WHAT: Brillz, Party Favor, Kayz, Aryay, Dirty Disco
WHERE: The Canopy Club ($15)
WHEN: Tuesday, December 8th at 9:00 p.m.
There’s nothing to remedy the dull start to a week better than dancing your face off at Canopy, and this Tuesday, they’ve got you covered. Featuring Brillz and Pygmalion-alumnus Dirty Disco, I’m not sure there’s a better way to spend your Tuesday night.
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WHAT: UI Symphony Orchestra
WHERE: Krannert Center: Foellinger Great Hall ($4-$10)
WHEN: Tuesday, December 8th at 7:30 p.m.
If the pumping EDM of Canopy Club isn’t your thing, perhaps classical music is. The UISO is the premiere ensemble at the U of I, and it’s being held in Krannert’s beautiful Great Hall – so what’s not to love?
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WHAT: Break Science, Artifakts, Branx
WHERE: The Canopy Club ($15)
WHEN: Wednesday, December 9th at 9 p.m.
As a student of ancient history in college, I must have typed the word “artifacts” a billion and a half times. on Wednesday, however, a different type of Artifakts is set to take the stage at Canopy, accompanied by Break Science and Branx.
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WHAT: Mother Nature (T.R.U.T.H + Klevah), Bookmobile!, The Fights
WHERE: Cowboy Monkey ($10)
WHEN: Thursday, December 10th at 9 p.m.
This is a big one. The diversity on this bill alone is enough to pique the interest of the average music-goer in Champaign, but the talent should make you stay. Combining the best of C-U’s musical lexicon in hip-hop (Mother Nature), punk (Bookmobile!), and country (The Fights), a bill like this seeks to showcase all that Champaign-Urbana has to offer, and it will do just that. You don’t want to miss this one.
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WHAT: Champaign-Urbana Symphony Orchestra (Holiday Heralds)
WHERE: Krannert Center: Foellinger Great Hall ($5-$40)
WHEN: Thursday, December 10th at 7:30 p.m.
Though the UISO is performing earlier in the week, the CUSO is performing their annual Holiday Heralds program on Thursday. If we’re lucky, we’ll get a santa-suit-clad conductor, as pictured above.
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WHAT: King Louie
WHERE: The Canopy Club ($25)
WHEN: Thursday, December 10th at 10 p.m.
King Louie was on Yeezus. King Louie is coming to Champaign-Urbana. If those two facts alone don’t make you want to see him live, I’m not sure there’s much I can do for you. The Chicago drill rapper has carved out a rather deep and extensive career for himself, something that’s certainly an anomaly for the genre, and this Thursday, we will finally get to see why.
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WHAT: Resinater, Frontier Folk Nebraska, The Phantom Broadcast, Grand Ambassador
WHERE: Cowboy Monkey ($7)
WHEN: Friday, December 11th at 9 p.m.
If this show were just the performers on the bill, it would still be great, but in addition to a performance, it’s also a benefit for Toys for Tots, making it even better than it was before. Be especially keen to catch Grand Ambassador, a band who played their impressive first show just a couple of weeks ago at Mike N Molly’s.
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WHAT: The Bashful Youngens
WHERE: The Iron Post
WHEN: Friday, December 11th at 8:00 p.m.
I don’t know much about newcomers The Bashful Youngens, but I do know that this is their first show ever, and that their name is awesome. The Iron Post is always a great place to catch an intimate show, and maybe you’ll be able to say you “saw them when…”
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WHAT: Terminus Victor, Pale Dian, Snayl
WHERE: Mike N Molly’s ($7)
WHEN: Friday, December 11th at 9 p.m.
Mike N Molly’s favorites and Heirship Records-signees Terminus Victor team up with Pale Dian and electronic newcomer Snayl for a special night of diverse music at MnM’s. Count me in.
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WHAT: Chase Baby, Truth aka Trouble, Red-Moon, Justice Moe, Hazey, Young Prez, Mr. Midwest
WHERE: The Canopy Club ($7)
WHEN: Friday, December 11th at 8 p.m.
The list of performers on this show at first glance seems a bit daunting, but don’t be afraid. Both Chase Baby and Truth aka Trouble are some of the strongest local emcees, and seek to bring their brand of C-U hip-hop to the Canopy for an immensely good time on Friday night. For seven bucks and all those performers, you really can’t go wrong.
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WHAT: Church Booty, Tara Terra, The Evening Attraction
WHERE: Cowboy Monkey ($10)
WHEN: Saturday, December 12th at 9 p.m.
Cowboy Monkey is killing it this weekend, for real. On Saturday, they bring us two of the biggest local bands in town, splitting a headline. Church Booty bring their own kind of funk and infinitely-danceable R&B to the table, while Tara Terra has slowly but surely become one of C-U’s indie powerhouses. If past shows are any indication, the room will be packed, and it will be bouncing.
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WHAT: Sunshine Daydream, The Moon Room Trio, Mike & Olivia
WHERE: Memphis on Main ($5)
WHEN: Saturday, December 12th at 8:00 p.m.
I’m not usually one for cover bands, but I hear Sunshine Daydream is a Grateful Dead tribute band, and since I couldn’t afford the astronomical ticket prices at Soldier Field last summer, this will have to do. The beer is probably cheaper here.
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WHAT: Dr. Responsible, Badwacky, Two-Legged Zoo
WHERE: Mike N Molly’s ($7)
WHEN: Saturday, December 12th at 9 p.m.
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Dr. Responsible at Mike N Molly’s a couple of times before, and it’s always a treat. Loop pedals galore means that there’s always something to watch intently, making it an extremely visually-appealing experience.
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WHAT: Ferre Gola
WHERE: The Canopy Club ($40)
WHEN: Saturday, December 12th at 8 p.m.
Ferre Gola is a performer from the Congo. It’s a rare day when we get a popular African performer, not associated with the U of I, to come perform some type of popular music at one of our venues here. This weekend is your chance at the Canopy, and by all accounts, should be a pretty good time.