Dave Elwert to perform; offers free music to listeners

It’s better to give than to receive – an old concept, but one that musician Dave Elwert and Buffa Louie’s co-owner Ed Schartzman know well.

Elwert offers his music online for free, exposing his work to listeners at the click of a mouse, and it’s all legal. Schwartzman provides bands, no matter who they are or what they sound like, an open stage and an all-ages audience at his restaurant.

Elwert will play at 7 p.m. Friday at Buffa Louie’s. The show, presented by the Business Careers in Entertainment Club, is open to all ages and has a $3 cover. Local bands Harrison Reed and Echoes will open for Elwert’s performance.

Born and raised in Anderson, Elwert compares his piano-driven sound to the music of John Mayer and Ben Folds, with influences from Bruce Hornsby and Motown. He became interested in playing the piano when he was about 3.

“My uncle started playing at Christmas parties and I just thought it was the coolest thing ever,” he said.

Elwert played in a series of bands throughout high school but didn’t write his own lyrics until college. As a freshman at Anderson University without any bandmates, he realized that he would have to write if he wanted to continue playing music.

Elwert said his songs focus on everyday experiences, both personal and those of his friends.

“The people surrounding me every day, the people I’m with – songs about them are the most meaningful,” he said.

He started giving away his music for free a year ago after he noticed that reducing the price of his CDs didn’t increase sales. He also recognized a growing trend in the music industry: Record sales were down and downloads were up. Wanting to get his music into the ears of listeners, he started posting his music on his Web site and
MySpace page.

Elwert said he’s reached out to fans that normally would not want to hand over $15 for an album when they could download it illegally through a file-sharing Web site or burn a friend’s copy. He also created an international fan base, which includes one listener from Sweden who found Elwert’s MySpace page and told all his friends.

“For one week, I had ten Swedish people request to be my friend on MySpace,” he said. “It’s really funny to see the friend requests from people from another country that leave comments about a song.”

Like dropping money into the guitar case of a talented street performer, appreciative listeners can buy and download songs from his Web site through PayPal. Elwert says this practice has worked out for him, as people who try out his music for free and like it usually will buy it to support him.

Business Careers in Entertainment Club member Molly Nagy became a fan after seeing Elwert play a show in Muncie. She kept up with him, listened to his music for free and wanted him to perform in Bloomington. As part of the club’s music committee, she helped coordinate the event with Buffa Louie’s. She said the venue’s setup allows for artists to perform close to the audience for a more personal, intimate show.

Schwartzman agreed, adding it’s what he enjoys about the restaurant’s stage, which he opened up six months ago. With two Bloomington jazz venues closing, Tutto Bene and Jazz at the Station, Schwartzman takes pride in bringing all types of music back in a location that was once a local jazz hot spot.

“Our attitude is that whoever wants to play, can play,” he said. “We’re trying to get kids in here to perform.”

With all-ages shows, a rarity among the town’s 21-and-older music venues,
Schwartzman wants to create an atmosphere of music, food and entertainment.

If Elwert becomes more popular, he may not be able to post his music for free if his record company forbids it. If Buffa Louie’s becomes a venue in high demand for artists,
Schwartzman might not be able to open its stage to every musician. Until then, both want to continue offering as much music as they can to others.

“(Elwert) has the same theory I do: What you give is what you get,” Schwartzman said. “It’s a great strategy for music. It’s a great strategy for life.”