Straight-line winds blew away The Cabin Restaurant & Lounge's sign, but there's still a skeleton signpost out front announcing hours and events. This rustic space is an actual cabin.
Karaoke, pool tournaments, open mic nights, and plenty of live music happen here amid a bar and restaurant, which serves, among other things, a really good, fresh-not-frozen cheeseburger with tater tots for $5.
Perhaps the best way for newcomers to find The Cabin is to look for it immediately north of Trailhead Pizza, also on the east side of Ind. 446. (The Cabin's address is 4015 S. Ind. 446.)
The live music schedule progressed gradually, said David Davila Gonzalez, Bloomington performer and a singer-songwriter from Costa Rica who goes by Davila. His band Matixando also performs original songs and covers in English and Spanish with a Latin fusion trio called Nomàs.
A song for the bartender, a job for the singer
Sometimes it pays to sing "Happy Birthday" to a stranger. As leader of Matixando Productions, Davila organizes musical experiences in many styles. He resisted visiting The Cabin one night a few years ago.
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"I don't know. I'm not sure," he told the friend who had invited him to an open mic there. Davila ended up singing to the bartender. A big birthday party ensued, friends were made, and a business partnership emerged.
Davila began working with owners of The Cabin, Jake and Shannon Skinner. Shannon even ended up selling her house to Davila and his wife, Katie Beck.
Now Davila books all The Cabin's live music — and there are plenty — and Jake Skinner manages the twice-weekly pool tournaments and karaoke, as well as any other non-band events. Jake is also the chef and Shannon Skinner tends bar part time.
Five days and nights per week, The Cabin offers all-day breakfast, a remarkable $5 burger with tots and a menu of live entertainment. Regarding that burger, Davila asked Jake, "How do you do it for $5? It's great."
"When people come to The Cabin, they won't forget that burger," Jake told him.
Breakfast is served starting early on Saturdays and Sundays, at 8 a.m.
Matixando Productions brings in live music
Matixando Productions is a Bloomington music production company curating musical experiences across the style spectrum, including jazz, rock, funk, folk, Latin and bluegrass.
Freedom to experiment has been a bonus for Davila, who said the Skinners give him leeway to choose the live music. For instance, as part of his project, he has brought in a "Women's Artist Night."
The Davila-Skinner venture has been revving up as customers catch on. Some notice that (nameless) signage or the rustic structure as they pass by on 446. Others, who are camping or boating, come in from nearby Paynetown and Hardin Ridge state recreation areas. Indiana University students gather inside and out; there's a patio on the building's south side.
The patio holds at least 60 people, Davila said. At first, Matixando performed often, but he needed additional sounds.
"Sometimes, on Brazilian night, we have 100 people dancing."
No cover charge, and dogs are welcome (on a leash of course)
"The relationship has been good for the restaurant and good for the musicians," Davila said. It has also been good for the community, providing food, drink and diversion in a location that's not familiar to many.
To make it affordable, the Skinners leave cover charges off the menu. Just donations.
"We don't want people to drive out here and then have to pay to get in," Davila said.
At 85 pounds and growing, Winston, a poodle-Newfoundland crossbreed, often greets patrons. He sits or lies at people's feet, and his owner, bartender Sue Mills, has trained him to ignore customers' meals.
Dogs on leash are welcome both outside on the patio and inside. "Just not in the kitchen," Mills said.
Last month, patron Anita Shields came to hear local musician Bob Jones "play his fiddle with coat hangers." Early on, Jones would entertain by switching out his bow for a hanger. Soon he graduated to using several hangers at the same time, one of a list of unusual reasons to try The Cabin.
Hours and more at The Cabin Restaurant and Lounge
The Cabin opens at 11 a.m. Wednesday through Friday and 8 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. It's closed Monday and Tuesday.
For details on events, menu and hours call The Cabin at 812-323-9654. Also see The Cabin Restaurant on Facebook. To learn more about Matixando Productions, visitmatixando.org/.
If you want to see Bob Jones, local fiddler with hangers, visithttps://shorturl.at/pMMgY.
