WHAT: Vince Staples
WHERE: Foellinger Hall ($17 for students / $25 general public)
WHEN: Monday, March 6 at 8 p.m.
Hip-hop artist Vince Staples returns to C-U after his performance at last year’s Pygmalion, and if that stellar show was any indication of what to expect tonight, it would be a straight up crime to miss this one. If you didn’t catch the PygFest appearance, you surely missed out, and you have been granted a second chance. Don’t mess it up.
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WHAT: Signal to Noise / Boston & Eva / David Brown / Love Handles
WHERE: Tjarks Cafe ($5 suggested donation for touring bands)
WHEN: Monday, March 6 at 6:30 p.m.
The recently-booking Tjarks Cafe hosts a multi-genre show this evening, featuring acts that range in sound from synth to folk to singer-songwriter, making for an excellent kick-off to your week.
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WHAT: Rain: A Tribute to The Beatles
WHERE: State Farm Center (tickets start at $35)
WHEN: Tuesday, March 7 at 7:30 p.m.
Have you ever met a person who doesn’t like at least one Beatles song? Me neither. It’s almost impossible to not have fun at a Beatles tribute show, especially one that tells the story of arguably the best band in all of contemporary music so well. Rain: A Tribute to The Beatles is a multi-media experience that has been raved about backwards and forwards. If you don’t manage to have a good time, you might just not have a soul.
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WHAT: Hamilton / Saxsquatch / Colonel / Pretend I’m Not There
WHERE: Library House (donations for touring bands)
WHEN: Thursday, March 9 at 6:30 p.m.
Oh cool, it’s a Library House show. This lovely venue doesn’t offer shows all that often, and this one features an eclectic mix of experimental hip-hop, jazz, drone, and the House’s signature acoustic singer-songwriter offerings.
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WHAT: Tweak / Black Nail / Kelut / Can’-Ka No Rey
WHERE: Ghost Planet ($5)
WHEN: Friday, March 10 at 8 p.m.
Here is another thrashy, grindy emo show at Ghost Planet, featuring mostly touring bands. Tweak and Black Nail are on their way to SXSW and a big part of this event is to pump them up for their appearances, so make sure you show and give it hell.
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WHAT: Decadents & The Threads
WHERE: The Hub (cost unknown)
WHEN: Friday, March 10 at 9 p.m.
The Hub, a recently opened sports bar on campus, has not had any live music, until this Friday. C-U’s rocking bar band stalwarts Decadents aren’t afraid to be the first, and they’ll set the tone the right way with the assist by fellow rockers The Threads, who are making their rounds around local venues at a pretty quick clip. Come see how the groups sound in a brand new music space.
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WHAT: The Knocks
WHERE: The Canopy Club ($12 in advance / $15 at the door)
WHEN: Friday, March 10 at 9 p.m.
The producer duo The Knocks hail from NYC and subscribe to the DIY way of music-making. They’ll be accompanied by fellow EDM acts Bipolar Sunshine and Gilligan Moss.
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WHAT: Tara Terra with The Inn Keepers, Euriah, and Social Imaginary
WHERE: Cowboy Monkey ($7)
WHEN: Friday, March 10 at 8 p.m.
Cowboy Monkey has a doozie of a weekend coming up, and this lineup lets the venue hit the ground running. Some fun local indie, pop, and emo favorites are set to stun as per usual. This solid lineup won’t leave you hanging.
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WHAT: Sun Stereo with Caleb Cook Band and Hot Hand Luke & The Sound
WHERE: The Accord ($7 in advance / $10 at the door)
WHEN: Saturday, March 11 at 9 p.m.
Funky festival junkies Sun Stereo are gearing up for the approach of the outdoor music season, which feels even closer with this kind of weather. Joining them will be fellow local outfits Caleb Cook Band and Hot Hand Luke & The Sound, both of whom are known to rock out while supplying a dose of roots and country.
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WHAT: Girls Next Door A Cappella Show
WHERE: The Canopy Club ($7 in advance / $10 at the door)
WHEN: Saturday, March 11 at 7 p.m.
The Girls Next Door A Cappella group are having their biannual Canopy show, at which each girl will get her own solo. The group will be accompanied by local rockers The Threads for this early show.
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WHAT: Sunset with Motes and Unknown Pleasures
WHERE: Cowboy Monkey ($7)
WHEN: Saturday, March 11 at 9 p.m.
Sunset is an electro-rock duo comprised of Chris Broach, guitarist and vocalist for C-U emo greats Braid, and Steve Znavor of The Firebird Band. The group’s debut album drops on April 7th, and they’re playing a show at an old haunt on Saturday as they prepare to play SXSW. Support them in all of their endeavors while also enjoying the alt-indie stylings of Motes and the not-so-sunny sounds of a Joy Division cover band.
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WHAT: Pizza FM Charity Show for Planned Parenthood
WHERE: 801 W Oregon St. in Urbana (donations)
WHEN: Saturday, March 11 at 6 p.m.
The awesome Pizza FM is U of I’s completely student-operated radio station. They’re always in tune (sorry) with what’s great about the music scene here, and they know what’s important to their listeners. All profits from this show will go towards supporting Planned Parenthood. The lineup is an alt-rock affair, featuring The Threads, Jarring, Garrett Ryan, and Puzzle Quest. There will also be pizza available ($5 for two slices and a drink), and it’s BYOB. What’s not to love?
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WHAT: Milk N Cooks
WHERE: The Canopy Club $8 in advance / $12 at the door)
WHEN: Saturday, March 11 at 9:30 p.m.
Canopy’s second show of the evening will feature twin brothers Milk N Cooks, a duo from Palatine who play a variety of house, trap, and electronic music. They’re coming back around for another show in Urbana based on popular demand.
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WHAT: Earth Witch Album Release Show
WHERE: Blips and Chitz ($5 suggested donation)
WHEN: Saturday, March 11 at 8 p.m.
The sludge-and-shred stoner metal “Doom Blues” group Earth Witch are releasing their debut full-length album on the 10th, and they’ll throw down at B&C on Saturday for one hell of a celebration. Also playing are Druids, Nnamdi Ogbonnaya, and The Dry Look, and nary an eardrum will be spared.
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WHAT: Urbana Pops Bassoon Recital
WHERE: Urbana Free Library (free)
WHEN: Sunday, March 12 at 2 p.m.
Urbana Pops Orchestra principal bassoonist Christopher Raymond will perform at UFL this Sunday for the Urbana Pops’ second free recital of the season and another session of enjoyable music at our local libraries. The music teacher will be joined by harpist Molly O’Roark and a few gifted students of his.
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WHAT: Bluegrass and Brunch
WHERE: Watson’s Shack and Rail (admission is free)
WHEN: Sunday, March 12 at 10 a.m.
Start your day off with another edition of Watson’s Sunday Bluegrass and Brunch. A unique menu of their delectable goodies has been created for the event, and live music starts at 11. Keep an eye on the event page as more specifics about food and music unfold.