With school, work, family, and nursing a mean Pygmalion hangover, who has the time to find out about the best shows happening in Champaign-Urbana? No need to fear, because the editors at Smile Politely have taken care of it.
What: Richard Buckner, John Hoeffleur
When: Monday, September 21 @ 7 p.m.
Where: Canopy Club; $10
Iconoclastic singer-songwriter Richard Buckner brings his country-tinged tunes to Canopy for an early slot on a Monday night. Buckner’s currently based out of Brooklyn, but his music has a decidedly Middle America feel to it.
John Hoeffleur will convey a similar mood from the opening slot on what should be a tremendous weeknight show.
What: Yourself and the Air, Jet W. Lee
When: Thursday, September 24 @ 7 p.m.
Where: Courtyard Cafe; $5
Chicago’s Yourself and the Air come to town to give you a new outlook on life and perhaps to clean your gutters.
With Post Historic having ended its four-year run this past weekend, Jesse Johnson is wasting no time in getting his new venture, Jet W. Lee, off the ground. By the sound of their Myspace, Jet W. Lee will be taking PH’s Crazy Horse-style jams and pushing the tempo even higher. Definitely a band to watch.
What: Curb Service with special guests Todd Sarvies (from MTV’s Starmaker), The Wrongly Accused and Megan Johns
When: Thursday, September 24 @ 9 p.m.
Where: Canopy Club; $7 cover
Larry Gates of Curb Service knows a thing or two about Champaign-Urbana music. Previously of Lorenzo Goetz fame, Gates branched out on his own into what is now known as Curb Service. He’s also a local DJ by the name of DJ Legtwo.
Break out of your mid-week funk by spending a night on the town with Curb Service, Todd Sarvies, The Wrongly Accused and Megan Johns.
What: Eclipse: Pink Floyd Tribute
When: Friday, September 25 @ 10 p.m.
Where: Canopy Club; $10 in advance
For those of you who couldn’t make it out to Knebworth Festival in ’75 (or weren’t alive yet), this could currently be the next best thing. As far as tribute bands go, Eclipse is up there with The Talking Heads tribute band, This Must Be The Band.
Eclipse is said to be very meticulous in their attention to detail. They strive to be as close to the actual Pink Floyd experiences as possible – visuals and all. If you take advantage of Canopy’s drink specials and squint a lot, you may feel like you’re progging like the good old days.
What: C-U Folk and Roots Festival
When: Friday and Saturday, Sept. 25 & 26
Where: Various Locations around Urbana; Festival Pass $15
This is a tremendously ambitious undertaking which deserves your support. Whether you like country, alt-country, folk, blues, bluegrass, world music, or almost anything in between, there’s something for you at C-U Folk and Roots. Plus, $15 for two days of this level of entertainment is almost criminally cheap.
Robbie Fulks is headlining, and he’ll be playing Saturday night at 8:30 p.m. on the UBA Main Stage at the corner of Elm and Race in downtown Urbana.
What: Sufjan Stevens, Cryptacize
When: Saturday, September 26
Where: Highdive; SOLD OUT
Yes, 400 or so folks will get a chance to see this show, which sold out in about a minute last month. All the tickets are will-call to keep scalpers at bay, but we have a pair or two available to give away. Click here to find out how to enter.
Looking ahead …
SEPTEMBER
9/29 Oso Closo @ The Iron Post
9/30 RAIN (Beatles Tribute) @ Assembly Hall
9/30 Digital Primitives @ Independent Media Center
OCTOBER
10/1 Eric Person and Meta-Four @ The Iron Post
10/1 Eric Radoux @ Courtyard Cafe
10/1 Joan Red, Frequency 54 et. al. @ Independent Media Center
10/2 Vertebrats Reunion @ Cowboy Monkey
10/3 Vertebrats Reunion @ Cowboy Monkey
10/3 Hollywood Lies in Concert @ Independent Media Center
10/3 Lydia + TBA support @ Courtyard Cafe
10/4 Youth Group @ Canopy Club
10/8 ZOSO (Led Zeppelin Tribute) @ Canopy Club
10/8 Flotation Walls + World’s First Flying Machine @ Courtyard Cafe
10/8 Oh My God @ Cowboy Monkey
10/9 Light Pollution + I Need Sleep @ Courtyard Cafe
10/10 Action Design, Sick of Sarah + Donora @ Courtyard Cafe
10/11 Jennie and the Sure Shots @ Independent Media Center
10/13 Roger Clyne and the Peacemakers @ Highdive
10/16 Blitzen Trapper @ Canopy Club
10/16 Black Whales @ Cowboy Monkey
10/17 NIL8 @ Cowboy Monkey
10/17 Lookbook @ Courtyard Cafe
10/17 The Lifeline et. al. @ Independent Media Center
10/22 Avett Brothers @ Canopy Club
10/24 Great Lake Swimmers + The Wooden Birds @ Courtyard Cafe
10/24 Hallelujah the Hills @ Cowboy Monkey
10/25 Yonder Mountain String Band @ Canopy Club
10/25 David Bazan @ Highdive
10/27 Mason Jennings @ Highdive
10/28 O.A.R. w/ Elmwood @ Assembly Hall
10/29 Thao with the Get Down Stay Down @ Canopy Club
10/30 Batrider + Scotland Yard Gospel Choir @ Courtyard Cafe
NOVEMBER
11/1 Disco Biscuits @ Canopy Club
11/5 Generationals, Spinto Band + Pepi Ginsberg @ Courtyard Cafe
11/6 Neko Case @ Canopy Club ($25 in advance, tickets on sale 8/29)
11/13 Ruby Rodeo Love @ Courtyard Cafe
11/14 Heavy Trash (Jon Spencer of JSBX) @ Cowboy Monkey
11/18 Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers @ Highdive
11/21 Hot Club of Cowtown @ Shady Nook Pub, Saybrook