WHAT: Kirby Jayes, Justin Tanaka WHERE: The Clark Bar (free) WHEN: Tuesday, April 24th at 7 p.m. This week's solo sets at The Clark Bar includes An Evening With Your Mother's guitarist Kriby Jayes and A Cool Hand's Justin Tanaka. Jayes just played with his band on Record Store Day, so he's back at it early in the week. <a data-cke-saved-href="http://aneveningwithyourmother.bandcamp.com/album/trees" href="http://aneveningwithyourmother.bandcamp.com/album/trees">Trees by An Evening With Your Mother</a>
Saturday marked the 5th annual celebration of an event that I hope stays around for a long time. Record Store Day came and went, and during the time I got to spend at Exile on Main Street throughout the day, the place was buzzing. I assumed I would be trying to file in between people to get around the store, and that is exactly what I got. Even if you only got to see a few acts, or you were …
Last night Cowboy Monkey played host to the tripped-out folk tunes of The Daredevil Christopher Wright as well as the familiar sounds of local favorites Santah and Common Loon. This show kicked off a three-stop tour with each band playing host for one show along the way. I’d say Common Loon, with a little help from homegrown Santah, did their part to start this tour off on the right foot. There was a great draw and a very positive vibe at the venue last …
The Holy Sabbath of independent music is upon us: Record Store Day 2012. The third weekend of April has been that sacred day for the last five years and is only picking up steam since it originated. In C-U we're lucky, because there are a lot of places around that don't really give a damn about music. I like to think we have a pretty great thing to brag about, and what's most important for the people of C-U? There's …
There must be something in the water in Wisconsin. Whatever it is, it makes really good beer (try New Glarus next time you're up north) and it makes for great music. The rise of Wisconsin bands has been chronicled very well thanks to a certain group you might have heard of, Bon Iver. But the Badger State has much more to offer than Justin Vernon's falsetto, in fact, there are a bevy of bands just from Eau Claire putting their …
Chicago's JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound play at the Highdive on Friday, April 20. Doors are at 7:30, the Thin Souls (who are quite difficult to Google effectively, sorry) take the stage at 8, and JCBUS go on at 9. Tickets are $10, both in advance and at the door.
It took mere moments for me to make up my mind about Duke of Uke and His Novelty Orchestra. I remember the first time I saw them perform more vividly than I do nearly any other chance musical encounter. They were performing at the Independent Media Center nearly two years ago, sandwiched between the mellow acoustic folk of Mean Lids and the raucous southern rock of Those Darlins. The crowd was quiet and subdued, settled into their seats in near …
Withershins will release their second full-length, Silver Cities, this Friday at Mike ‘N Molly’s. I sat down with singer/guitarist Isaac Arms last week over lunch at the Esquire. Smile Politely: Where did you guys record this at? Withershins' Isaac Arms: Earth Analog. Well, when we started it was called Great Western … Matt Talbott's studio out in Tolono, we did everything out there. We did about half of it live to tape, the rest to digital for sort of time-money …
I'll admit that I walked into John Prine's concert at the Virginia Theatre on Friday, April 13, expecting to be surrounded by aging professorial types. So, it came as a bit of a shock when, as I sat down in the balcony, I overheard a woman in the row behind me sharing a recollection of attending a U2 concert where "I took off my g-string and threw it onto the stage; it hit Bono's foot!" followed by a chorus of nicotine-stained laughs. Generalizing …
WHAT: J. Cole, Big K.R.I.T. WHERE: Assembly Hall ($23–$32) WHEN: Tuesday, April 17th at 7:30 p.m. The often over-hyped and often lackluster Campus Consciousness Tour makes its annual visit to the Assembly Hall with these two fellas Tuesday. A few years ago I went to this thing and saw Passion Pit get competely upstaged by Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, leaving PP's set about 20 minutes in. Big K.R.I.T. has a couple of pretty solid mixtapes out there, so …
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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/