WHAT: An Evening With Cooper-Moore
WHERE: Unit One/Allen Hall and KCPA (free)
WHEN: Monday, April 17 at 7 p.m., in addition to a special performance taking place Thursday, April 20 at 7:30 p.m. at Krannert Center.
As part of this year’s Sonified Sustainability Festival, improvisational jazz artist Cooper-Moore will be showcasing his artistic tendency towards ecological arts at tonight’s event. He will talk about his work and demonstrate his unique handcrafted instruments, which are constructed from found and repurposed materials. Cooper-Moore will also be giving an April 20th performance at Krannert at 7:30 p.m.
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WHAT: Dopapod / The Werks
WHERE: The Canopy Club ($12 in advance / $15 at the door)
WHEN: Tuesday, April 18 at 9 p.m.
Prepare for a Tuesday evening of summery jam bands, featuring the return of proggy beats from Dopapod and some psychedelic grooves from The Werks. The two bands are such festival regulars that The Werks even created their very own fest, called the “Werk Out Music & Arts Festival,” held in their native Ohio each year. They’re bonafide pros.
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WHAT: Dewclaw
WHERE: The Iron Post (probably free)
WHEN: Tuesday, April 18 at 8 p.m.
Jazzy light-hearted duo Dewclaw do it up again this Tuesday for a chill evening of loungey tunes and laughable tales.
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WHAT: C-U Open Invite Cypher
WHERE: The Canopy Club ($8)
WHEN: Thursday, April 20 at 8:30 p.m.
The C-U Open Invite Cypher invites anyone to participate in an open-mic style rap and hip-hop session, where each performer will get two minutes of stage time set to an instrumental chosen and spun by the house’s DJ. In addition to newcomers, this session will also feature performances from some of C-U’s best emcees. See the event page for the full lineup.
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WHAT: Crystal Garden feat. Boyd Tinsley
WHERE: The Accord ($10 in advance / $13 at the door)
WHEN: Friday, April 21 at 9 p.m.
Crystal Garden is a group formed and fronted by accomplished Dave Matthews Band violinist Boyd Tinsley. He and his band make folk-tinged rock music, with influences ranging from pop to blues and more. They released their debut album, Let The Rocks Cry Out, just a few weeks ago, so they’ll have plenty of new stuff to share with the audience for this show.
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WHAT: Michael Ray
WHERE: The City Center (tickets start at $15)
WHEN: Friday, April 21 at 7 p.m.
Country act Michael Ray is pretty fresh on the scene, and he’s already had two #1’s on the Country Music Top 40 list. It’s just the start of great things for him, and a country fan would be remiss to miss this one.
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WHAT: Blackbear
WHERE: The Canopy Club ($20)
WHEN: Friday, April 21 at 9 p.m.
LA electronica artist Blackbear brings it for another thumping session of Canopy beats fit to welcome in the weekend the right way.
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WHAT: Record Store Day Celebration: Champaign
WHERE: Exile on Main St. (admission is free)
WHEN: Saturday, April 22, starting at 8 a.m.
This Saturday is the tenth annual Record Store Day: a day set aside each year to celebrate the greatness of the small-time indie record store. This year, two local music shops will be hosting musical performances in addition to their other festivities. The Champaign version will go down at Exile and feature at least twenty artists playing on two different stages. Check out the event page for the lineup and more info.
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WHAT: Record Store Day Celebration: Urbana
WHERE: See You CD & Vinyl and Sipyard (admission is free)
WHEN: Saturday, April 22, starting at 7 a.m.
The Urbana version of RSD this year will feature a collaboration between See You CD and Vinyl and the outdoor watering hole across the street, Sipyard. Albums will be available for sale at both locations, with live music beginning at 4 p.m. and going until ten. See You’s got six bands booked for the holiday, and you can view the full lineup at the event page.
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WHAT: Marathon / Bringers / Greeter / Voidbringer
WHERE: Tjarks Cafe ($5-$7 pay what you can)
WHEN: Saturday, April 22 at 8 p.m.
Visit this show house for a night of ambient drone music, much of which will be acoustic. I’m curious to see what the acoustic version of ambient drone music sounds like. Aren’t you?
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WHAT: The Districts
WHERE: The Accord ($13 in advance / $16 at the door)
WHEN: Saturday, April 22 at 8 p.m.
Alternative rock act The Districts have a spacey reverb sound and crunchy indie guitars that together are reminiscent of Wolf Parade. They’ll be putting on one of the last shows of this venue’s tenure. Your attendance over the next few weeks is important.
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WHAT: Sonified Sustainability Festival: Earth Day Celebration
WHERE: Krannert Center (free)
WHEN: Saturday, April 22 at 2 p.m.
To continue the celebratory music within this week’s Sonified Sustainability Festival, Earth Day will feature musicians Terry Dame, Bradford Reed, and Geoff Gersh. There will be electronic music played on homemade and innovated instruments made from recycled materials, electric guitar crafted with found objects, and much more.
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WHAT: U of I Spring Jam featuring Post Malone
WHERE: U of I campus, Main Quad (free – students only)
WHEN: Sunday, April 23 at 2 p.m.
Charismatic rapper Post Malone will perform at the college Spring Jam for a show open only to the university students. It’s free with your i-card and a fun way to open up the spring season while also winding down your semester.
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WHAT: Mover Shaker / Who Loves You / Dream Probe / Curls / Skylines
WHERE: Blips and Chitz ($5)
WHEN: Sunday, April 23 at 8 p.m.
Sunday night is full of emo and punk music at Blips, with a bit of the hardcore stuff mixed in as well. Five different local and touring bands are ready to give it their all for you.
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WHAT: Mike Posner
WHERE: The Canopy Club ($25 in advance / $30 at the door)
WHEN: Sunday, April 23 at 8 p.m.
You may know musician Mike Posner for his tribute(?) to Bob Dylan in his video for “I Took a Pill in Ibiza.” The award-winning pop artist hails from Michigan and is steadily making his way up the charts one hook at a time. Don’t miss his first appearance at Canopy this Sunday.
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WHAT: Adoration Destroyed and Lorelei Dreaming
WHERE: The Accord ($10 in advance / $13 at the door)
WHEN: Sunday, April 23 at 8 p.m.
Goth group Adoration Destroyed can sort of be described as pop industrial music. Actually, it’s more like they take EDM and fill it with darkness. Don some black clothing and brush up on your saddest dance moves for this show.