Smile Politely: Full Site

Welcome to the New Smile Politely

Smile Politely Editors — 2009-01-12T01:00:21+00:00

Welcome back. And thanks for being patient while we packed up for the holidays to take a little breather and redesign our home on the web.

Scroll down. Click around. Some things are different. Others are the same, but look a little sharper.

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Weekender: May 25–28

Smile Politely Editors — 2012-05-25T04:00:47+00:00

FRIDAY, MAY 25

Summer Camp Music Festival; Primus: 10:30 p.m., Chillicothe, Ill.

Don't any of my pretentious hipster friends want to drive with me to Chillicothe to see Primus? I mean, c'mon, now? It's PRIMUS! Les Claypool's old ass can still get it on, and with Larry LaLonde on the axe, you know they are going to bust out a bunch of hits from Sailing the Seas of Cheese and maybe even a cover or two from Miscellaneous Debris. What's that? No? You can't go? Or you don't want to go? Yes, yes, I realize that it's a festival of dirty, smelly trustafarians with little ambition other than to bridge the gap between noodle jams and weak Dubstep drops, but seriously! It's Primus!

What's that? You say Primus doesn't rule?! You say they are washed up? Psssshaw! I disagree my friends. I say they still bring it. And I will wade through that mess of hippie scum to see them, sleep in the car, and deal with the repercussions at a later date. Fuck it. I'm going. (SF)

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The Chambana Volunteer, May 24–31

Marsha Reardon — 2012-05-24T17:00:14+00:00

Spotlight on a Cause:

Urbana Park District

The Urbana Park District offers a variety of fun, healthy, and educational programs to thousands of local residents. The District oversees several unique facilities in Urbana, including the Dog Park, Crystal Lake, Park, and Pool, the Anita Purves Nature Center, and the Urbana Indoor Aquatic Center. Volunteers play a large role in day-to-day operations for the Park District, as well as for scheduled programming. Currently, there are openings to help coach youth soccer and to lead guided tours through the Nature Center, but there are many other possibilities and opportunities that will need to be filled depending on the time of the season. To learn more about the Urbana Park District, go here. To sign up to volunteer, email Ellen Kirsanoff or call 367-1536.

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Coulter admits it: he likes Dancing with the Stars

Mike Coulter — 2012-05-24T15:00:16+00:00

I got of box of those Klondike Choco Tacos the other day. I really enjoy regular Klondike bars and the advertisements for these ridiculous desserts sucked me in. It was okay, but it’s disconcerting to eat something that looks like a taco but tastes like something else. It suddenly strikes me that this entire introduction seems like it's sort of dirty, even though it really isn’t meant to be. Anyways, I plan to use a lot of ellipsis this week … probably incorrectly. Fun … but not really. Let’s get it on.

I’M PACKING … AND CAN ALSO OPEN PACKING MATERIALS

There was a time I always carried a pocketknife. This time was when I was five until I was about seven. I mostly carried one because my dad carried one. He would use his to clean rabbits and birds he had killed while hunting. I would use mine to fight off non-existent monsters while I played in the barn. I stopped carrying the knife a long time ago, but I still kept it around.

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You can’t escape the beat

Patrick Singer — 2012-05-24T13:00:14+00:00

There are plenty of ways to approach a subject, and always comparing and contrasting things to one another can get tricky at times. Pointing out the positives and negatives can get you into a bind and isn't always helpful either. More often than not, there is no textbook way to approach a subject you’re passionate about or have some type of opinion on. Most of the time it just ends up being a response that creates conversation in which people agree or disagree; that’s all we’re doing here. We're only human, so we find ways to spark debate.

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An oral history of Night Air on the Midway

Chris D. Davies — 2012-05-24T11:00:24+00:00

In preparation for their re-release show this Saturday, May 26 at the Highdive (which will include an array of kickass supporting acts: Common Loon, Psychic Twin, Brief Candles, and Fahri), Chris sat down with the guys from Evil Tents to discuss the band, the album, and the story of how both of those things were birthed into this cold, hard, beautiful world of ours.

