For a fun and eccentric place that features the best musicians around, The Village Idiot— the area’s beloved pizza bar and musical institution— is once again presenting live performances.
The Idiot, on Conant St. in Maumee, gained recognition by hosting some of the best of the area’s live music for decades. The variety of multi-genre musicians that have taken the Idiot’s stage is a huge part of their appeal— Alternative, Country, Funk, you name it, you can hear it at the Idiot. “We have a passion for music,” explains John Schafer, the venue’s owner. “We like any [band or musician] who can play.”
You will find local and national acts performing at this hotspot. Jazz night is Sunday and the house band plays every other Friday. Fan favorite musicians who’ve performed there include Wanda Jackson, Ray Wylie Hubbard, The Bottle Rockets, Chris Knight, Billy Joe Shaver, The Dead South and Oliver Hazard.
Almost 10,000 consecutive nights
Music at the bar is a tradition. The Village Idiot boasted of live music being played, uninterrupted, every day of the year. In fact, the streak was headed for a milestone of two decades when it was interrupted by the pandemic. “We were [affected by] the COVID stuff,” says Schafer. “It would’ve been 20 years of live music playing seven nights a week. It came to an end. We were approaching almost 10,000 nights.”
Well, now it’s time to start a new streak. The Village Idiot— post-COVID— is filling the empty spots on their schedule to book talent. “Right now, we’re kind of doing a rotation. [We] got painted into a corner. Many bands want to play. You have your favorites and you start running out of dates. We were trying to find more slots for different bands because for a long time we would have the same bands on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc. so there was some familiarity, says Schafer, adding, “Now, we’re able to bring more [bands] in due to availability.”
For the latest on upcoming music events at the Idiot, check out their event calendar on
Facebook or Instagram. 309 Conant St.,
Maumee. 419-893-7281 or 419-893-2318.
villageidiotmaumee.com.
facebook.com/villageidiotmaumee.
instagram.com/villageidiot309conant
