David Gans performing at WEFT Benefit at Iron Post on May 25

Posted in SPLOG to Word by John Steinbacher on Friday, May 18, 2012 at 11:59 am

From WEFT press release: Fans of WEFT, Americana, and The Grateful Dead will be in for a special evening hosted by WEFT 90.1FM Friday, May 25th at 8 PM, at The Iron Post. The benefit concert for WEFT features Grateful Dead Hour producer, songwriter, music journalist, and author, David Gans. He will perform alongside the increasingly popular Champaign-Urbana Americana group (folk, swing, jazz and blues), The Curses with Benjamin Spoden (vocals, slide guitar), Chris Strand (vocals, upright bass), David Garcia (drums, percussion), David Tcheng (vocals, sax, flute, trumpet, melodica, double bell euphonium), and Claire Canon, vocals and violin.  

Based in Oakland, CA., Mr. Gans is on tour and will stop off for the WEFT benefit at The Iron Post in Urbana, before heading out the next morning to Chillicothe, IL. for a 12-1 PM Saturday, May 26th performance at the Summer Camp Festival.

Tuesday, May  22, listeners can tune in for an interview with David Gans and his music on  WEFT's "From The Joshua Tree Inn" program, with guest host David Witzany. The station broadcasts Mr. Gans' nationally syndicated program, The Grateful Dead Hour, Saturdays, 8-9 PM.

• YouTube Videos of David Gans
• Discography of David Gans
• Books by David Gans
• Other Writings by David Gans
• Photography of David Gans
• Music and Videos of The Curses
• The Curses on facebook

David Gans started out as a musician in 1970, playing guitar, writing songs and performing both as a soloist and as a member of various bands around the San Fracncisco Bay Area.  He became a music journalist, working for BAM, a free San Francisco-based magazine, worked for Rolling Stones founder and publisher, Jann Wenner’s Record, a music magazine, from its beginning to its end, and was music editor of Mix Magazine for a while. As he says, “Writing for music magazines gave me access to musicians and producers and record company publicists. I got a million-dollar education from interviewing Leo Fender, Randy Newman, Fleetwood Mac, Steve Goodman, T Bone Burnett, Warren Zevon, Ted Templeman, and people like that. I spent time in recording studios, learned how the music business operates, rode in limos with the Doobie Brothers, got lots of records for free, and got paid for all of it.”

Magazine work gave way to book work.  In 1985, his first book, Playing in the Band: an Oral and Visual Portrait of the Grateful Dead (co-authored with Peter Simon) about his long-time favorites, the Grateful Dead was published to critical acclaim. While he was working on his second book, Talking Heads: The Band and Their Music, he merged his talents and interests with the emergence of his first “Grateful Dead Radio Hour” on a local station, and found that he enjoyed the work. The program was syndicated on dozens of stations across the United States. Today he hosts the nationally syndicated radio show, “The Grateful Dead Hour“; “Tales from the Golden Road” on Sirius/XM Satellite Radio with co-host Gary Lambert, editor of “The Grateful Dead Almanac”; and the local weekly show, “Dead To The World,” on Berkeley’s KPFA.  WEFT broadcasts The Grateful Dead Hour Saturday evenings at 8PM.

In the mid-1990's, he resumed performing and writing songs. With the radio show paying his living, he the put out a duet album with Eric Rawlins, and released a topical single in 1997, “Monica Lewinsky,” that got a lot of airplay and publicity. All this enabled him to expand his touring base  After more than twenty years of performing in the San Francisco Bay Area as a solo singer-songwriter and with various bands, Gans began touring nationally, which he continues to do today, including many festivals across the country. He has performed onstage with members of the Grateful Dead, the New Riders of the Purple Sage, Donna the Buffalo, Peter Rowan, Ollabelle, The Waybacks, Blueground Undergrass, Dark Star Orchestra, Keller Williams, moe., Hot Buttered Rum, the Rowan Brothers, and Henry Kaiser.

(Above taken from WEFT press release)
 

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Water pollution outrage and other local headlines for 5/18

Posted in SPLOG to Word by Joel Gillespie on Friday, May 18, 2012 at 6:00 am

• “Residents Furious About Water Supply Pollution” (WAND)

• “Brewery to Open Next Door” (WCIA)

• “Vigil for Fatally Shot Urbana Boy” (WICD)

• “City Leaders To Take Closer Look At Food Truck Rules” (WCIA)

• “THQ touts Volition's 'Saints Row'” (N-G)

• “METCAD to raise fees to governments” (N-G)

• “Police Crack Down On Underage Drinking Near U of I Campus” (WAND)

• “Cyclists Remind Drivers To Share The Road” (WAND)

• “Champaign Schools To Host Free Lunch Program This Summer” (WAND)

• “Mail Distribution Center Consolidated to Champaign, Peoria” (WILL)

• “Urbana Parks Vandalized” (WICD)

• “BREAKING NEWS: Car Hits Biker” (WICD)

• “Longtime Local Judge Honors Fallen Officers” (WILL)

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Jensen Beach releases his first book this Saturday at Quality

Posted in SPLOG to Word by Caleb Curtiss on Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 7:58 pm

Jensen Beach's Book Release | Quality | 7 p.m. | FREE

Local author, Stories & Beer collaborator, total badass Jensen Beach just got a shitload of books with his name on them in the mail and he'd like to celebrate this fact with you at Quality on Saturday night alongside three of his bestest friends: Ted Sanders, Chad Simpson, and Eugene Cross.

