With school, work, family, and finding the hoodie buried in your closet, 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: Jason and The Punknecks w/ The Burninators
When: Tuesday July 21; 9 p.m.
Where: Memphis on Main; $5
Word on the street is that Memphis on Main is under new ownership, and it’s easy to see the changes right away. Tuesday night, they present a more-than-badass show of original music, featuring country-punks Jason and The Punknecks alongside local crazies The Burninators. Hailing from La La Land, out there in the ol’ California, their stop is merely one of dozens on a tour that doesn’t seem to end until it gets cold out here in the Midwest. They seemlessly fuse the best parts of both county and punk and blend it with a nice dose of rockabilly to make fans of The Reverend Horton Heat and perhaps even Switzer stand up and cheer. Show starts at 9 p.m., and is a measley and pathetic $5.
What: Shadowboxer Collective Presents: Tracey & Tricia w/ Paper Crocodiles, Annie Bacon and Lynn O’Brien
When: Thursday July 23; 9 p.m.
Where: The Canopy Club; $7
Just the latest in a series of artists and shows slowly taking over the area. As one of my colleagues said in an e-mail, this is “sort of a ladies night.”
These aren’t newbies though, as Tracey & Tricia were in Tall Tale, and Lynn O’Brien comes from Bloomington often to play her jazzy tunes. By all accounts the Shadowboxer Collective shows have been great, nothing tells me this one shouldn’t live up to it.
What: Last Show Ever at 700 W. Illinois w/ Rule 22, Roberta Sparrow, The Old Wives, Kobanes, and The Burninators
When: Friday July 24; 8 p.m.
Where: 700 W. Illinois; $2
OK, so they might think it’s last show ever at 700 W. Illinois, but unless they know something about a demolition team moving in on the joint, our guess is that at some time, during some year, other kids will be carrying the torch. How do we know? That block has a long history of hosting shows, from joints like Rocket House, to Clear The Furniture Art Gallery, 700 Block Illinois is as old school as it gets for the DIY in C-U. Needless to say, this show will provide you will an insane amount of entertainment, and for just over $.40 a band. That’s bananas.
What: Dressed to Kill: Tribute to KISS
When: Friday, July 24; 9 p.m.
Where: The Canopy Club; $8
As I said about the Metallica tribute band last week, this could either be awesome or hilarious. The good thing about KISS though is that they are built to be campy, so I’m hoping for showmen. That and KISS has one of the best hard rock catalogs out there. Those songs have been put through the wringer. Once more won’t hurt, and who knows, maybe it will be the next best thing to the actual band (who really are a joke now).