WHAT: Andy McDowell, Bob Watson, Jiggy & The Source
WHERE: The Clark Bar (free)
WHEN: Tuesday, March 19th at 7 p.m.
Another installment of the weekly Champaign-Urbana Singer-Songwriter showcases happening this week at the Clark Bar. This trio consists of three local guitarists showcasing their best stuff free of charge, as always.
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WHAT: Tractor Kings, Aktar Aktar
WHERE: Mike ‘N Molly’s ($5)
WHEN: Thursday, March 21st at 8 p.m.
Local alt-country veterans Tractor Kings headline this show at Mike ‘N Molly’s Thursday night with Chicago crew Aktar Aktar. Even though Tractor Kings haven’t put out any new material in a few years, they still hold up as one of the most consistently great local acts of the past several years. You can check out their excellent title track from their 2005 record, Gone To Heaven, below. Hopefully we can get something soon as a follow up to their solid 2008 effort, Homesick. Head over and check them out this week.
[[mp3 tractor_kings_gone_to_heaven]]
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WHAT: CoCo Butter Kids, Bone Jugs & Harmony, Hi Ho Buffalo
WHERE: Cowboy Monkey (free)
WHEN: Thursday, March 21st at 8:30 p.m.
Another free show featuring three bands is happening this week as well. This time it’s over at Cowboy Monkey on Thursday night, headlined by blues/country/folk outfit CoCo Butter Kids. Should be a lot of twang going on during this one.
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EDITOR’S PICK: TIM KASHER, BRIGHTON MA, ANNA KARENINA/ANNA KARINA
Mike ‘N Molly’s ($15) — Friday, March 22nd at 8 p.m.
The next installment of the Pygmalion Music Festival Spring Show Series is going down this week, and features someone familiar to C-U. Tim Kasher, better known for his work with indie vets Cursive, is coming through town as a solo act this time around. Cursive stopped through almost exactly at this time last year, as Isaac had a chance to recount the show in this review. By the looks of it (above), things got pretty intimate and involved last time around. However, that was something different than what is going down this week at Mike ‘N Molly’s. Kasher will surely impress, and you can stream “Cold Love” from his 2010 solo record, The Game of Monogamy, below.
Brighton MA joins, which is an awesome treat outside of what Kasher has to provide for this bill. They have a new record coming out in April, titled Oh Lost. Not to mention, solid locals Anna Karenina/Anna Karina join. Those three together make the slightly steep $15 cover a little bit easier to swallow.
[[mp3 tim_kasher_cold_love]]
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WHAT: Minor Characters, Ryan Groff, Faux Paw, Deadbeat
WHERE: The Canopy Club ($6)
WHEN: Friday, March 22nd at 9 p.m.
Minor Characters are back through town shortly after they shared the stage with Grandkids at Mike ‘N Molly’s Mid By Midwest bash a few weeks ago. If you didn’t have a chance to catch them there, here’s your chance as they play in Urbana at Canopy Club this time around. They’re back from SXSW and have hopefully recharged their batteries in time to perform for C-U. They’ll be joined by Elsinore’s Ryan Groff, Faux Paux, and Deadbeat. Four bands for six dollars is a steal. Stream “Burden” from Minor Characters below.
[[mp3 minor_characters_burden]]
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WHAT: Houndmouth, The Fights, The Acme Principle
WHERE: Cowboy Monkey ($8)
WHEN: Friday, March 22nd at 9:30 p.m.
Folk rock crew Houndmounth is looking to make some noise at Cowboy Monkey this week with a couple of locals that fit the bill well. They performed at SXSW as well, and have an EP out on Rough Trade Records, which is an accomplishment in and of itself worth noting. Check out one of their jams, “Penitentiary,” below.
[[mp3 houndmouth_penitentiary]]
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WHAT: The Stars, They Beckon, Dead Town Revivial, Secondary Modern, The Hallow, Barrowe
WHERE: Mike ‘N Molly’s ($7)
WHEN: Saturday, March 23rd at 8 p.m.
In what’s being dubbed the “5BANDS5BUCKS” series at Mike ‘N Molly’s, that’s exactly what is going down on Saturday night. The Stars, They Beckon headline as the locals, but this show features a handful of other out of town punk-ish acts. You can read more about Barrowe from the interview I did with Mark Wyman a few weeks ago here, as well as stream their track “some.times.” below to prepare.
[[mp3 barrowe_some_times]]
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WHAT: Seven Year Existence, Behold the Masses, While Heroes Sleep, Ghost of Amaryllis
WHERE: The Canopy Club ($6)
WHEN: Saturday, March 23rd at 9 p.m.
Local metal crew Seven Year Existence headlines this four band bill over at Canopy Club this weekend. This should be a heavy bill, so if you’re a fan of thrash metal or anything of the sort, this is the show for you this week. Stream SYE’s “Incision” below.
[[mp3 seven_year_existence_incision]]
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WHAT: Ricky Wells, DJ Belly, Autochamp, HarshPRO
WHERE: Cowboy Monkey (free before midnight)
WHEN: Saturday, March 23rd at 10 p.m.
Another great bill lined up for another Deep END event happening at Cowboy Monkey this weekend. Ricky Wells and DJ Belly headline another free show (if you’re there before midnight). You can check out Belly’s remix of Little Dragon’s “Scale It Back” below to prepare.
[[mp3 little_dragon_scale_it_back_bellys_chill_trap_remix]]