Finals are over. Students are leaving town. The weather is warming up and maybe it’ll stop raining soon. What will you do with your life now? Here are some suggestions:
FRIDAY
Have we mentioned that there’s a house party tonight?: Here are the essential details: 610 W. Hill St. in Champaign, six great local bands, 7 p.m. start, BYOB, free, bring your ID if you’re drinking. Hope to see you there.
Ain’t no massacre like a Dubstep Massacre: Dubstep Massacre 4 is a hip-hop/dubstep combo this time around, with the hip-hop portion starting at 9 p.m. at Cowboy Monkey, and the dubstep to follow. Cover is $5 before midnight and $2 afterward. Here’s a super-detailed recap of Dubstep 3 to get you in the mood.
Sita Sings @ The Art: In case you missed Sita Sings The Blues at this year’s Ebertfest, it’s now playing at Boardman’s Art Theatre. Read our interviews with Urbana native/Sita filmmaker Nina Paley: Part one and part two.
SATURDAY
That there vinyl is a collectible, ya hear: Want to help out a great cause and pick up some LPs on the cheap? WILL’s Vintage Vinyl sale is the place to be this Saturday at Lincoln Square Village. It’s always a bit eye-popping to stroll in and see that much music in one room. Things get underway at 8 a.m.
Raise the tower: WRFU (104.5 FM), Urbana’s public radio station, is raising some dough so they can erect a permanent, taller tower that will beam their signal across a wider region of our fair cities. Lots of good local bands are participating, from the Duke of Uke and John Hoeffleur (formerly of The Beauty Shop) to Dottie & the Rail and Cody Sokolski (of the Delta Kings). Festivities start at 5:30 p.m. at Mike & Molly’s and continue all night long.
Indie rock from bands we dig: Bentley’s Pub in downtown Champaign continues its recent tradition of booking great weekend shows with a spectacular lineup of local bands we happen to endorse: New Ruins, Ohtis, and Santa. That’s quite a fine bill, folks — and cheap at just $4. 10 p.m.
Help organize the dump: For many years the University YMCA has been taking all the “crap” students leave behind (and plenty of donated items from folks around town, too) and reselling it at a massive garage sale in late August. Donations are already coming in for this year’s sale and volunteers are needed to help sort through everything. Stop by the Y this Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and donate a few hours of your time. (Donations are also welcome during this time, but read up on what they don’t accept.) If you’re an especially industrious worker, they might let you keep a lava lamp. Score!
SUNDAY
No better Deal on Sunday than this one: Take it from Mike Ingram: The Surreal Deal at Rose Bowl each Sunday is one of the best ways to finish off a week in town. The band, which performs every Sunday evening at the downtown Urbana stalwart venue, is known for turning regular songs into epic jams and does — yessir — absolutely free of charge. Have a Lonestar (they actually sell it, yes) and pull up a chair.
But not this Sunday: Without knowing much else, it seems like Rose Bowl is going to be hosting another C-U favorite, The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash, this Sunday. Known for their incendiary live sets at Cowboy Monkey and Highdive, it seems as though the band finally caught wind that playing for 35-year old frat boys and DJ dance party seekers wasn’t their scene. Call (217) 367-7031 for more information.
Brunch wars: Good luck finding a seat for breakfast or brunch this Sunday — what with graduation and all. If you plan on going, you better be calling now, as in — right NOW in order to try to snag a reservation at one of many places serving it up to those in Sunday’s best and those steeped in Pomp and Circumstance.
Join the fight: AWARE (which is a perfect acronym for Anti-war Anti-racism Effort) meets each Sunday at (where else?) The Independent Media Center in downtown Urbana. This is a great chance to connect with other like-minded folks about what you, yes — YOU — can do to help put an end to all of this mess. Our own Tony Pomonis is a member, and you could be too.