WHAT: Ozomatli
WHEN: Wednesday, May 5 at 7:30 p.m.
WHERE: Krannert Tyron Festival Theater (various prices)
This L.A. band could fit into many different genres. Lazy writers might just file them under some “whatever” category and move on, but we don’t do that kind of thing here at Smile Politely. Instead, we consider Ozomatli one of the better contemporary, urban, Latin collision of hip-hop and salsa, dancehall and Colombian cumbia, sizzling samba and rapid-fire funk, East L.A. R&B and New Orleans second line, Jamaican ragga and Indian raga bands around. Should be a good way to celebrate Cinqo de Mayo.
WHAT: White Trash Rodeo
WHEN: Friday, May 7 at 8 p.m.
WHERE: Rose Bowl Taven
White Trash Rodeo plays the harder brand of country music that’s been missing from “country” radio for the last couple of decades. This is the perfect show for those of you who just want to go out, have a good time and could care less about being seen at hipster shows. And listing this has nothing to do with any comments that may have been made last week in our BEST section. (Honestly, I used to love going to the Rose Bowl ten years ago, but haven’t gotten back there on my second C-U tour of duty, due mostly to babies and stuff.)
WHAT: Yourself & the Air, Jookabox, New Ruins, Joe Pug, Frattle of the Bands winner
WHEN: Saturday, May 8
WHERE: Canopy Club ($10)
One of our favorite radio stations puts on their second Laughing Prairie Dog Festival. Indianapolis Jookabox should pile up the noise in a funish way, Chicago’s Yourself & the Air pump out a generic Thrill Jockeyesque sound and locals New Ruins are always good for a rocking set. But again with the Joe Pug? Say what you will about the initial lineup for Pygmalion, but at least they aren’t running that guy through town again. (Though I guess I shouldn’t count my chickens quite yet.)
WHAT: You & Yourn, Raina Rose, Monadnoc
WHEN: Saturday, May 8 at 8 p.m.
WHERE: Mike n’ Molly’s
Surely C-U’s best (BEST?) folkish band, You & Yourn plays a local show after completing another extensive tour. The band continues to get good write-ups wherever they go, so come out and show these locals some hometown love. Austin’s Raina Rose and Chicago’s Monadnoc will also perform. Monadnoc is an atmospheric spoken word band, if that interests you.
WHAT: Mother’s Day Folk Frolic with Kayla Brown, Megan Johns, Cara Mauziri and Bob and Pricilla
WHEN: Sunday, May 9 at 7 p.m.
WHERE: Iron Post ($7)
Looking to take mom out for a fun, folky show? Here’s your chance. And you can get their early (at 5 p.m.) for an open stage/free jam. If you’re looking for an appearance from C-U’s BEST mom, she’ll only be there if we get back to town in time.
NEW THIS WEEK:
6/19 Zombie A Go Go with Bible Belt Sinners @ Mike ‘n Molly’s – The Bible Belt Sinners seem like the perfect band to get the undead moving. Word on the street is that those with unusually large craniums will get a special discount.
8/14 Elsinore CD Release Show @ Canopy Club – Elsinore has set a date and place for their official Yes Yes Yes release show. They played a sold-out show at Schubas in Chicago last weekend, so you might want to get your tickets early for this one to prevent any northerners from carpetbagging the show.
And in cased you missed it in the splog, Fang Island has been added to the Pygmalion lineup.
LOOKING AHEAD (new additions in bold):
5/3/10
Cowboy Monkey – Roberta Sparrow, Fresh Kills, Soy City Stranglers (10 p.m., $5)
5/5/10
El Toro Bravo Restaurant – Cinqo de Mayo with The Duke of Uke and His Novelty Orchestra
Iron Post – Cinco de Mayo party with The U of I Jazz Vocalists (7 p.m.)
Krannert Center – Ozomatli (7 p.m, $8-28)
5/6/10
Canopy Club – Santah CD release show with Dr. Manhattan, Grandkids, LEGTWO
Iron Post – Point of No Return (7 p.m.)
