FRIDAY, MAY 31
Friday Night Live, Downtown Champaign, 6:00 p.m.
Great music, food, and entertainment. What’s not to love? Stuff for the kids begins at 6:00, with balloon “art” and stilt walker Michael Braswell.
And here’s the music lineup:
Walnut & Chester:
6:00 p.m.: Kate Fritz with Tom Turino – Old-time Scottish & Appalachian on fiddle & guitar
7:00 p.m.: Briggs-Houchin Duo – Jazz Duo
Neil & Park:
6:00 p.m.: David Howie Music & Lou DiBello – the Live Jukebox “Duo Show”
7:00 p.m.: John Dahlstedt & Nathaniel Ruiz – Clarinet Jazz Revival
Neil & Church (One Main Plaza):
6:00 p.m.: GypsyHipsDance – belly dance troupe
7:00 p.m.: Desafinado – Brazilian Jazz
(TN)
SATURDAY, JUNE 1
Yard Sale for the Normal and Weird, 703 W. High St., Urbana, 9:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m.
I don’t know these people, so I have nothing personally invested in this, but I’ve been known to host a few yard sales in my day, and this one seems to be worth checking out. It promises “Normal and weirdo stuff”: clothes (for male, female, and beyond), furniture, kitchenware, art supplies, books (youth and older), garden tools & supplies, tools, gadgets, gizmos, and a weather balloon, backyard compost tumbler (one year old), a big box of 100+ chopsticks, and more. Get there early. (JS)
Dino Bravo, Doomsayer, Dan Sentighty, High Horse, The Velvet Elvis, 8:00 p.m., $5
You can see one of the bands that we recently reviewed in Dino Bravo, as they released their newest tape Planet Madness last month. They won’t be the only ones supplying the rock for this show, though, as three others are set to perform from out of town. This is a good opportunity for those who don’t go to shows featuring metal or hardcorepunk shows to get involved with a great venue and a bunch of bands worth seeing this weekend. (PS)
90’s Daughter Block Party, Cowboy Monkey, 8:00 p.m.
It’s block party time of year again around these parts. Check out this free outdoor block party at Cowboy Monkey on Saturday. The party is family friendly, and free for all in attendance. 90’s Daughter will perform songs from No Doubt, Pink, Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Nirvana, Chumbawumba, Lady GaGa, Alanis Morissette, Tracy Chapman, Weezer, 4 Non Blondes, Lenny Kravitz, Foo Fighters, Alice in Chains, Stone Temple Pilots, and others that you won’t be able to get out of your head for a week or so. (JS)
Violent Universe, Staerkel Planetarium, 8:00 p.m., $4–5
Every Friday and Saturday night, Staerkel Planetarium hosts Violent Universe. Per the planetarium’s website: “The beauty of a starlit sky conceals violent forces at work within our universe. From the upheaval of a giant star that explodes to black holes, to a possible encounter between the Earth and a large asteroid that is too close for comfort, we will witness the forces that hold the universe together and occasionally try to rip it apart. Narrated by Patrick Stewart.” (MG)
First of tha Month Series, The Canopy Club, 9 p.m., $5
Although the amount of shows over at the Canopy Club decreases as the students leave town, this one has a ton of hip-hop artists all piled into one show. Featuring some of the best and brightest emcees from C-U, the First of tha Month Series starts June 1. It’s fairly cheap for the amount of acts you get to see; plus, there are some rising stars in the mix here. Young Blu is moving up in the record biz, Jay Moses has always been one of the best in town, and Swords is great as well. There is a budding local hip-hop scene in C-U, and here’s your chance to see it first hand. (PS)
Motes, Aboveandbelow, Cheef, Mike ‘N Molly’s, 9:00 p.m., $7
I don’t know a damn thing about the band called Motes, but after listening to some of their songs here, I definitely want to see them live, and I think you should, too. Mike ‘N Molly’s, one of the best local presenters of local and non-local music, is hosting this cool bunch Saturday night. If you’ve never been to Mike ‘N Molly’s … well, then what the hell is wrong with you? It’s a great space for music: cramped, liquid, rowdy, and like a too-hard hug from a nice guy you barely know. And I mean all that as a compliment. (MG)
Twin City Derby Girls fundraiser, Memphis on Main, 9:00 p.m.–midnight, $5
The TCDGs are throwing a dance party this Saturday, and we’re all invited. The theme is the eighties and the music is by Upshot. There are also contests for best costume, dance, and hairdo.
Have you ever been to an eighties theme party? You think it’s going to be cheesy and suck, but you dress up anyway, and you’re kind of surprised at how cute you look, and so you decide to suck it up and go and have fun, but hell no, you’re not dancing and if they play the goddamn Go-Go’s you’re leaving. But you go, and you know you look cute, and you can’t help but look at the cheesy decorations and fondly remember that guy or girl (or guy and girl) that you kissed during Spin the Bottle or Homecoming (depending in your age). And then they play the goddamn Go-Go’s just like you knew they would, but you’re tipsy by now, so you get out there and dance like Carlton, and in spite of yourself you have a fantasic time.
That’s what’s going to happen this Saturday. (TN)
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All event information is accurate to the best of our abilities, but sometimes we make mistakes and sometimes event information, times, prices, etc., change after we look them up. Whenever possible, we’ve provided a link to the original event page; you should always double-check the source before you make any firm plans. Thanks for your understanding.