Category > Photo
Where Am I?
Name the location where this photo was taken, and win some pride of hometown knowledge...
Sara Bareilles sings at Foellinger
Grammy-nominated songstress Sara Bareilles played Foellinger on Sunday, and Cody Bralts was there with a camera in hand to document the evening.
Weekend concert photos from Todd Hunter
Todd Hunter was out and about this weekend and snapped a photo of Tyson and the Friction at Mike 'n Molly's on Thursday night:
And Post Historic Friday night at the Canopy Club:
The Seaboat = fried yumminess
This heavenly looking picture is of The Seaboat sandwich at the Seaboat on Kirby Ave. Fried fish, lettuce, cheese, onions, pickles, and tartar sauce on a hot dog bun. Luckily I chose The Seaboat Jr., which was just large instead of monstrous, with a side of coleslaw. The slaw was very, very good, except I had to pick out the pieces of apple that were mixed in. (That was just me being picky.)
Cheap food, friendly staff, non-scary location. I forgive them for misspelling broccoli on the menu.
Downtown parking garage opens today
The parking garage in downtown Champaign is now open at the corner of Hill and Randolph, just north of Nitaya Thai and Farren's, and just west of M2.
The first hour is free, and it's 75 cents an hour after that.
This is nice to have, but I wonder whether it matters anymore, now that 75 cents-an-hour meters have already cleared downtown of so many of those pesky cars (and customers).
We were at New Ruins’ record release show
And here's the proof. Common Loon opened the evening on a splendid, reverb-drenched note.
Matthew Campbell and Robert Hirschfeld of Common Loon show off the New Ruins' new vinyl (with the Ruins' Elzie Sexton in the background).
The Tractor Kings continue to impress. Adding one half of The Chemicals — Johnny and Andrew Davidson — to the band was a stroke of genius. Below, Aaron McCallister and Jake Fleischli bring the country-rock goodness on Saturday night. "Gone to Heaven" always does the trick.
Elzie Sexton packs a mean beard.
So does his compatriot Caleb Means.
After a stellar set highlighted by an encore performance of two as-yet-unrecorded songs that were amazing (especially the latter), the boys from New Ruins posed for our fine photographer, David Cubberly. Left to right: Andrew Davidson (who pulled double duty this night after his set with Tractor Kings), Paul Chastain, Caleb Means, New Ruins' fan Kurt, Elzie Sexton, and Roy Ewing.
Check out more of David Cubberly's photography here.
——
If you enjoyed this, Smile Politely recommends:
+ Kids 'R Us: New Ruins as interviewed by a trio of children
+ Growing up before our ears (New Ruins record review)
+ Not so common: the secret lives of Common Loon
+ Tractor Kings — guys worth pulling for
Irving Azoff was a punk when he attended U of I, too
For those of you following the current Ticketmaster and LiveNation merger, you should know that former local music promoter gone HUGE time, Irving Azoff, is in the center of it all. Not surprisingly, this isn't the first time that he's tried to scam people, either.
In this photo, my father, Vern Fein (in the foreground with his hands raised to his mouth), is listening to Azoff and his friend Bob Nutt plead their case on the quad after being boycotted in the early '70s by Students for a Democratic Society. They were boycotted by the bulk of the counter-culture for exploiting the political movement surrounding the Vietnam War for financial gain. I guess old habits die hard.
(Photo courtesy of Jimmy Cole at Hollywood Hangover)
Mazes gets off on the right foot (now with video)
"I Have Laid In the Darkness of Doubt"
Mazes played at the Canopy Club last night. It was a late show, but a good one. Mazes went on shortly after midnight, followed by Elsinore and Post Historic. See the video above to get a feel for their work. They played a really tight set for their first-ever show, and the turnout and crowd enthusiasm was excellent.
Here's our show preview from Thursday, including an interview with Mazes' Edward Anderson and Caroline Donovan.
Most Recent SPlog Comments
Oh nice! I’d totally vote for Matt Campbell!
“Smile Politely sports writer announces candidacy for city government.”
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.
And without bloodshed. Sounds like the Savoy trustees aren’t as narrow-minded as some of their whiny pants constituents. Do you think quack Snell is already planning an asinine counterattack or is he still laying low after those “threats” against his person?
Excellent. I am glad sometimes American dreams are encouraged, rather than stifled.
Dollars to waffles says the study session will conclude that there is parking available in the Hill Street Parking Deck.
I can see requiring them to plug meters where they park, but the license fee thing sure sounds like some established business doesn’t like the competition and has an in with the city gummint staff.
This is pretty much ridiculous. However, I would hope that local businesses that aren’t opposed would step up and allow the Crave Truck in their private parking lots. That won’t solve the licensing issue though… (Insert not-so-subtle reference to Snell being behind the grand conspiracy to kill…
How convenient.
Most Popular SPlog Articles (60 days)
- Tim Johnson is leaving Congress at the end of term
- Three local bands make national news
- Local news headlines for Friday, May 11
- Win a signed poster by Sigur Rós
- Local news headlines for Thursday, May 10
- Chambana Moms awaiting dads’ return from store with gallon of milk, pack of smokes
- Singer/songwriter Bill Mallonee is in town this weekend.
- Stories & Beer returns Saturday the 14th
- C-U Tweets of the Week
- We bought a new server, along with some whiskey and cigarettes
Most Recent Comments
As a liberal conservative, and a person who favors taxes & services ... and also a sense of proportion; I savor the comic potential that still exists in this comments section. I’m pretty sure we can goad more anti-government rhetoric from confirmed progressives and government employees. If…
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…
Facebook
Twitter
Full Site
Super cool! Excellent track, Excellent band.