Smile Politely

The Overture: December 3–9

WHAT: Isaac Arms, Mutts, Dolfish, Ryan McCoy

WHERE: Mike ‘N Molly’s ($5)

WHEN: Wednesday, December 5th at 7 p.m.

Ohio’s Dolfish is sandwiched in between some locals in an early week show at Mike ‘N Molly’s Wednesday. A few frontmen step out on their own for this one. Isaac Arms is a local jack of all trades, playing in a handful of outfits (Withershins, Evil Tents, Thundertruck and Cloudmanner), and Ryan McCoy is the lead singer for local punks Midstress. Dolfish is one man as well, Max Solisch, who just put out a debut LP back in October. Check out one of the tracks below.…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

WHAT: Tractor Kings, The Fights, Morgan Orion

WHERE: Cowboy Monkey ($5)

WHEN: Thursday, December 6th at 9:30 p.m.

A whole slew of various types of rock music at Cowboy Monkey Thursday night. Tractor Kings headline and Morgan Orion opens up, while newer outfit The Fights play in the middle. The Fights have a handful of shows under their belt at this point, and we’ll have a closer look at this new local outfit later in the week when w sit down and talk to some of the members of the band.

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WHAT: The Lonely Trailer, Blank Banker, Motes

WHERE: Mike ‘N Molly’s ($5)

WHEN: Thursday, December 6th at 10 p.m.

The Lonely Trailer just released a new record entitled Secret Information Booth, which you can stream below free of charge before heading out to this one. Blank Banker has some members that are former C-U folks, and Motes are a newer outfit that have a pretty solid EP out from earlier this year. Check it out here.

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WHAT: Finer Feelings, Neoga Blacksmith Little Lies

WHERE: Exile on Main Street (free)

WHEN: Friday, December 7th at 7 p.m.

Finer Feelings are releasing a new EP into the world (behold, the album art to the right) as their debut at the end of this week. Join them as they play the new material, plus there will be free pizza and you get a copy of the EP for free if you come. Sounds like a pretty inviting show to me. You can check out one of the new tracks below.

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WHAT: Trampled By Turtles, Spirit Family Reunion

WHERE: The Canopy Club ($17 advance/$20 door)

WHEN: Friday, December 7th at 9 p.m.

Bluegrass band Trampled By Turtles hail from Duluth, Minnesota. They are no stranger to the big stage, playing at  basically all major music festivals in the country, including Coachella, Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo and Austin City Limits. Pretty big name to take the stage with Spirit Family Reunion in a local venue no stranger to big acts.

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WHAT: Kilborn Alley

WHERE: Memphis on Main ($5)

WHEN: Friday, December 7th at 9 p.m.

Blues extraordinaires Kilborn Alley invade Memphis on Main to round out the work week. They’ve been playing some dates in some bordering states, but this is the first show I’ve seen recently in C-U. Not certain if there’s another band joining, but either way, this should be a show worth checking out.

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WHAT: Neoga Blacksmith, Northern Magnolia, The Divide

WHERE: Mike ‘N Molly’s ($5)

WHEN: Friday, December 7th at 10 p.m

Bunch of alt-country going on with this bill at Mike ‘N Molly’s Friday. Chicago’s Northern Magnolia played at Cafe Luna the last time they were in town back in August, and Amelia had a few things to say about the show before it happened. Check that out as well as the other bands before heading out to see them. Locals Neoga Blacksmith and The Divide join in to support.

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EDITOR’S PICK: WAVVES, THE DIRTY FEATHERS, EASTER
Foellinger Auditorium ($15 students/$18 public) — Saturday, December 8th at 8 p.m.

Skuzz surf/garage rock outfit Wavves make their way back through C-U this weekend after having an absence over the last several years since their first appearance at Pygmalion in 2009. Notorious for smoking tons of pot and generally getting into trouble in one way or another, Nathan Williams and Wavves are an interesting booking for a venue like Foellinger on campus, but they’re looking to make it work. Not all is bad though, and this band has been pretty well recieved over the past few years.

We’re coming up on two years since the last Wavves record King of the Beach came out back in 2010, so I’m kind of surprised we haven’t seen any new full-length releases since then (they did put out a Life Sux EP last year). They cleaned up their sound a lot on that new album in comparison to their much more lo-fi sound on their first two albums. I’d imagine there will be some new material featured at this show from Williams & Co. Joining in to support is The Dirty Feathers (fitting, a garage rock band) and additional locals Easter. Price of tickets is a bit high, especially at a venue that doesn’t serve booze, but what can you do.

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WHAT: Carnivale Debauche

WHERE: The Highdive ($7)

WHEN: Saturday, December 8th at 8:30 p.m.

The always entertaining Carnivale Debauche venture back into C-U after playing outside at Mike ‘N Molly’s not too long ago when it was warm outside. Smile Politely Radio had them on the show this past Friday to talk about how the troupe got started, how they develope their performances, and much, much more. Be on the lookout for that audio within the next few days if you missed it on Friday.

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WHAT: Creepy Band, Street Justice

WHERE: Memphis on Main ($5)

WHEN: Saturday, December 8th at 9 p.m.

Chicago’s Creepy Band makes its way down to this part of the state to have some fun at Memphis on Main. They’ve played a few shows recently up in the Windy City, but haven’t been down here for a while. This is definitely a good alternative to seek out if the price of tickets for the Wavves show is a bit steep, or maybe you want to see a show you can drink at. That’s a definite plus.

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WHAT: The Black Shades, Midstress, Dirty Laundry, Nature Vs. No One

WHERE: Mike ‘N Molly’s ($5)

WHEN: Saturday, December 8th at 10 p.m.

This should get rowdy up in the upstairs at Mike ‘N Molly’s. On their “Hawt For Sique Babes” tour, The Black Shades have played with some pretty awesome bands, including Pujol and Brusier Queen on a few stops, and are heading to Chicago after this show Saturday. Local punks Midstress Correction: Nature Vs. No One and Dirty Laundry join in.

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WHAT: Twenty One Pilots, Come Wind, That’s No Moon

WHERE: The Canopy Club ($10 advance/$12 door)

WHEN: Sunday, December 9th at 7:30 p.m.

Piano pop duo Twenty One Pilots invades Canopy Club for a Sunday show to round out the week of shows. They released an EP in the summer and have a full length prepared for release next spring, so be on the lookout for that if you’re interested in these guys.

Executive Editor

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