WHAT: Morgan Orion, Jeremiah Nelson, Way Yes
WHERE: The Red Herring ($5)
WHEN: Friday, February 11th at 8:00 p.m.
Yet another folk show at the Red Herring (surprise!). Honestly though, there’s a reason you can find the Herring hosting DIY singer/songwriter shows nearly every weekend — as a venue, it’s uniquely suited to acoustic music. After all, let’s not forget that this where Dan Fogelberg got his start. Support comes from Madison’s Jeremiah Nelson and Way Yes, who hail from Columbus, Ohio.
WHAT: Vaudevillians, Lonely Trailer, Faster Forward, Isaac Arms
WHERE: Cowboy Monkey ($5)
WHEN: Friday, February 11th at 9:30 p.m.
This one promises to be solid — if Facebook is to be believed, Lonely Trailer may be busting out a few Bill Withers tunes from their aborted Cover Up set. Plus, you can check out (relative) scene newcomers Faster Forward and Chicago act Vaudevillians for the bargain-basement price of $5.
WHAT: The Painkillers
WHERE: The Iron Post ($TBA)
WHEN: Saturday, February 12th at 6:00 p.m.
The Painkillers are one of those bands that seem to float around the edge of the normal sphere of musical consciousness for many people. Honestly, I wouldn’t blame you for not being familiar with them — they don’t play out too often, and definitely aren’t a part of the local indie scene. That said, they’re a damn good band, and they occasionally feature Matt Stewart (of 70s prog-act Starcastle), who plays a ridiculously good slide guitar.
WHAT: World’s First Flying Machine, Common Loon, Good Night and Good Morning, Black Swans
WHERE: Canopy Club ($5)
WHEN: Satuday, February 12th at 7:00 p.m.
This one will certainly be more than worth going to, as it is serving as the World’s First Flying Machine farewell show. Come on out and say goodbye to oneof the absolute greatest bands to come out of Champaign-Urbana in recent memory. Also: if you’re yet to see Good Night and Good Morning, do not miss their set. They’re damn near hypnotic in a live setting.
WHAT: Unwed Sailor, Elephants on Parade, New Ruins
WHERE: Mike ‘N Molly’s ($TBA)
WHEN: Saturday, February 12th at 9:30 p.m.
Longtime area show-goers will doubtlessly be familiar with Unwed Sailor’s effortlessly melodic post rock. For those who aren’t — You certainly won’t see Unwed Sailor playing venues this small on anything resembling a regular basis, so come out for the hipster cred if nothing else.