With school, work, family and preparing for the return of the students, 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.
WHAT: The Great Cover Up 19, Nights 2 and 3
WHEN: Tuesday, January 19 and Thursday, January 21 (Doors at 8)
WHERE: The Highdive ($7 cover each night, $15 for all three, proceeds benefit A Woman’s Place)
Here’s the lineup for the Tuesday and Thursday editions:
Tuesday JAN 19
Terminus Victor
Roberta Sparrow
The Chemicals
Robots Counterfeiting Money
Vvvvv
Dottie And Th ‘Rail
The Delta Kings
Thursday JAN 21
Santah
DJ Belly & Friends
(Jiggsaw has CANCELLED)
Hot Cops
Kayla Brown
The Duke Of Uke
Mordechai In The Mirror
WHAT: Rebecca Nagle, Jacob Barton
WHEN: Thursday, Jan. 21 @ 8 p.m.
WHERE: U-C Independent Media Center (sliding scale admission, $6-12)
Did you know that live music shows at the IMC are BYOB for those of you over 21? It’s true, and it’s one of the best-kept secrets in town.
And this show on Thursday may need a little bit of chemical assistance in order to make some sense of the proceedings, as Jacob Barton’s udderbot will likely be the least-odd performance of the evening.
Nagle will perform her one-woman show “A Dozen Things I Want to Do on Stage,” and that dozen will include undressing to “Wenn Ich Mir Was Wünschen Dürfte”, fitting in a small box, telling your secrets, discussing why something is racist, falling in love, reading her fantasies, acting out your fantasies, inducing a tragedy, falling down, taking truth serum while letting the audience ask her questions, telling a tall tale, and disemboweling herself. So there you go. Not sure I can add a whole lot to that, although you can learn more on her website.
WHAT: The Gold Motel, Empires, Withershins
WHEN: Friday, Jan. 22 @ 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: The Canopy Club ($10 in advance)
Greta Salpeter finished a close second to Alyssa Milano as 2008’s World’s Sexiest Vegetarian, but she’s rebounded well. When you look like Amy Adams and sound like Zooey Deschanel, it’s hard to go too far wrong. While her band The Hush Sound is on hiatus, she’s formed The Gold Motel, which basically defines sunny pop. In fact, take a look for yerself…
WHAT: Jared Bartman, Chris Staples, Good Night & Good Morning, You & Yourn
WHEN: Saturday, Jan. 23 @ 10 p.m.
WHERE: Mike N Molly’s ($5 cover)
Growing up in small towns can produce remarkable results at times. Recently, Joanna Newsom comes to mind, as a singer-songwriter that completely bowled people over once she hit the national scene. If luck has any magic leftover for Jared Bartman, he’ll be right there with her soon enough. The Princeton, Ill., native headlines Mike N’ Molly’s this Saturday as part of a bill chock full’o treats when locals You & Yourn and Good Night and Good Morning join him for what looks to be one of the strongest bills of the year thus far.
LOOKING AHEAD…
1/28/10
Canopy Club – Strange Arrangement, Daphne Willis, The Right Now (10 p.m., $5, 18+)
1/29/10
Canopy Club – Keller Williams (Doors @ 8 p.m., show @ 9:30 p.m., $20 Adv., 18+)
Mike ‘N Molly’s – Jookabox, Common Loon (10 p.m., $5, ?)
1/30/10
Canopy Club – Pecha Kucha (Doors @ 7 p.m., show @ 8:20 p.m., $10, 18+)
Canopy Club – World’s First Flying Machine CD Release Party, Flotation Walls (10 p.m., $10, 18+)
Cowboy Monkey – Elsinore EP Release Show, Elsinore, Brighton MA, We Landed On The Moon!, Zach May (9:30 p.m., $7/10 (includes digital copy of EP), 19+)
Mike ‘N Molly’s – Chew Toy, Mayhew the Traitor, Milk at Midnight (10 p.m., $5, ?)
