It is a place for all ages.

Everything is there. Pizza, beer and live music. Bread & Bagel is one place in Bowling Green that has allowed a place for local bands to play their music while everyone of all ages can come listen.

The music movement at Bread & Bagel began as a grassroots effort from employees and bands that wanted a place to play. Most of the advertisements in the beginning were by word of mouth.

It was last February that Emily Spence, a senior from Memphis, Tenn., began advertising the new music scene.

“After we got our liquor license, it made sense to start jumping off ideas about a place for bands to play,” Spence said. “For the past four years I’ve worked here, I gained a love for this place and music.”

April 2007 was the time when the music scene strengthened. One of the first bands that played in Bread & Bagel was local big band, Noisy Joy. Now, Bread & Bagel accepts any type of band, ranging from jazz to hard rock.

“Bread & Bagel is a great place for bands to pick-up shows,” Spence said. “There are not many places in Bowling Green, but Bread & Bagel is a place for someone from 10 to 100 that just wants to come and enjoy good music.”

Bread & Bagel tries to book as many shows a week as possible. On average there are two to three shows a week.

Spence said that Bread & Bagel is set in a good location that helps bands that may be traveling to another area get a show.

“Bowling Green is in a great part of the state,” she said. “It is between Nashville and Louisville and not far from Cincinnati. It is a great place that bands can pick-up a random show before they perform in larger cities.”

Jordan Pendley, an alumnus from Louisville and music promoter for Bread & Bagel, said Bowling Green is a surprising place to have a good music scene, but it does exist. Bread & Bagel just adds to that scene.

“There is a music scene without Bread & Bagel,” Pendley said. “It is just very isolated. Bread & Bagel opens up a door for musicians to walk through and an avenue for people of all ages to come and hear music from all over the country.”

Bands have come from different places such as New York, Portland, Ore., Austin, Texas and Chicago. Wednesday night a band from New York City, Via Audio, performed at Bread & Bagel.

Via Audio is an indie rock group that has toured all over the country. They just finished a tour with their last stop in Memphis. A friend of theirs contacted Pendley through MySpace and booked a show while they were still in the area.

Via Audio has also played in Japan with the band, Spoon. But coming to a smaller venue in Bowling Green was a great place for them to play one last show before going back home to Brooklyn, N.Y., said David Lizmi, bass player and singer.

“We’ve played in front of many types for crowds,” Lizmi said. “We’ve played in front of large crowds and biker bars. We just love the chance to see this great country, have fun and make a little gas money.”

Elizabethtown freshman Tyler Henry comes to every show to hear new kinds of music.

“It’s pretty cool what they do here,” Henry said. “It is a small venue, but it is open for everyone. It’s the best place to listen to music because of all the different types of music that plays here.”

Pendley said that although many groups, both large and small, have played at Bread & Bagel, including a few out of Nashville, having Via Audio play will help move the music scene in a new direction.

“It is pretty amazing to have Via Audio come play at Bread & Bagel,” he said. “They have played in many different areas, so this is a pivotal moment for Bread & Bagel. This is like karma for all of our hard work and booking efforts.”

Pendley also said that bringing in bands from other areas will help spread the word about Bread & Bagel as a venue. He hopes it becomes a new spot for touring musicians to come play.

“We would like to see everyone come and realize that Bowling Green and Bread & Bagel are worth the while,” he said. “Bowling Green has become more aware of the indie music scene. There is something to do in Bowling Green now. There is no excuse.”

Reach Jill Erwin at diversions@chherald.com.