5/7/10
Bentley’s – Mike Ingram and Kayla Brown (10 p.m., $3)
Canopy Club – Eclipse (Pink Floyd Tribute) (10 p.m., $10 Adv)
Cowboy Monkey – Cycling for Cancer Benefit with Positive Vibr8tions, White Rabbit, Famicom and Mickey Karbal (10 p.m., $5)
Iron Post – The Prairie Dogs (5 p.m.)
Mike ‘n Molly’s – Mertz (8 p.m., $TBA)
The Phoenix – Corcid, Thrash Zombie, Commodity, Heavy Lies the Crown, Short Handed Goal, The Soviet, Atheory, We Must Dismantle All This, The Diamond Stretch (6 p.m., $7, special AA show)
Rose Bowl Tavern –
White Trash Rodeo (9 p.m.)
5/8/10
Bentley’s – The Impalas (9 p.m., $5)
Canopy Club – Laughing Prairie Dog Festival with Yourself & the Air, Jookabox, New Ruins, Joe Pug
Cowboy Monkey – Hip Rock vs Indie Hop with S.Words, Sun Stereo, Cornbread, Take Care (10 p.m., $5)
Iron Post – Man Made Blast, Margarita Barn Party and Neoga Blacksmith (9:30 p.m.)
Mike ‘n Molly’s – You & Yourn, Raina Rosa (9 p.m., $5)
Rose Bowl Taven – Heartache & Tears (9 p.m.)
5/10/10
The Rose Bowl Tavern – Ray Wylie Hubbard (7:30 p.m., $15)
5/13/10
Canopy Club – Justin Moore, Casey Jamerson (7 p.m., $17 Adv)
Cowboy Monkey – Miles Nielsen (10 p.m., $5)
5/14/10
Canopy Club – Flosstradamus, The Interns, CZO, Lucknow, Famicom (10 p.m., $12 Adv)
Mike ‘n Molly’s – Tractor Kings, Darling, Pigeon ($TBA)
Rose Bowl Tavern – Honkeytonk Trio (9 p.m.)
5/15/10
Bentley’s – Billy Galt (8:30 p.m., free)
Mike ‘n Molly’s – Neoga Blacksmith, Withershins (8 p.m., $5)
5/16/10
Highdive – Sick, XXX Smut, ANTiSEEN! (7 p.m., $10)
Rose Bowl Tavern – Surreal Deal (8:30 p.m.)
5/18/10
Aroma Cafe – Vintage Ragtime Show with Jane Boxall, Paul Asaro (7 p.m., free)
5/19/10
Canopy Club – Mastodon, Between the Buried and Me, Baroness, Valiant Thorr (6:30 p.m., $23 Adv.)
IMC – Red Molly (7:30 p.m., $TBA)
5/20/10
Canopy Club – Fistful of Steel (Rage Against the Machine Tribute) (9 p.m., $5)
Cowboy Monkey – Man Made Blast (10 p.m., $5)
5/21/10
Bentley’s – Rocket Science (9 p.m., $2)
Canopy Club – Blessed With Pain, Seven Year Existence, Buried in Black, C.P.X. (9 p.m., $5)
Mike ‘n Molly’s – Krukid, DJ LEGTWO, Bozak (9 p.m., $5)
5/22/10
Bentley’s – The Curses and the Duke of Uke (10 p.m.)