Independent Media Center – Bruiser and the Virtues (7 p.m. swing lessons, 8 p.m. show, $TBA, all ages)
1/31/10
Canopy Club – The Prairie Ensemble: The Soldier’s Tale (7 p.m., $18 Adv., 18+)
2/3/10
Canopy Club – Zoso: The Ultimate Tribute to Led Zeppelin (8 p.m., $8 Adv., 18+)
2/4/10
Canopy Club – Gov’t Mule, Jackie Greene (9 p.m., $25 Adv., 18+)
2/5/10
Cowboy Monkey – Webb Wilder, Delta Kings (Doors @ 7 p.m. – show @ 7:30 p.m., $12 Adv., 19+)
Canopy Club – Lucky Boys Confusion, TBA (9 p.m., $12 Adv., 18+)
Mike ‘N Molly’s – Jet W. Lee CD Release Show, The Safes, JigGsaw (10 p.m., $5, ?)
2/9/10
Krannert Center – The Band of the Irish Guards
2/10/10
Canopy Club – Scratch Clash Vol. 1 w/ 217 Mafia vs. Rave to the Grave (9 p.m., TBA, 18+)
2/11/10
Krannert Center – Frederica Von Stade
Canopy Club – Nomo, Zach May and the Maps (9:30 p.m., $8 Adv. 18+)
2/12/10
Canopy Club – Roses and Sake, The Blue Heels, Little Boy Junior (6:30 p.m., $7, 18+)
Mike ‘N Molly’s – Jason and the Punknecks, The Burninators (10 p.m., $5, ?)
2/13/10
Mike ‘N Molly’s – Lookbook, Blah Blah Blah (10 p.m., $TBA, ?)
2/14/10
Canopy Club – Bela Fleck/The Africa Project (9 p.m., $25 Adv., 18+)
2/17/10
The Highdive – Scott Miller, TBA (Doors @ 7 p.m. – show @ 8 p.m., $10 Adv., 19+)
Canopy Club – Tim Be Told, Dustin Keele, With the Morning (7:30 p.m., TBA, 18+)
2/18/10
Canopy Club – Retribution Gospel Choir, TBA (9 p.m., $8 Adv., 18+)
2/20/10
The Highdive – State Radio, TBA (Doors @ 7 p.m. – show @ 7:30 p.m., $15 Adv., 19+)
Canopy Club – RJD2, Kenan Bell, Happy Chichester (7 p.m., $13 Adv., 18+)
Mike ‘N Molly’s – White Mystery, TBA (10 p.m., $5, ?)
2/24/10
Canopy Club – Joe Pug, TBA (7 p.m., $10 Adv., 18+)
2/25/10
Krannert Center – Moscow State Radio Symphony Orchestra
2/27/10
Cowboy Monkey – The Lesser Birds of Paradise, World’s First Flying Machine, Carl Hauck, My Dear Alan Andrews
Canopy Club – Cold Cave, Hair Police (9 p.m., $8 Adv., 18+)
Independent Media Center – Claudia Schmidt (8 p.m., $TBA, All Ages)
3/2/10
Krannert Center – Abraham Inc.
3/5/10
Assembly Hall – Martina McBride, Trace Adkins
Mike ‘N Molly’s – The Daredevil Christopher Wright, TBA (10 p.m., $TBA, ?)
3/12/10
The Highdive – Band of Heathens (Doors 7 p.m. – show @ 8 p.m., $12 Adv., 19+)
Mike ‘N Molly’s – Mittens on Strings, TBA (10 p.m., $TBA, ?)
3/13/10
The Highdive – Feudin’ Hillbillies (Doors 7 p.m. – show @ 8 p.m, $7 Adv., 19+)
3/16/10
Krannert Center – Danu
The Highdive – The Tossers, TBA (Doors @ 8 p.m. – show @ 9 p.m., $12 Adv., 19+)
3/18/10
Krannert Center – San Francisco Symphony
3/30/10
Krannert Center – What it Is! Featuring Mavis Staples, Booker T. JJ Grey
4/5/10
Canopy Club – Bassnectar (9 p.m., $17 Adv. – on sale 1/16, 18+)
4/10/2010
Krannert Center – Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra
4/15/10
Krannert Center – Joshua Bell
4/24/10
Krannert Center – James Farm
5/5/10
Krannert Center – Ozomatli
7/23/10
Canopy Club – Central Illinois Metalfest 2010
7/24/10
Canopy Club – Central Illinois Metalfest 2010