With school, work, family, and a pathetic excuse for a State’s Attorney ruining your life, who has the time to find out about the best shows happening in Champaign-Urbana? No need to fear, because the editors at Smile Politely have taken care of it.
Here are the must-see shows of the week:
When: Wednesday, July 1; 7 p.m.
What: Psychostick w/ Blessed With Pain, Scathe, and Dipshit McGee
Where: The Canopy Club; $7
OK. So, the show is headlined by Psychostick, who is a very capable up and coming thrash-core hard rock act from Tempe, Arizona. They are perfect for you, if you are waiting around hoping desperately that Faith No More schedule a North American tour. Otherwise, we think it might be worth coming to this show, simply to check out the opener: Dipshit McGee. With what might be the best/worst name in the history of rock music. They have no Myspace page, no music to listen to, or any indication of what to expect. But they are called Dipshit McGee. And that’s worth the price of admission alone.
When: Wednesday, July 1; 7 p.m.
What: Bill Kirchen
Where: The Rose Bowl; $15
Bill Kirchen, a legendary guitarist who got his start with Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen back in the ‘60s, has played with everyone from Ralph Stanley to Elvis Costello, Doug Sahm to Emmylou Harris. We interviewed him when he came through town last September. If you’re tired of midweek shows keeping you up past your bedtime, this is a good alternative.
When: Thursday, July 2; 8 p.m.
What: New Ruins w/ Ohtis, Prussia, Common Loon and Junk Culture
Where: The Canopy Club; $7
Here is an indie rock show worthy of your time and attention. The best of Champaign, meets the best of Bloomington, and everyone is bringing a friend along for the ride. In tow, is Prussia, from Detroit, who are in the midst of a short regional tour, and signed with Common Cloud Records. Common Loon is carrying Junk Culture, which is the one-man project from Deepak Mantena, of Oxford, Miss. Headlining is arguably the best band currently calling Champaign home, New Ruins of Parasol Records. No question, one of the best shows of the summer.
When: Thursday, July 2; 9 p.m.
What: Decade of Highdive w/ Beats By Otter, Lyle the Electrician, DJ Kosmo and more
Where: The Highdive; Free
On July 1, 1999, a crowd of about 150 – 200 people congregated in the stage room side of the newly opened Highdive, in the old adult theater / church next to Vriner’s on Main St. in the now recharged downtown Champaign. The expectations were large; Ward Gollings from The Blind Pig would be booking the 425 cap room, and the music scene, desperate for a venue to call their own again, were hungry and ready to make it surge. And for the first few years, it was perhaps the best small room in the Midwest. The artists that have graced the stage at Highdive reads like a veritable tour de force of who’s who in the music industry: The White Stripes, Queens of the Stone Age, Death Cab for Cutie, Modest Mouse, Superchunk, Cibo Matto, HUM, Guided By Voices, and the list goes on and on. But another thing happened as well. Three words. DJ Dance Party. And sooner than later, it was clear what The Highdive would end up as: a downtown dance club. So, it’s fitting that the 10-Year celebration would feature some of the best DJs to have ever hit the decks in their perfectly placed DJ booth. This is a fee show, and one that will no doubt be a great time. Cheers, Ward, for bringing us ten years of unbelievable live shows, and for keeping them up despite the douche factor on Fridays and Saturdays.