Each of these guys are COMPLETE MOTHER FUCKING BADASSES who are each making significant marks as emerging fiction writers. It won't be long until you start hearing their names in polite circles, so unless you have some really good goddamn excuse, get your shit together and come on out to Quality. Oh, and don't forget to buy a book, either.

 

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Local news headlines for Thursday, May 17

Posted in SPLOG to Word by Joel Gillespie on Thursday, May 17, 2012 at 6:00 am

Not the finest day for local news, but hey, we don't choose these things.

The man who allegedly slashed the throat of a U of I law professor in the Illinois Terminal has been ruled mentally competent to be tried for the crime:

·         “Man fit to stand trial for attempted murder” (N-G)

Your daily update on Tim Johnson’s house seat, and the Republicans who want it:

·         “Habeeb: Wassink doesn't have necessary support” (N-G)

·         “Johnson sets 2 town-hall meetings” (N-G)

Nuclear waste, and where to stash it:

·         “Forum to cover Clinton landfill permit request” (N-G)

A three-year old was accidentally shot by his 14-year-old uncle in Urbana. Horrible:

• Three-year-old boy dies from apparent accidental shooting  (N-G)

And some other stuff:

·         “Hot rods coming to Champaign” (N-G)

·         “Police memorial events scheduled Thursday” (N-G)

·         “Ride of Silence is scheduled” (N-G)

·         “Touch a Truck 2012” (WCIA)

·         “Woman Falls for Rental Scam” (WCIA)

·         “Crime Expected To Increase During Summer” (WAND)

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Now hiring: Teen Awareness Group members

Posted in SPLOG to Word by cdixon08 on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at 11:00 am

Are you a high schooler who is looking for an excellent volunteer opportunity in C-U? Well you've found it! Apply today for the Teen Awareness Group (TAG).

TAG is a group of high school students who believe that complete and accurate information about sexuality is essential for making healthy and responsible life decisions. TAG members:

• Participate in training to expand knowledge of sexuality and sexual health.
• Plan and participate in community activities that promote positive, healthy   communication about sexuality.
• Act a resource for peers and other community members.

What TAG Offers:

TAG offers teens a unique opportunity to expand their knowledge, develop leadership skills, and raise awareness about important health issues in their community. Participation in TAG provides teens with knowledge and healthy decision making skills that can be applied to all aspects of their lives, for the rest of their lives.

What TAG Does:

TAG members attend weekly meetings and participate in activities & events to engage their peers and inform their community. These activities may include public speaking and educational presentations, media campaigns, video production, informational field trips, all-ages concerts and more!

For more information contact Planned Parenthood’s Education Department at (217) 359-4768, ext. 1501 or email us.

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Local news headlines for Wednesday, May 16

Posted in SPLOG to Word by Joel Gillespie on Wednesday, May 16, 2012 at 6:00 am

Shuffling in the Champaign City Council and the county board:

·         “Champaign council to set procedure for filling Harrison's seat” (N-G)

·         “Former councilman McIntosh first to apply for District 3 seat” (N-G)

·         “GOP taps Mitchell as county board candidate” (N-G)

Urbana council follows Prussing’s lead:

·         “Gas tax hike plan has Urbana council support” (N-G)

Holy cow, would you believe that some are for it and some are against?

·         “Local Reaction to Quinn, Obama Supporting Same-Sex Marriage” (WICD)

A visit from the state public health director:

·         “Public Health chief to be in Champaign” (N-G)

·         “State health chief backs Quinn's $1-a-pack cigarette tax plan” (N-G)

·         “Health Director in Champaign” (WICD)

Southwest Champaign’s tax dodgers attempt to put a democratic face on avoiding providing bus service to the new YMCA:

·         “Southwest MTD tables decisions” (N-G)

Oh, thank goodness:

·         “Video Gaming Legalized In City Bars” (WCIA)

Miscellany:

·         “Sustainable Student Farm summer season begins Thursday” (DI)

·         “Letter carrier food drive nets 20,000 pounds of food in C-U” (N-G)

·         “More Art in the Park” (WCIA)

·         “2012 Spring Planting Wraps Up Early” (WCIA)

·         “Senior Citizens Facing a Threat of Hunger” (WICD)

·         “County Board Members Push for Building Ordinance” (WICD)

·         “CPD holds special units open house ‘to educate community’” (DI)

·         “Edison students turn studies into sculpture” (N-G)

·         “State won't pursue man's conviction in 1980 murder” (N-G)

