s the flurries outside or the below-freezing temperature keeping people away from the Bluebird festivities, but it isn’t because of the lack of talent in Columbia today. Curb Service (real name: Larry Gates) is a hip-hop performer from Champagne, Ill., with a crazy talent for singing, playing an electric guitar and mixing music who had viewers rocking out to his music. Gates had a slightly larger crowd than the band before him. By slightly bigger, I mean 7 more people. Those who missed out today are in luck because Curb Service may be coming back to Columbia in the spring. Go to CurbServiceMusic.com for more information.
5:30 p.m.
Next was Los Desterrados. Complete with a harmonica, bongos and guitars of all kinds, the dynamic group brought in a completely different crowd to the Penguin. Bongo and guitar solos and guitar and harmonica playoffs showed great camaraderie between the five musicians. They played music from places such as Cuba, Mexico and even Egypt.
The talent was definitely here, but the audience wasn’t. Whether it was MU’s game against Iowa State or the painful cold weather outside that kept attendance down, today’s Bluebird Festival performers didn’t get the audience they deserved.
— Dolores Obregon
Blog Entry #6
7:00 p.m.
There is something to be said for the freedom of having a festival in an urban setting. It gives attendees a much more personal feel than being corralled into a designated space à la Bacchanalia. As you migrate south down Ninth Street, you arrive at some of Bluebird’s more intimate venues.
At the Artisan, Penny Marvel delivered a wonderfully executed, fluid performance featuring violin and accordion to a fairly engaged crowd of about 25. It's style and instrumentation makes Penny Marvel stand apart, stylistically, from local counterparts. The set climaxed when vocalist and bassist Will Reeves was joined on stage by Anna Fleischer (of Anna and the X’s) whose Southern, silky voice fused well with Reeves heavier, looming vocals.
8:00 p.m.
After the Artisan, it was on to freshly opened Top 10 Wines, the weekend’s singer/songwriter venue, to watch Bluebird founder Casey Reeves deliver his locally beloved style of folk rock. Reeves played to a maxed-out crowd (as all of the 24 or so plastic chairs in the venue were occupied) with standing-room spectators winding all the way around the bar. He was joined on stage by Pat Kay of The Hipnecks, sister Hannah Reeves and a rather impressive slide guitar player. The set was highlighted by the grassroots feel of “Carolina” and a stunningly inventive cover of Jackson Browne’s “These Days” — a bold song to interpret considering the stature of several bands who have also recorded versions.
Reeves seemed pleased with how Bluebird has unfolded so far. “Obviously the weather was not on our side tonight, but everyone’s been coming out,” he says. “Everyone is having a great time and loving it.” Reeves seemed so content that he ended his set by stating that he’d see us all back next year.
— Adam Risman
