T
om majerek: the man, the myth, the legend
Tom Majerek (left) is proud of booking the Peter Rowan Bluegrass Band for last summer's Niles Bluegrass Festival. Photo submitted by Tom Majerek
How a bookstore owner took a small-town music scene under his wing By AARON MUELLER aaron.mueller@leaderpub.com
I
t's easy to pick Tom Majerek out of the crowd during concerts at the Niles Riverfront Park Amphitheater, and not just because of the blindingly bright Hawaiian shirt and the Panama Jack hat he sports. He's the one wearing the endless grin from the very first note until the moment the stage is torn down. It's obvious that Majerek, who books all the bands and artists that come to the Niles Bluegrass Festival, Riverfest and the Summer Concert Series, loves his volunteer job. The owner of Majerek's Gift Shop and Majerek's Readers World in downtown Niles has brought in hundreds of bands in the 15 years he has been organizing entertainment in the area. This year Majerek booked some of the biggest acts the city has seen in a while, including Grammy Award-winning artist Peter Rowan, Cadillac Sky, Jypsi and Ali Baba's Tahini, featuring Niles native Jake Cinninger of Umphrey's McGee. It was also the first year the bluegrass festival featured carnival rides. But for Majerek, it's been a long process developing a music scene in Niles. Daydreaming When Majerek lived in Arizona in the early 1990s, his heart and mind were still very much in his hometown. "I got the Niles Daily Star delivered by mail," he said. "That's when they were doing a campaign to raise money for the amphitheater. So I would daydream about when I returned to Niles how there would be this cool concert venue that I
could have concerts at." In 1994, after returning to Niles, Majerek went to Riverfest and was a little disappointed. "I noticed they had a DJ and karaoke and maybe 20 people in front of the stage," he said. "I knew it could be better." The following year when Majerek was approached to donate money toward Riverfest, he agreed to sponsor a band if he could make the hire. That sparked his love for concert organizing and he's been in charge of entertainment for Riverfest ever since. His success booking for Riverfest led to him taking a stab at bringing "a younger, hipper concert scene" to Niles on Sunday nights during the summer. Majerek quickly developed a full contact list of bands in the area and began scheduling music three nights a week during the summer.
"rocker," Majerek says bluegrass is "the perfect live medium." He also tries to avoid featuring only pure bluegrass acts. "The type of music I like the most is a crossbreed of styles — like bluegrass and
Niles bluegrass is born Inspired by his success with booking bands for several years and trips to the Osceola Bluegrass Festival and MerleFest in North Carolina, Majerek took his most ambitious step in 2002 when he began the Niles Bluegrass Festival. Although he still consider himself a
rock 'n' roll," Majerek said. The eclectic slate of artists each year, he says, makes the festival truly unique. that, and the Niles Bluegrass Festival has always been free — and will remain that way, Majerek said. "There are some people in Michiana who can afford to go to Chicago for the
big events and concerts," he said. "But for most people, having a picnic lunch on the hill and getting to see good music is as good as it gets." The festival has grown every year to the point that in 2010 the four-day festival featured more than 20 local and nationally recognized acts.
“There are some people in Michiana who can afford to go to Chicago for the big events and concerts. But for most people, having a picnic lunch on the hill and getting to see good music is as good as it gets.” — Tom Majerek business owner, concert promoter
Keep them coming back It's 1 a.m. and the musicians of Cadillac Sky are unwinding in their hotel room after their show at the Niles Bluegrass Festival. But they realized their night was far from over when Majerek arrived at their door. "We kidnapped two of them and took them on a tour of Notre Dame," he said. "They got to see 'Touchdown Jesus' and the grotto and they thought it was really cool. I wanted to make the trip memorable so when they get the call that Niles wants you back, they're like 'Oh, yeah. We had
fun in Niles.'" But a lot of times, Majerek doesn't even need to make that call to invite artists back; they call back themselves. "We pay so little for the acts, but they keeping calling and emailing back that they want to come back," he said. "It's because of the cool vibe we have."
Majerek also does little things to make sure the musicians are taken care of while in Niles, like delivering pizza to their hotels or allowing them to stay at his home. Bringing in nationally-known bands like Cadillac Sky has put Niles on the music map. "In the last 10 years, we've made a name for Niles music," he said. "They know they can come to Niles three nights a week during the summer and get good, quality music." After the Ali Baba's Tahini show in August, fans of the band from outside the area approached Majerek. "They were amazed at how cool the scene was that night," Majerek said. All about the people So what possesses Majerek to invest countless hours into organizing concerts and festivals for free? "The most rewarding part of this is the people," he said. "Being able to have a relationship with the artists that's different from being a fan." Majerek gushes when he talks about meeting Peter Rowan, Stevie Coyle of the Waybacks and Tommy James. But just as important are the relationships he's developed with concert-goers. "A lot of the bands I discover come from the fans themselves," Majerek said. Majerek also loves to see people outside enjoying the community. "It gives us a reason to use that park," he said. "People just want to sit back and watch the world go by and watch the river go by. They always seem to come out when the concerts are going on." Looks like Majerek's daydream has come true.