--- title: "13 Minutes to Shine: From Mixtapes to Main Street, Building St. Cloud’s Music Community" description: Explore St. Cloud's independent music scene with Mike Lardy, from the Java Joint to the B Side Cafe, and discover how he's helping the next generation. --- [Skip to content](https://blog.stcloudshines.com/blog/mike-lardy-13-minutes-to-shine#main-content) [Hmoob](https://www.stcloudshines.com/hmoob/) [Pусский](https://www.stcloudshines.com/pусский/) [Soomaali](https://www.stcloudshines.com/soomaali/) [Español](https://www.stcloudshines.com/espanol/) [Tiếng Việt](https://www.stcloudshines.com/tieng-viet/) [![St. Cloud Shines](https://blog.stcloudshines.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Shines_Logo-Orange.png?width=1944&height=799&name=Shines_Logo-Orange.png "St. Cloud Shines")](https://www.stcloudshines.com/) - [Our Community](https://www.stcloudshines.com/our-community/) - [Things To Do](https://www.stcloudshines.com/things-to-do/) - [Jobs & Careers](https://www.stcloudshines.com/jobseeker-careers/) - [Education](https://www.stcloudshines.com/education/) - [Resources](https://www.stcloudshines.com/resources/) - [Blog](https://www.stcloudshines.com/blog/) - [Our Community](https://www.stcloudshines.com/our-community/) - [Things To Do](https://www.stcloudshines.com/things-to-do/) - [Jobs & Careers](https://www.stcloudshines.com/jobseeker-careers/) - [Education](https://www.stcloudshines.com/education/) - [Resources](https://www.stcloudshines.com/resources/) - [Blog](https://www.stcloudshines.com/blog/) # 13 Minutes to Shine: From Mixtapes to Main Street, Building St. Cloud’s Music Community by [St. Cloud Shines](https://blog.stcloudshines.com/blog/author/st-cloud-shines) | Oct 20, 2026, 11:01:00 AM Mike's love of music started the way it did for a lot of kids growing up in the early '90s: swapping tapes with friends and recording whatever happened to come on the radio. His early mixtapes were an eclectic combination of LL Cool J, Garth Brooks, Nirvana, Soundgarden, and probably a few other artists that had no business sharing the same cassette. Then, one day in band class, a friend introduced him to NOFX. That was it. Mike was hooked on punk rock, and listening to music wasn't enough anymore. He wanted to be a musician himself. Growing up outside Rockville on a dirt road made that slightly more complicated. The music, venues, other musicians, and even good places to skateboard were in St. Cloud. So when Mike turned 16 and got a car, he loaded up his drums and skateboard and headed downtown. Finding a Place at the Java Joint As a kid, Mike had experienced live music mostly through big concerts. His mom took him to shows like the B-52s and Janet Jackson, so concerts meant arenas, big stages, and professional musicians. Discovering the Java Joint in downtown St. Cloud completely changed his perception of what making music could look like. For the first time, he saw that people like him could start a band, book a show, play for an audience, find fans, and become part of a local music scene. The opportunity to actually participate instead of simply watching *mattered*. Mike isn't sure he would have continued making music after high school if he hadn't found a place like the Java Joint. The venue also introduced him to people who helped shape the local music scene. One of them was Xakk (“Zach”) Asphodel, who booked bands at the Java Joint and still DJs at KVSC today. To a 16-year-old Mike, Xakk was a somewhat intimidating punk rock icon with a leather jacket and a foot-tall pink mohawk. More importantly, he had connections throughout the punk scene and brought touring bands from across the country to St. Cloud. In the 1990s, national touring punk bands regularly came through this relatively small Central Minnesota community. For young musicians like Mike, it meant there was always something happening and something to work toward. Looking back, he credits Xakk and the Java Joint with helping foster a music community that had a lasting impact on him. Why an All-Ages Music Scene Matters The Java Joint was located at 710 W. St. Germain Street, right in downtown St. Cloud. Mike called it the "mecca for independent music" in town at the time. When it closed a couple of decades ago, St. Cloud's all-ages music scene changed significantly. Pop-up shows and other efforts emerged over the years, but there wasn't the same consistent home for young musicians. Mike believes having that starting point matters more than people might realize. His own experience followed a natural progression. He started by playing all-ages shows at the Java Joint. In his 20s, he played in bands in the college scene and at places like the Red Carpet. Eventually, there were opportunities to continue growing as a musician and even make a little money doing it. Without those early all-ages opportunities, that progression is much harder. Young musicians need somewhere to play their first show, meet other musicians, and figure out what they're doing before they're old enough or experienced enough to play established venues. Over the past decade or so, Mike has watched the local music scene ebb and flow, including fewer opportunities within the 21-plus scene than there once were. He sees a connection between that and the lack of a consistent place for younger musicians to get started. Bringing an All-Ages Venue Back Downtown A