All that changed one afternoon. I remember it vividly, just like yesterday. The sun was out; the leaves were rustling along to the soothing wind. Kids ran amok, crunching on fallen leaves as birds collectively chirped a singsong chorus. Flowers blossomed and the scent was of magnificent pines. The long and short of it is, a friend referred me to Fela Kuti.

“Dude, he has 27 wives.”

But as we all know, The Beatles giveth and The Beatles taketh away. The seeds that The Beatles have sown flowered into the honest croonings of Daniel Johnston. And some of those also became weeds known as Coldplay. But some got way too much of that untested chemical fertilizer. When that happened, The Residents' Meet The Residents sprouted.

That’s right, this StreetFest is a first in giving us a sampling of local delights. It’s got Headlights, with their upbeat melodic goodness and boy-girl vocal interplay. Elsinore, with their catchy choruses and laid-back riffs, will definitely entertain. Not to mention, Tall Tale, with piano keys trickling and the unapologetic pop voice. Let’s not forget, Krukid, bringing his tight beats and proudly African brand (no gangsta’ gimmickry over here) of rap.

At this point it doesn’t seem that appealing, does it? And with the war on terror raging, it may not be so patriotic to listen to a Brazilian band. In fact, there might be a law against bobbing your head to this. But before you start raising those mini flags and chanting, You-Es-Ey! You-Es-Ey!, imagine Brazil: the warm and gentle sunrays, laid back beaches, Mardi Gras. Yup, they sound exactly like that.

Don’t worry, I’ll assure you that I’m not going to yodel like a pretentious music geek and devote a whole paragraph to drop album references all over or yak about Captain Beefheart being an underappreciated musical genius.

( Ed. note: Andrew will be taking a fresh look at somewhat obscure, underappreciated older music with this regular column. )

England has Stonehenge, Peru: Machu Picchu. And this summer solstice, Champaign-Urbana can count on Krannert Center for the Performing Arts.

The Woody Woodward Trio along with singer Rachael Lee will be there, providing a stellar backdrop of jazz renditions on summer and the heavens.

Taking a plunge into soothing waves of the ocean? Lame. Buying ice cream and savoring it under the warmth of sun? Overrated.

Haven’t you guys heard of quality summer entertainment?

We're talking about the rolling repertory season that serves up romance, suspense and comedy. It’s the one and only Summer Studio Theatre Company.

In it’s 18th season, SSTC continues to look onwards with three meticulous plays: Talley’s Folly, The Last Five Days and The Turn of the Screw.

Tribal drums rain down, town folk flock over, bass and saxophone debate, but in the end, get together. Afro-Cuban drumming meets free jazz and flirts with electronica. And the ensemble is constituted of 11 members. My oh my, what do we have here?

Sonic Liberation Front, a Philadelphia based group, performs this Saturday at the Krannert Center for the Performing Arts. With their first album, Water and Stone, released in 2001, SLF continues to expand the all-encompassing genre known as jazz. Now with three albums and several collaborations ranging from free jazz pioneer James “Sunny” Murray to alternative television producer Termite TV Collective, SLF is set to push the boundaries of music.

Bows up, eyes alert, as this Sunday, National Public Radio host Garrison Keillor conducts the Champaign-Urbana Symphony. Together with music director Steven Larsen, whose 11 years amidst C-U Symphony is sure to provide an exceptional experience.

Expect humor, bow ties, upright citizens and of course, passionate music.

Keillor is best known for NPR's radio variety show, A Prairie Home Companion or for Disney fans, Odin's voice in animated series Hercules. The Minnesota native boasts of books, audio cassettes and poetry, all entangled in his quirky sense of humor.