WHAT: Margaret O’Brien, John Coppess
WHERE: The Clark Bar (free)
WHEN: Tuesday, August 21nd at 7 p.m.
This week’s featured show from the C-U Singer Songwriter Collective features these two a week after a full band performed. John Coppess is no stranger to these shows as he’s played a few times, but this is the first time I’ve seen O’Brien’s name pop up. Should be a real treat.
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EDITOR’S PICK: BIRTHMARK, EVIL TENTS, EASTER
Mike ‘N Molly’s ($5) — Thursday, August 23rd at 8:30 p.m.
There’s always something going on out of the Kinsella crew, and this time it’s Nate Kinsella and his Birthmark project. He just released his third full-length back in May on Polyvinyl Records (shocking), and is definitely worth checking out. You can stream the whole thing at the band’s Bandcamp. It’s always interesting to see what one of these guys will do next, so it is definitely a pleasant surprise that another album has come out from this project. The addition Evil Tents and Easter makes this the best bill of the week, and with the weather the way it has been, the beer garden will be about as pleasant as it can be.
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WHAT: Warrant, FireHouse, Dr. Duke Tumato 
WHERE: Downtown Urbana (free)
WHEN: Friday, August 24th and Saturday, August 25th
Classic rock gurus rejoice! You can go chow down on a ton of corn and watch some heavy metal rock while you do it. This time, it doesn’t have to be in your back yard, but it can be in public. Hey, it’s free admission as well, so it’s probably worth checking out, especially if you’re into people watching. That could get interesting.
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WHAT: Deadlands, The Chemicals, Pleasure Boat Explosion
WHERE: Mike ‘N Molly’s ($5)
WHEN: Friday, August 24th at 9 p.m.
Chicago psychadelic outfit Deadlands passes through later this week with locals The Chemicals and Pleasure Boat Explosion. Deadlands were featured on WEFT a short while back and are currently working on some recordings, so be on the lookout for those in the near future.
Deadlands: “Hilljack King”
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WHAT: Santah, On Again Off Again, Canoe Canoe 
WHERE: Cowboy Monkey ($7)
WHEN: Friday, August 24th at 9:30 p.m.
Santah have a new EP on the way in late October and they’re calling it You’re Still A Lover, which is exciting news considering it’s been over two years since the stellar White Noise Bed came out. They’ve been playing a bunch of shows recently and they’ve lined up their Champaign stop over at Cowboy Monkey before coming back to play Pygmalion at the end of September. Stream one of their new tracks “Springfield” below, or even preorder the album if you’re into that.
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WHAT: The Madeira, The Cocktail Preachers
WHERE: Mike ‘N Molly’s ($5)
WHEN: Saturday, August 25th at 8 p.m.
Surfabilly Freakout’s Surfy Murphy Beach Riot III is this Saturday fittingly featuring a few surf-rock bands to fill the bill. The show is a fundraiser for a team frequently featured on our site, the Twin City Derby Girls. Aside from the music, there will be plenty of raffle prizes and drinks to be had at Mike ‘N Molly’s, so this will probably be a pretty interesting and entertaining event.
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WHAT: Puddle of Mudd
WHERE: Canopy Club ($20)
WHEN: Sunday, August 26th at 7 p.m.
Those guys who came out with that song called “She Hates Me” are coming to Canopy. Somehow they are pretty huge, and that’s all I really have to say about that.
*THIS SHOW HAS BEEN CANCELED*
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WHAT: The Soil & The Sun, Hathaways, Kellen & Me
WHERE: Fat City
WHEN: Sunday, August 26th at 7 p.m.
Michigan’s The Soil & The Sun are back in Champaign after what was supposedly a great show when they played here several months back. Fat City has hosted a bunch of differet types of shows, but this is a pretty good one to check out. Music should be going on constantly for this one, even in between the main bands there will be a trio of acoustic performers filling those gaps to keep everything going.
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