·         “Illinois May Allow Mini Horses as Service Animals” (WILL)

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Local news headlines for Tuesday, May 15

Posted in SPLOG to Word by Joel Gillespie on Tuesday, May 15, 2012 at 6:00 am

An extradition snafu leads to the former caretaker of a Rantoul apartment complex wriggling off the hook:

·         “Legal mix-up frees Ramos” (N-G)

Some more coverage on U of I graduation festivities:

·         “For UI grads, years of work culminate in one day” (N-G)

·         “Cokie Roberts Urges Students to Get Politically Involved” (WILL)

Following up on Sunday’s News-Gazette report, two other local outlets dip their toes into the U of I’s search firm spending (they really need to get their capitalization synchronized as closely as their headline phrasing):

·         “U of I spends almost $6 million on search firms” (WAND)

·         “U of I Spends Almost $6 Million on Search Firms” (WILL)

Hey, Chris Davies reported on this too!

·         “Champaign-Urbana A Top Area For Recent Grads” (WAND)

·         “CU Comfy Home for New Grads” (WCIA)

The next entry in the Smile Politely Show Series features prominently in this report:

·         “Summer Business In Campustown” (WICD)

And the rest of the stories:

·         “GPS helps lead to drug arrest; bond at $1 million” (N-G)

·         “The Price of Texting & Walking” (WCIA)

·         “Autism Challenges with Work and School” (WICD)

·         “Prussing to present resolution backing PTI” (N-G)

·         “Police Department Open House” (WAND)

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SP Show Series hits Campustown in June

Posted in SPLOG to Word by Patrick Singer on Monday, May 14, 2012 at 12:16 pm

We wrapped up the first installment of our Smile Politely Show Series this past weekend with Saturday Looks Good To Me, Wild Moccasins and Anna Karenina/Anna Karina, and we told you before there was much more where that came from. We're happy to announce the next show in the series, happening June 16th, 2012 right smack dab in the middle of Campustown.

This time its in conjunction with Champaign Center Partnership for the Center City Summer Stage show with The Dirty Feathers, Evil Tents, Grandkids, New Ruins, Common Loon and Elsinore. There will be other activities going on around the show, with food and other merchants selling food and drink, and music will start at 6:15 p.m. with The Dirty Feathers. Schedule is below, and more info to come in the upcoming weeks. 

4:00 Games, sidewalk sales, kids activities at participating businesses
6:15 Dirty Feathers
7:15 Evil Tents
8:15 Grandkids
9:15 New Ruins
10:15 Common Loon
11:15 Elsinore

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C-U fourth in “Best places for new college grads”

Posted in SPLOG to Word by Chris D. Davies on Monday, May 14, 2012 at 9:30 am

The Atlantic Cities released a list today of best places for new grads and Champaign-Urbana was their number four location.

The results were tabulated using eight variables:

• Unemployment rate, via the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)
• Share of jobs in professional, technical, and creative occupations (BLS)
• Percent of adults with a BA and above, via the American Community Survey (ACS)
• Average salaries and wages for professional, technical, and creative occupations (BLS)
• Rental share of housing (ACS)
• Money left over after paying for housing (ACS)
• Share of adults that have never been married (ACS)
• Share of commuters who use public transit (ACS)

You can check out the article here.

It features a nice, but dated photo of Green St. RIP Record Service.

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Local news headlines for Monday, May 14

Posted in SPLOG to Word by Joel Gillespie on Monday, May 14, 2012 at 6:00 am

Happy Monday to you and yours.

UCIMC has a report on C-U Citizens for Peace and Justice's forum on the proposed new county jail, held in Urbana City Council chambers:

·         “CCUPJ Forum On Jail Draws a Packed House” (UCIMC)

The News-Gazette had a multi-part examination of the U of I's use of search firms to help fill openings for both academic and athletic positions:

·         “UI has spent millions on search firms” (N-G)

·         “Faculty: Secrecy hampers searches” (N-G)

·         “List of search firm expenses at UI” (N-G)

·         “Search firm helped hasten coach's hiring” (N-G)

There was a forum for Republican congressional candidates this weekend, accompanied by several articles:

·         “Voters Weigh in on 13th Congressional Race” (WCIA)

·         “Champaign Republicans Hold Forum to Find Candidate” (WICD)

·         “Republican hopefuls state their case at forum” (N-G)

·         “Republican Congressional Candidates Square off in Forum” (WILL)

·         “Republican finalists speak at public forum held for Johnson’s congress chair” (DI)

Some obligatory U of I graduation coverage:

·         “2012 U of I Graduates” (WICD)

·         “University of Illinois Graduation” (WAND)

·         “Illinois graduates reflect, look to future at commencement ceremonies” (DI)

And some odds 'n sods:

·         “Treehouse or forest? Help pick a pool theme for Crystal Lake” (N-G)

·         “Urbana woman delights in creating children's games; 2 win national acclaim” (N-G)

·         “Urbana Youth Summit” (WAND)

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