When the temperatures are a little more friendly, the streets of downtown Bloomington can sometimes host impromptu jam sessions.
This was the case in September 2010, when The Extraordinaires parked their van in a prime location and turned a street corner into their own concert stage.
While on tour, the group booked a last-minute show at The Bishop with no advance notice or publicity. As such, they were playing their music on the corner of Kirkwood and Grant Streets in the hopes of convincing some passers-by to attend the show that evening.
I asked them to give me their pitch.
We have flyers and he has a sword fish guitar. I play the trumpet. We have a gun with 9MM blanks that we like to fire off during the show. There will be confetti. And we also play music!
The Extraordinaires are from Philadelphia. They list their influences as everything from ragtime and country to the Muppets-and maybe 1990's R&B artists and fellow Philadelphia natives Boyz 2 Men. Their rendition of Boyz 2 Men's 2003 hit "Motown Philly" was the most popular request of the afternoon.
The Extraordinaires will be back in Bloomington for a show at the Bishop on Saturday, March 5. If the weather is nice, consider taking a stroll downtown that afternoon. Perhaps you'll catch the band performing another informal set on an unsuspecting street corner.