In the spirit of the Bluebird Cafe in Nashville, area songwriters and Table for 7 host a pop-up LoonBird Cafe, where people gather for a meal and to listen to songwriters trade original songs throughout the evening. While it's an unproven fact, our Northwoods have the highest number of musicians and songwriters per capita in the state. We are teeming with writers tucked into pine stands and hollows, finding their words for the human experience and putting it to song. Each cafe features a rotating selection of local singer-songwriters who have honed their craft. There’s a localness to their storytelling, creating a deeper sense of place and connection for listeners gathered. The evenings become yet another way to celebrate this abundant place we call home.

LoonBirds...so far

photos courtesy of NikkiLee Nolden

Hello,

I'm Mary O. In the winter of 2022, I pitched my idea for a Cafe style singer-songwriter series to Amber Lynne @ Table for 7. She said a resounding YES!  And here we are.

Having lived in Bemidji for a decade, the initial spark for the series was to create a space where I could listen, deeply with no TVs or crowd chatter, to regional singer-songwriters I felt I didn't get to hear enough of anymore.  That scene was alive and pulsing when I moved here in 2010. I was hoping to rekindle some of that original flame. You can browse the gallery on this page for reference to who has participated in a Cafe so far. 

At heart, I'm an improv artist. So, like Amber Lynne does in her kitchen, I've been composing the structure and elements of the series as I go, with 'ingredients' I knew were available. Yet, I've fielded enough requests to learn people would appreciate structure, a recipe of sorts, for how to be included in future Cafes as a singer-songwriter.

Here's what I know. The Cafe format thrives on a certain quality of intimacy. There's an honesty that wants to enter the room with us on any given Cafe night and can leave people feeling better than when they walked in the door, often because their heart broke in all of the right spots. As Charley Wagner noted once at the close of a Cafe, "We wore our hearts out a little tonight."

The key ingredients to that honesty seem to be the lack of a formal stage, some imperfect lighting, a small house of about 45-50 Cafe patrons, a willingness on our part to play through flubs and a lyrically-blank-mind, and a vulnerability on the part of songwriters and patrons alike to explore the full spectrum of the human condition.  

If all of that still interests you, here's what might be true for you as a songwriter:

• songwriting and music making might be something you feel compelled to do. 
• songwriting might be part of your multi-dimensional life as a parent, professional, caretaker, and more. 
• you have at least 6 original tunes to share.
• you can accompany yourself on your own instrument. 
• your songs may, or may not, include lyrics. maybe you are an instrumentalist?
• you have a smattering of experience sharing your tunes with an audience beyond friends and family. think an open mic or two.

Here's what doesn't need to be true for you.

• you don't need an active online presence or existing recordings. (it would be helpful to at least have a scratch recording or two for Cafe media purposes, but not required.)
• you don't have to have more than 6 songs
• you don't need to go acoustic
• you don't need to identify as a songwriter enough to want to quit your job and move to the Cities or Nashville. you just need to be writing the music you need to be writing.
• in the immortal words of Mary Oliver, You don't have to be good. 

If you've read this far and are still interested in joining us as a Cafe songwriter, I encourage you to read what you find here, listen to the KAXE interview (below) to hear the origin story of the Cafe, and send along a note (maryo [at] mudsong.net) that contains:

• an introduction
• your sentiments about what specifically sparks your interest in the Cafe structure and format
• any possible links or files to your tunes. again, not required.

• some dates we can meet up at an open mic or a future Cafe.

All my best, 
Mary O.

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