few years ago, Mike was asked to join the board of the Independent Music Collaborative. The organization eventually purchased a building downtown and opened the B Side Cafe, creating something St. Cloud hadn't consistently had in years: an all-ages, safe and sober music venue where everyone is welcome. For Mike, the importance of the B Side is closely tied to what the Java Joint gave him decades earlier. He knows firsthand what can happen when a teenager who loves music has a real place to go for that interest. Without Java Joint, he says he probably wouldn't still be involved in the music scene in the way he is today. The B Side has only been open for about a year, so Mike knows it will take time to see what grows from it. His hope is that it can help foster another generation of musicians and strengthen the larger local music community in the process. A young person might start by playing an all-ages show, eventually move into the college or 21-plus scene, join new bands, record music, or continue creating in ways they can't predict yet. That kind of progression doesn't happen automatically. It needs places where people can begin. What's Happening Under the Hood Greater St. Cloud has more happening within its arts and music community than someone outside of it might realize. Mike points to places like the Wirth Center for the Performing Arts, located near B Side, where kids can participate in a rock band program and begin making music around age 11. At that age, Mike hadn't even started playing an instrument yet. Today, young musicians can have opportunities to learn, play with other kids, and begin seeing themselves as musicians years earlier. Those programs, schools, venues, and community spaces are all part of a larger ecosystem. As Mike puts it, “If you're not part of the scene, you might not have the opportunity to 'look under the hood' and see how much goes into keeping it going.” Local music doesn't simply appear when a band takes the stage. It starts much earlier, with access to instruments, arts programs, teachers, places to practice, venues willing to host shows, and people willing to support them. Making Music on His Own Terms Mike's interest in music has never been limited to performing. He's also always wanted to make and record his own music. Professional studio time can be expensive, so he started with what he had: a tape player in an old trailer house. Over the years, that simple setup grew into a studio space at his home. It's now the place Mike goes when he wants to create, get something done, or simply have a quiet space to himself. Having his own recording space was always a dream, and today he tries to use it whenever he gets the chance. That creative part of his life influences much more than his music. Mike says making music and art also informs how he approaches his business, career, and professional life. Creativity has remained a constant, even as the ways he uses it have changed. Staying Close to Home When asked why he's chosen to stay and build his life in Greater Central Minnesota, Mike initially had a very practical answer: he really likes the taste of the well water where he grew up. So much so that he bought a house about a mile and a half away. While the well-water answer may make you laugh, the bigger reason is family and connection. Mike was born in St. Cloud, his family is here, his wife's family is here, and their nieces and nephews are about the same age as their own kids. They get to be part of each other's everyday lives without needing plane tickets or waiting for holidays to bring everyone together. He also loves the changing seasons and the familiar unpredictability of a Minnesota fall day, when the leaves are changing, and you can't quite decide whether it's cool enough for a sweatshirt. It's a small detail, but it's part of what makes this place feel like home. Greater St. Cloud: Build Your Community Here When asked to fill in the blank, "Build your \_\_\_\_\_\_ here," Mike's first thought was "life." But the more fitting answer, especially for someone who cares so much about downtown, local business, music, and the people who make those things possible, was community. "Build your community here." For Mike, there's a difference between simply living somewhere and actively being part of it. Community includes family and friends, but it also includes business owners, colleagues, artists, musicians, organizations, and people who choose to put time and energy into making the place they live in better. "It's everybody coming together with a similar goal in mind," he says. Mike's own story is a pretty good example. As a teenager from outside Rockville, he found a community waiting for him in downtown St. Cloud. The Java Joint gave him a place to play music, meet people, and discover that being a musician was something he could actually do. Decades later, he's still here, still making music, and now helping create that kind of space for the next generation. That's the kind of community Mike believes in: one where people don't just benefit from what's here, but help build what comes next. That's Greater St. Cloud, and that's something worth building. #StCloudShines [![Discover more of what Greater St. Cloud has to offer!  Explore St. Cloud Shines resources and learn how you can make the most of life in our community. 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