I Refute Technology, the new EP from Peoria musician Jared Bartman, is an innovative exploration of how far the boundaries of a song can go. It’s important to note that the four track disc, recorded …
Posts by Brian McGovern:
The Overture: Dec. 15 – Dec. 21, 2008
With work, family and stocking up on Five Hour Energy Drinks for finals week, who has the time to find out about the best shows happening in Champaign-Urbana? No need to fear, because the editors …
Morgan Orion at Red Herring Tonight
Last spring, local singer-songwriter Morgan Orion stood in front of a living room filled with friends and supporters while singing his simple but astoundingly honest songs. Since then, he has been frequently playing in various …
Our Year in Lists
It’s that time of year again — the end of it. With only a couple weeks left until 2009 takes over, there’s nothing left to do but reflect on the year that was. Oh, and …
Zmick and Underpaid Packy Face Off
The Fall Semester Showdown begins tonight at Canopy. While checking out the first of three nights of local music at Canopy Club would probably be a good idea, seeing Thursday night’s show would be more …
The Overture: December 8–14, 2008
With work, family and updating twitters, who has the time to find out about the best shows happening in Champaign-Urbana? No need to fear, because the editors here at Smile Politely have taken care of …
Album Review: Baptism by So Long Forgotten
In the music community, the label Christian Rock seems to be as disliked of a term as “hipster band.” Just as countless artists stress they are more than just a fad created by Pitchfork (Clap …
And the Nominees Are…
Winning awards is easy. Name an award. An Oscar for best picture, you say? If you want to be taken seriously, you’ve got to give your movie a one word title. Titanic, Gladiator, Braveheart and …
The Brother Whys Play Canopy Club Tonight
Tonight, local indie pop outfit The Brother Whys is headlining at Canopy Club. Earlier this week, I met with Tom Riordan, lead singer of the quintet, to ask him a few questions shortly after he …
The Overture: December 1 – December 7, 2008
With work, the holidays and finals quickly approaching, who has the time to find out about the best shows happening in Champaign-Urbana? No need to fear, because the editors here at Smile Politely have taken …