BEMIDJI 鈥� For about 40 years, the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville has found a niche as a songwriter's venue where future stars like Garth Brooks and Taylor Swift have gotten a boost.
Next week Bemidji will christen its own version of the Bluebird with a pop-up called the LoonBird Cafe, featuring local singer-songwriters Lance Benson, Doyle Turner, Lisa Mattson and Mary Overlie.
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On Wednesday, May 3, those four artists will share stories and original songs from 5 to 8 p.m. at Table for 7, located at 414 Beltrami Ave. NW. Subsequent events are planned for Aug. 9, Nov. 1 and Jan. 24.
The event is open to the public. There is no admission charge; attendees can order from the Table for 7 menu. Call (218) 444-2586 or visit to make reservations.
The LoonBird Cafe events are being organized by Overlie.
鈥淚鈥檝e been thinking about that model for a while, but I also think it鈥檚 an idea whose time has come,鈥� Overlie said. 鈥淭here are so many of us who live up here that practice some sort of artistic craft, but we鈥檙e not trying to make a living. It鈥檚 just our second life. They鈥檙e really talented.鈥�
Turner and Benson are well known in the Bemidji area, and Overlie is best known for her band, mudsong. Mattson, a music teacher at Aurora Waasakone charter school, is relatively new to the area. Overlie first heard Mattson perform at an open mic event at Headwaters Music and Arts.
Overlie said pairing the local songwriters with Table for 7 made sense since the restaurant sources most of its ingredients locally.
鈥淭able for 7 is local,鈥� she said, 鈥渁nd when you get songwriters from your community together you鈥檙e going to hear stories that are local in a way that makes it more universal. People are going to be singing about Lake Bemidji, and driving down Highway 2. So it really celebrates that local piece. It鈥檚 going to be about us.鈥�
The Trust Project
