BLOOMINGTON LIVE!

With acts ranging from the traditional jazz combo to punk-infused rock to a one-man electronic extraordinaire, this year's Live from Bloomington commingles all the right elements, promising to shake up the local live music scene. And it's anything but formulaic. \nConcertgoers can expect the antics of bassist Nick Wyatt of The Swell, who's been known to stuff cucumbers in his tight leather pants to elicit crowd (read: female) response. Audiences can sit back and groove to The Saxaphone Cartel sextet (which actually includes clarinets and flutes), or they can move to the beats of Optimus Rob, the mastermind behind local production label Attention Kid Deficit, who claims his perfect concert would feature Jim Morrison on vocals, Herbie Hancock on keys and, of course, himself behind the turntable. \nThe original concept -- spawned by former Union Board Concerts Director Brad Wilhelm (now owner of Rhino's All Ages Music Club, one of LFB's annual venues) -- was geared toward raising dollars for famine relief. Wilhelm presented the notion to the UB budgetary affairs committee, and upon gaining unanimous approval from board members, LFB was born. \nNearly 20 years later, Wilhelm's still part of the ad-hoc committee consisting of the year's LFB director, three assistant directors and representatives from the School of Music and the Department of Recording Arts. This committee is charged with selecting 16 to 18 finalists from the pool of approximately 80 entrants. And current UB Concerts Director Mark Hajduk says the inimitability of sound -- rather than sound quality -- helps an entry place high. \n"We like to choose a few songs from different genres," he says. "We try not to look for sound quality as much because the demos submitted are usually not high quality."\nLast year's selection of local favorite Three Minute Mile exhibits that commitment. The band formed specifically to enter the competition and recorded its submission in a member's dorm room.\n"Had we judged the song for its sound qualities, they may not have been so successful locally," Hajduk says. "The diversity really encompasses a lot because different genres require different instrumental arrangements, technical skill levels and overall song composition."\nFinalist and self-described "dancepunk" band Well Fed -- whose members claim they all use "equally cheesy and unhelpful" adjectives to depict their style -- has its roots deep in the Indianapolis hip-hop scene. When juniors drummer Eli Duke, bassist Keith Starling and crooner Drew Lazzara came together as high school sophomores in Krew Train, it was actually more of a joke, but eventually the group "evolved into something so much grander," Lazzara says. \n"We quickly honed our lyrical steez and became utterly un-fuck-wit-able," he says, noting that their guitarist, Kris Huntley, spent the Krew Train years grounded to his room and playing an old acoustic guitar strung with shoelaces. When sporadically allowed freedom from that domestic prison, Huntley would join Duke and Lazzara in experimenting with a hard-edged punk band, Code Yellow. And once the guys moved to Bloomington and experimented with several other guitarists, they realized they had to have Huntley. \n"It just didn't work like it did with Kris," Lazzara says. "So that summer we formed Well Fed and recorded our first album. We are all fantastic friends, so the band dynamic is tremendous.… We crank out songs quickly because we can avoid the bullshit of hurting people's feelings."\nAnd for the rappers-turned-punksters from Nap-town, Live from Bloomington provides a valuable inroad to the local music scene, which Lazzara deems "a bit clique-ish and exclusive."\n"We have too much pop influence to reach the real hardcore punk scene, we don't jam enough for the bar crowds and we don't do covers," he says. "People who take a chance on us usually like what they hear, but it's tough getting the college crowd to take that chance, particularly when alcohol is not involved…. But if it were up to us, it would be, dammit."\nThat isn't to say the Bloomington scene isn't penetrable; original rock band The Swell -- who abhor playing covers -- has found its niche in the local market, playing venues like the Bluebird Nightclub, the occasional gig at Uncle Fester's House of Blooze and charity events or fraternity parties. \n"We fit nicely in Bloomington, or so it seems, because we are one of the few all-original bands doing well in this town oversaturated with cover bands," Swell guitarist and lead vocalist John West says. "Our sound is accessible enough for fans of more mainstream music, yet raw and rockin' enough for those with more eccentric tastes."\nA typical Swell show, he claims, boasts a mixture of indie rockers, frat boys and hippies, "which makes us happy."\n"We like to bridge that gap, as rock music and partying often do," he says. "Our live show is really our forte. People often say they are amazed at the amount of sound and energy this trio can put out."\nThey submitted an older song West wrote and recorded the second week the band rehearsed together, and while it's certainly not representative of the band's ever-evolving sound, West says the band is pleased it's included. \n"We are honored to be on a project that represents Bloomington, our home, as well as being in a charity situation," West says. "We are thankful to have been chosen."\nVocalist Andrew Bean from rock foursome Emerson Rose -- often deemed a mix of Led Zeppelin and Skid Row by concertgoers -- echoed West's sentiments. Emerson Rose is entering its second year on the Bloomington music scene, but the group's members have been performing together for an aggregate 11-plus years. \n"We don't really fit into a scene anywhere, which is what I think we have in our favor," Bean says. "I have to commend the LFB staff for bringing together diverse groups because many times we have been snubbed for playing music that is not seemingly 'up to date' or not responsive to the latest trends"