Canopy Club – Justin Penrod Memorial Benefit with Jason & the Haymakers ($10 Adv)
Canopy Club – Slow Intentional Damage, Atheory, Deliver the Fallen, Kill Me For You (9 p.m., $7)
Cowboy Monkey – The Hillbilly Jones (10 p.m., $5)
Memphis on Main – Rookwood, TBA ($TBA)
Mike n’ Molly’s – Common Loon, TBA (8 p.m., $5)
5/27/10
Cowboy Monkey – New Ruins, Gospel Gossip, Husband&wife, Peninsula (9:30 p.m., $5)
5/28/10
Mike ‘n Molly’s – Little Pieces, Dottie & the Rail (8 p.m., $5)
Rose Bowl – Delta Kings (9 p.m., $TBA)
5/29/10
Mike ‘n Molly’s – The Keylocks, Withnail (8 p.m., $5)
5/30/10
Cowboy Monkey – “Hit It Run” with DJ Kosmo
Hessel Park – Battle of the Bands 2nd/3rd Place Winners (6 p.m., free)
Mike ‘n Molly’s – Jet W. Lee, En Fuego (8 p.m., $TBA)
6/2/10
Toalson Park – The Impalas (6:30 p.m., free)
6/4/10
Canopy Club – Point of Fire, Madison’s Avenue (9 p.m., $5)
Mike ‘n Molly’s – Roberta Sparrow, TBA ($TBA)
West Side Park – Ben Bedford (noon, free)
6/5/10
Champaign Public Library – Mark Dvorak (2 p.m., free)
Cowboy Monkey – Brat Pack
IMC – Kyle Bruckman & Rich O’Donnell (8 p.m., $TBA)
6/7/10
Canopy Club – Clutch, The Bakerton Group, Lionize and Never Got Caught (7 p.m., $22 advance)
6/10/10
Canopy Club – The Who Show (a tribute to the Who), The Sugar Prophets
6/11/10
Canopy Club – Emery (7 p.m., $13 Adv)
West Side Park – Taste of Champaign with Delta Kings, Chicago Mambo All-Stars (5 p.m., free)
6/12/10
Mike ‘n Molly’s – The Poison Control Center, TBA (8 p.m., $5)
West Side Park – Taste of Champaign with Elsinore, Hurricane Gumbo, Kevin Lucas Orchestra, more (11 a.m., free)
6/13/10
West Side Park – Taste of Champaign with Bottle of Justus, Hathaways, The No Secret Band, more (11 a.m., free)
6/18/10
Bentley’s – TwoYou (10 p.m.)
Canopy Club – High 5 Homicide, Trash City Rockers, Atheory, Flightrisk (9 p.m., $6)
6/19/10
Mike ‘n Molly’s – CU Zombie A Go Go with Bible Belt Singers
6/23/10
Morrissey Park – Run for Cover (6:30 p.m., free)
6/24/10
Garden Hills Park – Déjà vu (6:30 p.m., free)
6/25/10
Aroma Cafe – Ashley Renay (7 p.m., free)
Rose Bowl – Delta Kings ($TBA)
6/26/10
Downtown Urbana – Urbana Blues, Brews and BBQ Festival with Bernard Allison, Devon Allman’s Honeytribe, Shirley King, John Lee Hooker Jr., more
Mike ‘n Molly’s – Duke of Uke, Beat Kitchen, Tree Thump ($TBA)
6/27/10
Hessel Park – Decatur Park Singers (6:30 p.m., free)
6/30/10
Elsner Park – Point of Fire (6:30 p.m., free)
7/2/10
West Side Park – Aaron Koppel Duo (noon, free)
7/10/10
Downtown Champaign – 150th Birthday Party with Hum, Delta Kings, Duke of Uke, Tons O’ Fun Band, Candy Foster and Shades of Blue
7/11/10
Douglass Park – Candy Foster (6:30 p.m., free)
7/14/10
Powell Park – Singing in the Abbey (6:30 p.m., free)
7/15/10
Aroma Cafe – Chris Darby (7 p.m., free)
7/16/10
Iron Post – Vanattica, Shark Bandit, Sages ($TBA)
7/18/10
Hessel Park – Jim Markum Swing Band (6:30 p.m., free)
7/22/10
Canopy Club – CIM Pre-Party with Embalmer, Putrid Pile, Human Filleted, Leproso, Amaron, What Thou Will (9 p.m., $7)
7/23/10
Canopy Club – Central Illinois Metalfest 2010
7/24/10
Canopy Club – Central Illinois Metalfest 2010
7/25/10
Hessel Park – The Shantles (6:30 p.m., free)
7/29/10
Garden Hills Park – Mary Clark (6:30 p.m., free)
8/1/10
Hessel Park – Boneyard Jazz Quintet (6:30 p.m., free)
8/4/10
Clark Park – Exorna (6:30 p.m., free)
8/6/10
West Side Park – Road Song (noon, free)
8/8/10
Hessel Park – Lonnie Lester (6:30 p.m., free)
8/14/10
Canopy Club – Elsinore CD Release Show
9/11/10
Cowboy Monkey – Cowboy Monkey’s 2nd Annual Band Hootenanny
9/25/10
Krannert – Roky Erickson with Okkervil River
Additions, comments, questions – email us: musicATsmilepolitely.com