Relaxation – it's the key to enjoying a Saturday night at Beaner's Central in West Duluth, and the regulars know it. Last Saturday, Feb. 22, regulars made their way to the local concert coffeehouse, plopped down in comfortable positions on the couch, let their eyes adjust to the dim lights and listened to the live music.
“Can I get a little more guitar in my monitor?” asked vocalist Rory Isakson into the microphone. His voice drowned out the chatter of fans and customers mulling about before the show.
Known by its nickname, Beaner’s was started by owner Jason Wussow in 1999 and has since become a staple of the Duluth music scene.
“It’s not just a place. It’s a collection of people,” said Isakson, singer and acoustic guitarist for the local band Space Carpet.
“It’s a community," Isakson said. "There are a lot of familiar faces and that’s the nicest thing for me. It’s special because of all the people I’ve gotten to know.”
Throughout the day, the crowd morphs and changes constantly. The morning environment is very different from the younger, artsy crowd that occupies the space on evenings and weekends.
“In the mornings there are more adults on their way to work," said Wussow. “There’s even a group of retired teachers that meet here every week on Tuesday mornings. They're all pretty old now but they just come to hang out and keep in touch.”
Both customers and workers tend to become a part of the community and come back often. Isakson said that his band is a regular performer at Beaner's and loves coming back to play.
“A lot of workers have stayed for a long time,” said Wussow. “Chris (has worked) over 10 years, Pat for about eight, Jess for four ... And Pete helped out with the door pretty much as a volunteer for over 14 years.”
“It’s a second home to me pretty much,” said Pete Cich, who works taking admissions. “You just wanna see this place survive. It’s an honor to be a part of this place.”
Isakson, who is a long time friend of Wussow, helped paint the building back when it was opened.
“I was just a kid back when it started,” he said. “My dad used to play with Jason and I was here all the time. And this was the first place I ever played live.”
Wussow decided to keep Beaners open to all ages in order to give underaged, upcoming musicians like Isakson a place to play.
While it does have a liquor license, it doesn’t exclude those who are not of age. They function like any other restaurant and are required to ask for the I.D. of anyone who orders alcohol.
“It was something I thought was needed when I opened it,” said Wussow, who was just 23 at the time and remembered how difficult it was to be an underage musician.
“I was 23, and before you’re 21, there are so few spots for original musicians to play,” said Wussow. “Places for all ages are really hard to find and there needed to be more spots like that.”
Wednesday nights are open mic night at Beaner’s. Artists of all ages and genres come to play and listen to a wide variety of performers.
“A lot of emerging young bands end up at open mic night,” said Wussow. “If they’re up and coming I’ll put em’ in an opening spot. It’s easy to gain a foot in the door. They’re able to bring their underage friends since it’s all ages.”
Although a significant number of those that perform at Beaner’s are from the Duluth area, there are also those that come on national and international tours.
“We’ve had bands from, I think, nine different countries,” said Wussow. “Places like Finland, Germany, Australia and almost every state from all over the country.”
There have been lots of huge, big-act bands that started at Beaner’s as well. According to Wussow, acts like Mason Jennings, Trampled By Turtles, Low, Charlie Parr and Bo Rasmey all played there before making it big.
With so many different artists from different backgrounds, the variety of genres is vast. From bluegrass to hip-hop and classical to folk.
“I think I’ve seen literally every type of music there is,” said Cich.
Wussow says it’s his goal to make everyone feel comfortable and at home, like they’re a part of the Beaner’s family.
“It’s a pretty big list of great people who support,” he said. “It’s pretty amazing how many people just want the place to keep going.”