It's going to be big -- really big. Starting Monday, Beaner's Central will offer music lovers a moveable feast of bands -- 21 bands in 7 days, according to organizer Jason Wussow.
"I've picked my favorite groups from over the last year," Wussow said. "You could definitely over-produce something like this. But, this is a little place -- sometimes the small shows are where the energy is so fantastic. Whatever the crowd, people can come in, be inspired, hear something they haven't heard before, or see their favorite performer."
Eric Swanson -- described as a mentor by Wussow -- is chief engineer for Sacred Heart Studio in Duluth, and knows the ins and outs of good sound after years of managing a recording studio.
"Beaner's is a really great listening room," he said. "It's not a big venue, but it's got a lot going for it. Jason has always been a fan of the music -- he loves the singing, the bands, and he loves to help people out."
One of the people Wussow has helped out is Jake Scott, who moved to
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Duluth to attend UMD in 2005. Scott will also perform this week as the lead singer for the band "Dead Guys."
"We met through the Vineyard church playing music together there," Scott said. "Eventually, it was like, 'Hey, let's make a band out of this.'"
Scott is now the assistant operations manager at Beaner's after graduating UMD in 2009. He played his first show at Beaner's in 2007.
"Jason's enthusiasm for local music, local art and local business is really contagious," said Scott.
Darren Hall will also perform during the week. Hall is a guitar player who graduated from Central High School in 2002. He now lives in Los Angeles, working in the music industry.
"My first real open mike night was at Beaner's when I was 17," he said. "Every time I come back to Duluth -- which is a lot -- I make it a point to go over there and play. You can go in -- there are board games in the back -- people have coffee and some good conversations."
Hall, like Swanson, said that Beaner's is a good place to listen to music.
"Everything at Beaner's is original music," he said. "That keeps things fresh. You know you're going to hear real music -- local people performing."
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This is the 11th year for the event, called One Week Live. It takes place the anniversary of the week Beaner's Central opened its doors. The week of events includes a songwriter's competition.
Along with many local acts, artists from outside the Twin Ports will also participate, including Stephanie Nilles, a piano/lounge singer from New Orleans, and Correo Aereo, a Latin duo from Seattle.
"A lot of the nights it's really topnotch touring folks that want to make a living doing music, playing their original sound," Wussow said. "They've recorded albums and they're investing their time and money into trying to do it."
Wussow is looking forward to this year's run of One Week Live.
"It's fun to see all the diversity of different people that come in to see every different band. It's worth it. It makes me happy."
To learn more about the event, go to www.beanerscentral.com or www.facebook.com/beanerscentral .
