Tom Gorman, a veteran in the Bowling Green music scene, has been playing his songs for more than 30 years. Here in the city, Gorman has played restaurants, clubs, coffee shops, and the Black Swamp Arts Festival - he understands just how important music is to Bowling Green.

"You see somebody who's a folk musician or an acoustic musician sitting next to a guitar player or chatting with a bass player or drummer from a rock band, watching a funk group", says Gorman. "Everybody's respecting each other and learning from each other."

The local music scene is a rich, cultural experience, with dozens of bands representing even more genres. From garage rock to jazz, orchestral to experimental, Bowling Green has a slice of musical paradise to suit everyone's tastes and interests.

Live music can be found across the town. Venues including Howard's Club H, Nate and Wally's Fishbowl, and Tubby's Tavern are well situated to host larger rock bands. One 49 North hosts a weekly Jazz Night on Wednesdays, while Grounds for Thought books family-friendly shows from a variety of genres.

The University has a large influence on the local music scene. University groups like the BGSU Men's Chorus, A Cappella Choir, and Wind Ensemble offer a brand of music that audiences would be hard-pressed to find in one of the clubs along Main Street.

The University also contributes indirectly to the music scene by bringing students from all over the world to Bowling Green. Musicians on campus have a tendency to find other artists around them, resulting in bands like Stop Don't Stop, Traveling by Sea, and Parse. Students from the University also comprise a large percentage of the audiences at shows around town.

"By having all these different groups, it's what keeps people out. It keeps the scene going; there's a reason to go out," explains Mark Gerolami, a member of the formerly BG-based "newgrass" group The Student Loan.

Perhaps the largest musical event of the year is the annual Black Swamp Arts Festival, held every September in downtown Bowling Green. During the festival a mix of local, national, and international bands alike are brought together for a weekend of live music. The festival offers several stages located throughout the downtown area, each featuring a blend of musical genres.

"It's kind of hard to imagine Bowling Green without that festival now," says Gorman. "That came along and really changed the town, I think. It really increased opportunities and visibility for artists and musicians alike."

Kelly Wicks, longtime resident of Bowling Green and owner of Grounds for Thought is active in supporting the music scene, both through his store and his longtime involvement in the Black Swamp Arts Festival. "[Bowling Green is] not Chicago or L.A. or New York - it can't be, and we don't want it to be. But if you scratch the surface a little bit, you'll find a lot of cool people doing interesting things."