Music

Check out what's happening this week in the live music world in and around C-U.

Gavin sits down with rapper IsaiahG ahead of his performance at PYGMALION in a few weeks.

John speaks with David Spelman, Artistic Director of ELLNORA: The Guitar Festival, about its origins as well as this year’s themes and performers.

ELLNORA has arrived, plus Matsuri, great shows at Rose Bowl, and more this weekend in live music.

Stephanie interviews Evan Bartel ahead of his show at Pour Bros for their one year anniversary celebration.

Plenty of shows to see this week as August hits September.

Sal chats with Kenna Mae Reiss of Relevator about their journey so far as this new-ish Americana five piece.

A member of the Beatles performs in Champaign, plus plenty of other options for live music in and around C-U this week.

Austin interviews Zoe Willott and talks about her project, zzo, which delivers some excellent dreamy indie pop tunes.

A ton of excellent options this week in and around C-U for live music, check out the rundown in this week's Overture.

This week, I spoke with Tristen, an up-and-coming singer-songwriter, to talk about her newest release before she plays The Rose Bowl Tavern on August 8th.

Here's what is happening this week in live music in and around C-U.

Joe chats with Terry Miller-Brown and Zack Widup of CU Bands and Fans about their involvement in the local music scene.

Bunch of great live music options lined up this week in and around C-U.

The new owners of the Rose Bowl Tavern in downtown Urbana have a vision: Keep it the same and grow it out. We sat down with co-owner Charlie Harris to learn how the trio came to owning the bar and what drew them to it initially.

Check out what's happening in the live music world locally this week.

Krannert Center's OUTSIDE at the Research Park show, Bentley's Fringe Fest, and more highlight this week in live music in C-U.

Nicole shares her impressions from last week's Audiofeed Festival.

Music as hot as the weather for the week ahead.

Audiofeed Festival is back this holiday weekend, and here's a look at what you can expect from the fest this year.

Nicole chats with Robbie Mathisen of Pour Bros. about their new Artist Alley Concert Series that's bringing a variety of artists to downtown Champaign.

Here's the music coming up for your holiday week in C-U.

Last week a show at the Sipyard went awry, but local musicians stepped in, and fun barely missed a beat.

Check out what's on deck for this week in the local music scene

This week's live music includes some of the youngest of our local performers, both at the Girls Rock! C-U showcase, and the Illinois Summer Youth Music concert, both happening this Saturday.

Carly Beth takes us along on the second and final week of their tour as part of the Tour Diaries series.

It's a very busy live music week, with CobraFest in Tolono and the Midwest PunkFest in Bloomington. There are plenty of options if you don't want to leave the relative comfort of C-U, too.

Drake sat down with Elizabeth Allen of Mermaid Heaven to talk about the new project, upcoming release, and more.

Carly Beth reports back to us on the first portion of their tour in the latest installment of our Tour Diaries series.

This week has all your jazz needs well met, and offers an opportunity for a free outdoor concert in Bloomington, if you're in the mood for a very short roadtrip.

Live music coming to you from C-U this week, including from some Champaign venues that are hosting shows more and more regularly lately. 

Local music has a range of options for the C-U area this week: jazz, country, metal, and more.

Nicole reviews her experience seeing Neckbeard Deathcamp perform this past Sunday at the IMC.

Take a look at this week's lineup of live local music.

Matthew Campbell and Robert Hirschfeld of Common Loon write atmospheric, tuneful songs that would make them kings of the indie music heap in a perfect world. Thankfully, they're back. 

This week brings a wide variety of genres to the live music scene in C-U, and plenty of opportunities for dancing.

In honor of “International Jazz Day”, John and Nicole offer a couple of local spots to catch a show

ELLNORA is back again, and Smile Politely sat down with Krannert Center's Mike Ross and Bridget Lee-Calfas to talk about how the festival celebrates diversity, inclusivity, and exceptional guitarists.

A look at this week's events in C-U's local music scene.

Gavin chats with Jake Metz, the creator of Immersion Fest, a brand new, inclusive sound-experience festival coming to C-U at the start of May.

Another busy music week in C-U, and this time around it's especially well-suited to jazz ensemble fans.

Jeff Tweedy of Wilco performed at the Virginia last night, and although the performance was great, some audience members soured the experience.

Find out what's on the horizon for this Urbana-based band.

Plenty of options for every musical preference this week, with reggae, hip-hop, jazz, death metal, rock, classical, and folk ready for the listening across town.

Record Store Day is almost here again. Here's what's happening this year.

The new owners of Rose Bowl Tavern are commited to keeping the classic charm of the well-loved bar, and equally committed to providing an inclusive space for the entire C-U community to celebrate local music.

Record Store Day and Krannert Center's 50th anniversary, among the usual wide variety of live local music, provide the music scene's complement to Ebert Fest this week. 

John interviews Professor Bernhard Scully, former horn player of Canadian Brass, about his experiences in the ensemble and his current work at U of I.