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| Bands |
 Prizzy Prizzy Please
The music scene in Bloomington is filled hidden gems such as Prizzy Prizzy Please, a band whose unique sound is described by drummer Scott McNeise as “guitar-less shred pop.” Winner of the Bloomington Battle of the Bands at the legendary Bluebird nightclub in 2006, Prizzy has toured the country with such notables as MU330 and the Toasters and played in Austin, Texas, this year during the South by Southwest Music Festival. McNeise says he loves the Bloomington scene: “It’s unique in its illegitimacy and lack of public support, which forces the music scene into the underground. Bands in this town perform in intimate settings where you can’t get away with a big stage, light show, or elaborate sound systems. On any given night you can find a show.”
Prizzy has already made its mark in Bloomington with the release of its self-titled full-length. As for the future, the group plans on enjoying its ride among locals as well as expanding to an East Coast tour. -- Doug Evans
Basilica
Basilica is one of Bloomington’s most intense and experimental bands, formed in the summer of 2005 by guitarist Ben Jacobs as a medium through which to create new and unheard music. With influences ranging from the Dillinger Escape Plan, Beethoven and Meshuggah, Bascilla doesn’t allow itself to be classified into any particular genre.
Guitarists Ben Jacobs and Derek Johnson, bassist Dylan DeRobertis, drummer Steve Weems, and violinists Kate Withrow and Joe Molinaro push the envelope in regards to what’s possible with their ensemble. Their powerful, awe-inspiring live performances exemplify this by using synced-up video to supplement the music. It’s hardly easy listening, but those who give it a listen just might find something they like. -- Nathan Brown
Murder By Death
With a style termed “Americana Noir” by lead singer Adam Turla, Bloomington-based Murder By Death has been taking its dark Americana-cum-rock-’n’-roll around the world since 2000. The band’s characteristic cello, nostalgic storytelling and ironic playfulness have made it a favorite both in Bloomington and in indie circles across the country. The group met as drinking buddies while attending Indiana University and found its first success playing at Bloomington keggers and house shows. After consistently drawing big crowds wherever it played, the band landed a record deal with Eyeball Records and has been playing and touring together ever since.
“Bloomington is kind of like a pocket; it’s unique here in Indiana … The house shows, [those] shaped a DIY ethics that we’ve tried to maintain over the years,” said Turla. “Bloomington encourages this DIY ethic, which I think is ultimately better for everybody.” -- Amanda Lowry
DJ Flufftronix
When DJ Flufftronix (aka Michael Lasday) arrived in Bloomington, dance parties were dominated by machines.
“Pretty much all the dance parties would be a CD changer or a computer on shuffle,” says the 25-year-old disc-spinner. “Now people have an appreciation for establishing a groove over the course of a whole evening and the input a DJ has on the night.”
Whether it’s at his weekly “Daft Crunk” series at local bar Jake’s, one of the many all-ages shows he hosts with other Bloomington DJs, or a keg-fueled house party, Fluff knows how to get the party started. You can find him behind an unkempt beard and crisp ball cap, an oxymoronic visage that underscore his eclectic mixes, which combine everything from Modest Mussorgsky and Justice to Snoop Dogg and Peter Gabriel. That may sound like the result of setting your iTunes to Party Shuffle, but Bloomington’s dance-party-goers know better. -- Alex Cohen
 Carrie Newcomer
Folksinger Carrie Newcomer lives and records in Bloomington, her work illuminating a niche of the industry often overlooked by the mainstream. And she’s been at it for a while -- Newcomer has brought her signature Hoosier alto, which she describes as “a polite firebrand,” to 12 studio albums.
With limited radio play, though, Newcomer relies on national tours and word-of-mouth buzz to move records. In concert, Newcomer engages her audience with humor and anecdotes between songs, hovering around the merchandise table after the show until the last audience member leaves.
Although also a writer of prose, Newcomer said songwriting is more challenging than creative writing because she’s limited by the format of verse, chorus, verse to create a functioning, stand-alone song. Her songs, often odes to her Indiana roots, offer a folk outlook on the modern world. Newcomer’s meditations on progressive spirituality and contemporary life urge her listeners to slow down, and take it easy the Indiana way.
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This section's contents are produced entirely by student journalists, brought to Billboard.com by UWIRE, the leading provider of student-generated content. UWIRE aims to identify and promote the brightest young content creators and deliver their work to a larger audience via professional media partners such as Billboard.com. Visit UWIRE.com to learn more. |
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- Amherst, Massachusetts
- Athens, Georgia
- Austin, Texas
- Bloomington, Indiana
- Iowa City, Iowa
- Lincoln, Nebraska
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- Madison, Wisconsin
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- Omaha, Nebraska
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Indiana University
This town profile was produced entirely by student journalists from The Indiana Daily Student, the leading news source for the Indiana University community. You can learn more about the individual student contributors by visiting their profiles on UWIRE.com:
Text: Drew Anderson, Nathan Brown, Peter Chen, Alex Cohen, Doug Evans, Leah Linder, Amanda Lowry, Stefania Marghitu
Photos: Photo credit for all the non-band photos - Chris Pickrell. Band photos are courtesy of the respective bands.
Video: Rob Schmidt
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