The guys in Evil Tents are a talkative bunch. When I sat down for an interview I had no idea what I was getting myself into. Over cigarettes and beer on a lovely evening, the four gentlemen spoke at length, answering questions I had not asked yet and getting side tracked by things like poisoning Kings of Leon and making an album at Mas Amigos (which, to be clear, is not where Night Air on the Midway was recorded).

What came out of the interview was more than 3,000 words — a lot of which would make little sense to print. In between, however, was the story of their album, Night Air on the Midway, which is being released in its final, physical form Saturday at the Highdive.

Here is the story of how that album, as well as the band in its current incarnation, came to be, in their own words.

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Cher’s autograph

P. Gregory Springer — 2012-05-23T13:00:35+00:00

Tao Te Ching, verse 21

Since before time and space were,
the Tao is.

The 65th Cannes International Film Festival opened this week. I can smell it: sand and suntan oil, the perfume of supermodels lingering in elevators, the oxygen rush in the flower-bedecked Palais, endless free espresso shots at the Brazilian film market, the creamed spinach at the townie restaurant down the side street, wild strawberries and thyme on the Provencal hillside, the ooze of Camembert, the sweaty crush of paparazzi...

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Big Grove Tavern set to open with farm-to-table focus

Susanna Kline — 2012-05-23T11:00:54+00:00

“It’s kind of cool getting to know your farmer … petting the cows at Kilgus [Farmstead],” said Jessica Gorin, Executive Chef of Big Grove Tavern, which will open May 31 on the ground floor of One East Main in downtown Champaign. Gorin, a chef for 14 years and proponent of using local food, makes the farm-to-table concept a reality for the new restaurant by visiting many local farms to meet the farmers and source the ingredients.

Photo by Justine Bursoni

Although taking the place of Jim Gould Restaurant, Big Grove Tavern’s renovated space and concept both depart completely from that of the former. With double the bar space and about half the seating in the restaurant, the place feels warmer and cozier than its cavernous predecessor. The menu features classic-style comfort food, but with a modern, elevated twist. The beer list reflects as many local, yet diverse, craft beers as possible, with all being Midwestern brews.

The chef

Gorin, a timely transplant from California, arrived in town with a tenure-track professor husband and a desire to find an executive chef job as fulfilling and as focused on local foods as the one she had in San Francisco. Even though she had an early interest in food and recalls trips her parents took her on by, “the place where we had the pidgeon … or the rabbit stew,” she said she didn’t start out hoping to become a chef, but a scientist.

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Derby Girl Doubleheader: The ‘Paign gets their first victory of the season

Meghan Whalen — 2012-05-22T23:38:29+00:00

On Saturday, the Twin City Derby Girls hosted their home opener with a doubleheader bout at the U of I ice arena, with the Damagin’ Dames edged by the Aurora 88s, 90–79, and the ‘Paign winning over the Boneyard Bombshells, 117–83.

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A Separation poses essential questions

Chike Coleman — 2012-05-22T12:59:15+00:00

A Separation is the kind of movie that you only need to experience once because it’s just that special. The film was written, directed, and produced by Asghar Farhadi. It stars Peyman Moadi, Leila Hatami, Sareh Bayat, Shahab Hosseini, and the director’s daughter Sarina Farhadi.

The film centers around Nadir and Simin who are newly separated parents to an 11 year old daughter named Termeh. The big conflict of the story involves the decision of whether the family should move to another country or stay in Iran and take care of Nadir’s Alzheimer ailing father.

The depth of this picture comes from an incident that occurs early on in the film. This incident brings forth questions of religion, morality, and the importance of survival and self-preservation.

The characters in this film are so rich with detail and emotional frailty that it is nearly impossible not to root for the family suffering from the fallout of this very difficult incident. A Separation knows how to control the emotions of the audience at every turn. The turmoil the family goes through in the film’s two and a half hour running time is nothing short of cringe worthy.

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