Hollinden, Gass take center stage at Bluebird in end-of-semester rock show

IU assistant professor of music Andrew Hollinden performed his annual end-of-semester concert to a full house Friday at the Bluebird Nightclub.

Hollinden has developed and taught several of IU’s popular music classes, including Rock Music of the 1970s and 1980s and the Music of Frank Zappa, Jimi Hendrix, the Beach Boys, Captain Beefheart and the Residents.

Saturday’s show drew an eclectic crowd of current students and Bloomington locals, often heard cheering for songs from Hollinden’s former rock outfit, Skwee Bee Dee.   
This was the fourth time Hollinden and his band played the end-of-semester concert, which became a tradition at the Bluebird in 2007.

“Two years ago there was a student in my class who worked at the Bluebird,” Hollinden said. “He convinced the owners to give him a night where he wanted to promote some music. I told him very reluctantly that I didn’t have a band, even though I had released CDs. ... But he kept at me and I finally agreed.”

Since then the show has sold out each time. This year, the concert was opened by Bloomington-based singer David England, who later joined Hollinden for some songs.

When Hollinden and his band took the stage, they began with a set of original music from his previous releases before unveiling two previously unheard songs, “There She Was” and the self-described Everly Brothers-esque “Circus Clown.” Hollinden closed with two tracks from his 2006 album “Trust Yourself” before breaking for act two.  

“I have his CDs, but there’s something about the energy he emits,” said graduate student Allison Hendricks, former student and longtime fan. “You can tell as an audience member that he really does believe that the audience, not just the band, makes the moment, which is very cool.”

After playing their set of Hollinden’s original songs, the band came out and treated the crowd to classics from the ’70s and ’80s, many of which Hollinden teaches about in his classes. He covered a variety of artists including The Ramones, Neil Young, Hendrix and Pearl Jam.  

Professor of music Glenn Gass, cheered on by adoring and vocal fans from his The Music of the Beatles class, also joined Hollinden and the band on stage, playing several tracks by The Beatles and others, including classics by Bob Dylan and The Who.

“The classic covers were great,” senior Matt Ubrig said. “You could tell the crowd loved it. (Hollinden and Gass) are both clearly rock stars in their own right.”

The show lasted a full three hours including the encore.  

“It’s been a sellout every time. We’ve been rehearsing for a couple of months,” Hollinden said. “We always put a lot of work into it, and I think people are always surprised when we come out and rock the way we do.”