Stephen Ucherek and Joe Prokop know a little something about perseverance. Now in their 10th year as bandmates in one of Champaign’s most beloved psych-rock acts of all time, The Living Blue, the quartet (with what seems to finally have a stable rhythmic core) are gearing up to release their fourth album together, and second as The Living Blue, Walk, Talk, Rhythm, Roam.
Alright folks! Now’s your chance to do some sizzling of your own! Check out the picture below and comment on it. If your caption beats mine, I’ll let you have an autographed copy of the highly-acclaimed Hedlites album, Sum Racing, Sum Stopping.
If Illinois is Renaissance Italy, Urbana’s Paul Kotheimer is the Leonardo Da Vinci of the home studio. Originally from Chicago, he’s been making his home in Urbana for nearly fifteen years. A little story about Paul: once a local songwriter told Paul that she was interested in starting a collective of local musicians. Surprised, Paul responded that he had been acting, for years, as if there already were a collective of local musicians. He helps out everywhere, often for free: …
Of all the fresh-faced rock and roll upstarts who call Champaign-Urbana home, there are only a handful who have experienced the evasive place called fame. It’s the place where hard work and serendipity meet. Lucky for Headlights, fame has opened the door and waved them through, and lucky for us, they are truly keeping their friends close, and the city they call home closer. Currently halfway through their cross-country tour (which guitarist/vocalist Tristan Wraight chronicles in our Tour Diary), the …
Recently, Champaign-Urbana has been lucky to be on the receiving end of the influx of talent being developed 120 miles east of C-U in Indianapolis. The “biggest small town in the world” has developed some of the more interesting artists in the Midwest as of late, and one of those without question is the one man avant po-dunk player, David Adamson, better known as Grampall Jookabox.
The Canopy Club, Feb. 28th, 2008 William: Opening with a vigorously plodding country number, Jessica Lea Mayfield’s opening set soon accumulated rock mass, with bowed upright bass and jagged electric guitar. The result is a restrained southern violence, a thunderhead sweeping across the gentle delta. The band wear suits and each countrified ballad is delivered like an important piece of hard-earned wisdom. Mayfield mentions she is from a musical family; the bassist is Jessica’s brother. The drummer uses brushes and …
After almost nine months of being MIA, college rock favorites Santa are returning to the stage to promote their debut extended player, My Bones. Each member spent their requisite semester abroad in the fall, and during that time, sharply readjusted their focus and their sound: they are no longer your trustafarian roommate’s favorite local band. They have shed much of their neo-hippie sounds for a much crisper and tighter display of rock music that is akin to the likes of …
There was a day when I avoided big “rawk” shows like the plague. Now I don’t mind them all too much, but big bands like these generally bring big egos which bring lots of headaches to my world on show days. That being said, I’ve learned that I cannot avoid them forever, and I seem to be working them more and more all the time. Over the last few years I’ve promoted some club-level shows with bands that have either …
Imagine: You’re in a suburban field in east Memphis in the middle of a sweltering summer afternoon. You’ve walked past a stand selling Pronto Pups, and one hawking Red Man spit-and-chew tobacco; behind the curtain of one booth you can see the world’s smallest horse, and behind another you can see a spider with a human head. You realize that the Delta Fair and Music Festival is quite a misnomer: this is a suburban county fair. You’ve come here to …
With their recently released sophomore album, Some Racing, Some Stopping, in their hot little hands, local indie-pop darlings Headlights take to the half-pipes and highways on the first leg of their North American tour. Guitarist and vocalist Tristan Wraight reports from the road. February 16th. The Void Skate Shop. Lexington, KY. It’s impossible to leave for tour on time. No matter how well you plan, you are certain to forget at least two things that you really wanted to bring. …
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Most Recent Music Comments
represent, Matt.
Yeah, I’d agree that Transporter Room 3 is the worst house venue I’ve ever seen.
*slow. clap.* Still offering no threat of intelligence…. I know I said I thought you should just write this whole column yourself next year, Isaac, but now that you’ve gone and taken a “part deux” run at it, I’d like to modify my request: Best Music 2013,…
Actually, it’s kind of nice, the quiet. John Heoffleur’s engaging commentary/dialogue is sorely missed, however. In lieu of someone intelligent saying something, I’ve compiled a list of Honourable Mentions: BEST ROCK BAND: Take Care ::these gentlemen have four completely different sets at their disposal right now (which…
What? Echo! (Echo!) Where’s the dischord and dissent?
That article almost looks like something out of The Onion
Thanks! I’m looking forward to writing even more….
Yay! Love this! Welcome to the family!
that last photo’s a doozie, Chris. good work.
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Most Recent Comments
Did the Crave Truck get a permit to park in city metered spots and city right of way? Or did they just get a permit? The city clerk’s office seems to be a suspect here, but it’s not clear they did anything wrong. Did the Crave Truck…
High-profile whining. AKA Lobbying.
it’s quite choice. looking forward to seeing how it and its patronage grow and develop over the course of the year. could be a neat little ecosystem.
“It was at this point, before he started his business, that working with city employees should’ve raised red flags…” But they didn’t because: 1) The City Clerk’s office originally mis-interpreted the rules, or are indeed re-interpreting them. 2) Champaign’s brick-n-mortar merchants hadn’t yet started whining about The Crave Truck.
Super cool! Excellent track, Excellent band.
Looking forward to trying this place!
I’m in the middle (or the beginning or end, depending on how you look at it) of re-reading Slaughterhouse Five. What a great companion column.
Get yours early. The Rave’s CD will be available at Exile and at The C-U Flea on Saturday. C-U Flea details here: http://www.smilepolitely.com/news/sp_radio_podcast_c-u_flea_arrives/
I don’t know about Gerard and a random police sargeant. My (mild) outrage is based on this: “...he worked closely with Champaign City Clerk Marilyn Banks to make sure he was licensed properly as a transient food peddler, filling out the necessary paperwork and paying a $225…
Local Yocal pretty much nails it here. I suspect there will be merchants who oppose food trucks because they arguably don’t pay their fair share to locate their trucks in high traffic (high rent) areas. The food trucks take away business from rent payers, park in city…
Oh nice! I’d totally vote for Matt Campbell!
“Smile Politely sports writer announces candidacy for city government.”
I also got to visit Big Grove Tavern during the soft open and definitely enjoyed the pork belly the most of all the dishes I sampled. The cheesy grits and the vinegary pickled vegetables were a perfect compliment to the rich pork belly.
The Alan Partridge lookalike on the right in the first small photo has nothing to condescend to anyone about. AH HA!
Snell and the little Hitlers of the neighborhood association need to chill out. Legitimate businesses should have the freedom to exist without having to endure the slings and arrows of ignorant and misguided opposition.
represent, Matt.
Yeah, I’d agree that Transporter Room 3 is the worst house venue I’ve ever seen.
Food trucks are the start-up, small businesses of the future for those unable to afford real estate. No surprise, that merchants who pay rent, utilities, and maintenance on a property would despise the traveling competition. Or developers who build more empty retail spaces would want to close…
Not so much far-right Tea Party as a balanced, moderate viewpoint between letting businesses succeed and protecting society with reasonable regulations. In spite of what the city reps are saying, the interpretation of policy on this issue certainly has changed. Letting a business start up under one…
I think it’s neat that SP has turned rightward, now espousing a Tea Party-style frustration with government regulations & taxes.
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Get yours early. The Rave’s CD will be available at Exile and at The C-U Flea on Saturday. C-U Flea details here: http://www.smilepolitely.com/news/sp_radio_podcast_c-u_flea_arrives/