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Tommy moved to Champaign-Urbana from Louisville, KY in 1997. He briefly studied German at the University of Illinois before realizing he didn't like sauerkraut. He delivers buckets of sheep brains at the Parkland Instruction Materials Center, runs shows at the Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center, sits on couches at the Nicodemus Agency, and runs the local promoting group bleebloop.
Last week, when I heard that Error House had been shut down, my heart sank. Such a wonderful and safe all ages venue, run by selfless musicians, helping fill the void that the Red Herring, Channing Murray, and many other venues and houses once filled — gone in a flash.
Scrambling to relocate their shows, they managed to put together some last minute arrangements with the boys of So Long Forgotten to move their tour-kickoff show to The Green Wolf, a farm house on the western outskirts of Champaign.
More videos after the jump.
The event consisted of 7 acoustic acts, utilized no microphones whatsoever and took place in a garage. What really made this show special, though, was the connection between the audience and the musicians. Singing along was heavily encouraged (as might be noticeable in some of the videos), and many performers conversed with the audience as if they were all old friends. This show was definitely a highlight of my summer.
My Epic
Wabash
Todd Reese
A.P. Swearengin
Good Night and Good Morning
Comments (3)
Wednesday, July 9, 2008 6:18 PM
As an aside, since first hearing of this place, I was confused.
All ages is all right in my book. But, unlike the Channing Murray's Red Herring (or the IMC and house parties that still put on the shows for the kids), for some reason, the Error House charged $5-$12 a pop.
Why?
Sure, bands should be paid, but it always tickles me perversely when there's steep door charges associated with something run by "selfless" anyones.
Or maybe this new "business-model" house party of late run by the selfless in this town has less interest in the kids' ears than it does to their wallets.
Maybe. I dunno. Still confused.
Thursday, July 10, 2008 12:27 AM
Glad that this show ended up finding a location. So Long Forgotten has developed into a really great band.
Thursday, July 10, 2008 12:58 AM
Sician, that is a legitimate concern. Anything more than 5 bucks for a house show does seem a little steep to me, but it doesn't really change anything about my opinion of those running the venue. They did NOT make any money - at all. If anything they LOST money. The claim that they were "running a business" is completely false and unfounded. It was a not-for-profit venue.
Entrance prices ALWAYS reflect the quality of the performances (as determined by the person running the venue or promoting). If a big band is playing, they raise the price. I know Error House had a few shows with some bigger hardcore bands and they charged at least $10, but that's because the bands were worth it, and deserved the money.
The quotes you see in the News Gazette article were taken from the zoning administrator, Kevin Phillips, who had never actually been to a show or documented the flow of money at their venue. No one at the News Gazette attended a show, or even interviewed anyone at the house. They decided to put a bad spin on it, without gathering any facts, presented it to the zoning administrator, and shut down the venue.
Mr. Phillips' quotes make it sound like they were having wild parties there every week. Error House was quiet, drug free, alcohol free, and violence free. None of these things can be said for the parties held in campus apartments or frat houses (who charge cover...) every week, yet Mr. Phillips decided to focus in on this one completely harmless house and shut it down.
Look around, and tell me how many venues we have for bands with members younger than 19. How many? One. That's IMC, and it's barely holding together as it is. Red Herring doesn't do shows, Channing Murray doesn't do shows, and the Savoy Rec Center costs an arm and a leg. And for a band that doesn't even want to run through a PA, playing at IMC isn't always the best fit, so what other options do they have? Playing houses - er, I mean...none.
These kids have a lot of passion and a lot of desire to perform, but we are preventing them from doing it by demonizing them and making unfounded claims about them trying to get rich. Please, before you make any judgment calls, see it for yourself and talk to the people running these shows. I can guarantee that they will be friendly and compassionate, even if you don't thrust 10 bucks in their faces.