Clubs feature 9 bands for Jammin' on Walnut Street

Two or three times a year, the clubs of downtown Bloomington join together and turn up the heat with music from local and regional bands. It is once again that time of year when the prolific local musical talent shakes and bakes Bloomington all night. This extravaganza of music, dance and booze is what has come to be called Jammin' on Walnut Street.\nSpread between three venues, the music will begin at 9:30 p.m. today. Bands will appear at: Axis, 419 S. Walnut St.; Bluebird, 216 N. Walnut St.; and Kilroy's Sports Bar, 319 N. Walnut St. Admission is $3 per head for all three venues, and one must be 21 to be admitted. \nJammin' on Walnut Street is a charity event whose net proceeds benefit Shelter Inc. \n"The week of Sept. 11 is 'Open Your Heart' week and the proceeds from tonight will be used in the fundraisers during that week," said Gigi Larmour-Goldin,who is on the board of directors at Shelter Inc.\nThe person at the helm of this mega party is Dave Kubiak. He is the general manager of Bluebird and Axis and has been organizing this event for the past three years. \nThe time and venues of this event have been strategically selected by Kubiak. All the venues are within walking distance from campus and the dorms. \n"This is a way to create excitement on Walnut Street," Kubiak said. "The first week of school is the best time for this because all the students will be back in town. It also gives them a preview of bands that will be performing in Bloomington in the future. This event has always done well. As many as 2000 people have shown up in the past."\nThe music tonight will consist of a diverse selection of groups. Many of the bands are local ones that have played at these venues before. \nOne such group is Danagas (named after Nagas, a Tibetan tribe), whose mixture of soul, funk, hip-hop and rhythm and blues has a huge local following. Danagas will perform at 11:15 p.m. today at the Bluebird.\nRyan Fitch, drummer and manager of the band, said, "We have musicians with a very diverse musical background because of being educated at the IU School of Music. This is a major reason for our success." \nAxis will feature the bands Re:boot and Dave & Rae, and Shaffer Street Sports will host Only Infinity, Mode St, and Dale & Moe Z. Bluebird will present Johnny Socko, Danagas and Danger Will Robinson.