Say it ain't so, Bellcaster.

After almost a full year hiatus, downtown rockers Bellcaster will hit the stage again tonight at the last indie venue standing, Mike N' Molly's. And then, they will hang it up.

For good, in fact.

The reason? Drummer Michael Allen is moving to Vermont with his wife, Jane Boxall, another local percussion hero known for lugging a full-sized marimba about town and performing the community into a trance.

We Midwesterners have to stick together. Broken Spindles is the solo project of one Joel Peterson, a member of The Faint and the one-off project Beep Beep, all out of Omaha, Neb.

The music is what you might expect from a Faint side project, interesting little combinations of electronica, sparse piano, and moody, moody indie rock. With a limited palette and a one-man, lo-fi vibe, Spindles are quite diverse, ranging from electro-orchestral instrumental excursions to more, straightforward guitar-driven pop.

During the original flourishing of what is often referred to now as Americana or “old-time” music, the American south was rife with a musical integration that stood in sharp contrast to the strictest segregation in the country. Musicians both black and white played country music, and prior to its codification in the commercialism of Nashville, certain old-time country songs were indistinguishable from the blues and gospel that heavily informed them.

Sleepy downtown Urbana is a diamond in the rough around these parts. The fact that you can always get a table at Crane Alley or squeeze into the Iron Post for a jazz show may be troubling to the owners of the joints at times, but to consumers, it leaves a lasting impression; these are places where everybody might literally know your name if you give them your time (and money).

Lincoln Square Village will be crawling with hundreds of audiophiles starting as early as doors will allow, this Saturday, May 17 at 8 a.m. The annual Vintage Vinyl sale begins at the crack of dawn (for those the love to r-a-w-k). Those waiting in line usually can be found scanning their prepared list of records to hunt for as soon as they step foot in the sale.

The folks at the Canopy Club love local music. And so do we.

Tonight the Canopy will host an evening of local performances, dubbed "A Tribute to Local Bands." The schedule features nearly everyone that can play an instrument in town — and their mothers. (Well, maybe not moms, though given the weekend it wouldn't be a bad idea.) If you can't find something in this lineup to appeal to your ears, well, you just aren't listening. So away we go with the enormous roster.

Anyone who grew up in these "twin towns" knows about the Chester Street Bar. During Reagan's first and second terms, when tolerance about the LGBT lifestyle was far lower than it is now, the bar was uniformly stereotyped as such: a gay bar. Now, since Ellen came out of the closet on television and people like RuPaul and Carson Kressley were almost universally embraced, Chester Street has become what it was always meant to be: simply, a tolerant club that offers central Illinois the best place to dance in 150 miles.

Nekromancy on Monday nights are no exception. The residency is held by DJ Sorcerykid (pictured above on the left) is the longest running industrial and electronic club night in the state of Illinois. Considering the fact that Chicago is arguably home to the strongest industrial scene in the western world, that is saying a lot.

How about a show at friendly downtown hub Mike 'N Molly's?

How about local hip-hop hero Krukid (feat. The Sugargliders) headlining, following sets by fellow Broke Rappers Text and Cornbread?

What if we threw in Kristovs Agenda and fantastic electro-pop act Eureka Brown?

That's what is offered to you, folks, and admission's not going to cost you ten dollars. It's not going to cost you five dollars, or even two dollars, or even one single dollar.

All this is available for you tonight absolutely free of charge.

The free show begins tonight at Mike 'N Molly's, 105 N. Market St. in Champaign, at 7 p.m. Click the jump to experience Eureka Brown and add some sunshine to your Friday.

The Link Gallery at Krannert Art Museum is exactly that: a hallway that essentially serves as a link between the School of Art + Design and the art museum that houses the university's permanent collection, as well as touring shows and exhibitions. Tonight, May 1, the Link Gallery will reprise its role as one of the newest and most welcomed venues in the local music scene.
Oceans, who have been known to throw a house party or two, will take to the stage starting at 5:30 p.m. to support the Animation Festival that is being showcased by students of FAA.
This show should be an excellent warm-up for the band, who plans to spend part of their summer on the road. Check out their MySpace link above for the dates.

Sarah Lee is the daughter of folk rocker Arlo Guthrie and granddaughter of the legendary Woody Guthrie — there's no doubt that talent runs in the family. Guthrie and Irion's music resembles the lyricism of Bob Dylan, mirror the spirits of June and Johnny Cash and continues the legacy of her grandfather's one-of-a-kind sound. Click here for a quick taste of Guthrie and Irion performing an acoustic set. And make your way to the library tonight to catch the darling duo live.

The Urbana Free Library is located at 210 W. Green St. in Urbana.

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.

High Anxiety Music Center — where local bands can rent rehearsal space, local fans can see great all-ages shows (with an old-school house party vibe) and anyone with the proper hankering can receive recording advice, studio time and, perhaps, even a record deal — is closing.

The house, located at 302 S. State St., was put on the market last week due to the landlord's financial troubles and an illness in the family. None of the parties interested in purchasing the house are similarly interested in letting High Anxiety Music remain.

President Ralph Petrella (a Smile Politely contributor) is putting out an open call for volunteers to help move some large items from the house this Sunday, April 27th. In addition, much of the furniture from the house will be for sale, so stop by if you're interested in some pieces with a bit of local history.

High Anxiety is hosting two remaining shows in the space before they have to fully vacate early next month, and the first is tomorrow with High Anxiety favorites Deconstructing Jim and Withershins. Admission to the 9 p.m. show is $5, so pack up your friends, give your money, lend a hand or an ear, and see what you can do to help. Who knows — perhaps the next home of High Anxiety Music is for rent on your street.

Also of note is that the pairing of these genres, increasingly related in terms of PR if nothing else, makes a whole lot of sense: In both cases, grassroots promotion plays a giant role in getting the word spread about the quality of musical acts, from venues such as MySpace to the traditional word-of-mouth. To boot, independent acts of both the rock and hip-hop varieties (not to mention most other genres) are the ones who consistently expand upon respective boundaries, the proverbial meal tickets for the future of music.