Category > Previews
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.
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.
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 …
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 …
Good thing for places like The Iron Post, a live music joint universally known as a dive by all those who keep it real: it simply doesn’t matter what they look like. The focus has to be the music — because despite the budget PA, the rats living in the wall behind the speakers and the pair of dirty gym shoes that seem to stay planted next to the back cooler, no one provides a more genuine environment than a …
Mike ‘n Molly’s will be the place for you to see one of the better under-the-radar bands from the midwest tonight. The Silent Years, from Detroit, make a stop to perform alongside local punk stalwarts jigGsaw and Chicago’s own Victorian Halls. Their sound would fit nicely in the framework of Indie Rock General, but the way that frontman Josh Epstein delivers his vocals sets him apart from your average emerging artist. He reminds us of Ted Leo before he was …
House parties once ruled the CU music scene. On any given weekend in the late 90’s, there were at least 2-3 shows happening, usually in Urbana, before WUNA decided that rock music was a bad thing for their neighborhood. We can get into a discussion about WUNA another day, but evidently, this phoenix is ready to once again rise from the ashes. Despite the pervading internet rumor and press that our music scene is on a downturn, we think it …
Roses are red, violets are blue, sugar is sweet, and so are you. If what you seek are Valentine’s jollies, come to a rock show at Mike n’ Molly’s. For those who really want to feel the love tonight, get close to your fellow man (and woman) at Mike n’ Molly’s tonight, where the upstairs room will be opened up for a rowdy show sure to tug at your heartstrings. Friday Night Villain, hailing from Charleston, will be showcasing their …
Those who want to be generous in advance of Valentine’s Day and also want to taste a smattering of some of the more radical local bands around, stop by The Canopy Club this evening for The Vagina Monologues Benefit.
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/