WIUX's very own Assistant Special Events Director, Ben Wittkugel, has brought a bevy of eclectic shows to Bloomington under his management upstart Winspear. Here's Winspear's top five moments, in Wittkugel's words brought to you by Paramount Pictures' new film, Top Five, starring Chris Rock.
1) Bully at The Bishop
“Brainfreeze”
Nashville band, Bully, has only released a 7” and one EP, but they have more than enough material to shred through a 35 minute set. The highlight of the show was “Brainfreeze”, which perfectly captures their scuzzy, 90’s rock influenced sound.
Catch them on their short run of Midwest dates either with Cloud Nothings in Chicago on Jan 16th or with Strand of Oaks in Indianapolis on Jan. 21st.
2) White Reaper at The Bishop
“Half Bad”
The young Louisville trio brought their garage rock to the Bishop for WIUX’s Pledge Drive Show. Once they counted off the start of their track “Half Bad”, they didn’t look back.
After finishing up a tour with Deerhoof and Priests, hopefully we’ll hear a full length from them in the coming year.
3) Ellie Herring at The Big House
“Mickie”
When I first heard Ellie Herring’s remix of Doss’, “Softpretty”, I checked out her other material, including her first EP, “Chipped”. A few weeks later at The Big House, a basement full of fans vibed to “Mickie”, a track off Ryan Hemsworth’s Secret Series compilation.
After playing CMJ showcases presented by Gorilla Vs. Bear and Godmode and opening for Glass Animals in Louisville, Ellie Herring will travel to Austin this March to play SXSW.
4) NE-HI at The Bishop
“Since I’ve Been Thinking”
After a friend recommended NE-HI’s debut self-titled release on Chicago based label Manic Static, I couldn’t stop listening to their melodic songs like “Since I’ve Been Thinking”. Their show at The Bishop with locals Dietrich Jon was one of my favorites of the year.
After joining the Billions Agency’s roster and working with the same management that handles St. Vincent and Sleater Kinney, NE-HI is on their way to become a name you won’t forget.
5) Varsity at Rachael’s Café
“Turns Out”
The first show of the year featured Varsity, The Tourniquets, and Sunspots at Rachael’s Café. After Sunspots burned through their set, Chicago’s Varsity took the stage to play a handful of songs off their EP, “Thanks For Nothing”, released on Jurassic Pop Records.
Similar to other Chicago bands NE-HI and Landmarks, Varsity has worked with Public House Sound Recordings, a studio founded by IU alum, Dave Vettraino.
Varsity is gearing up for another release and is back in Bloomington to play with Dietrich Jon and more at The Big House on Saturday, December 6th.
It’s been a great year, thanks to everyone who has come out to a show. We’re working on some awesome shows for next year and releasing new music from Dietrich Jon, Sunspots, The Tourniquets, and more!
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