Todd’s Top 12 of 2005
12. Sept. 30: Lorenzo
Goetz, Triple Whip, The Championship, and Elsinore at Cowboy Monkey. A thick-as-thieves dance party packed Cowboy Monkey for this, the highlight of Pygmalion Music Festival.
11. June 20: Darrin Drda and Paul Kotheimer at WEFT. Half of Theory of Everything played on 30 minutes’ notice and demonstrated why they are two of our best and brightest.
10. Jan. 28: American Minor, The Greedy Loves, Adam Wolfe, and Jesse Greenlee at The Canopy Club. After four months in Los Angeles, American Minor played their unedited debut, then went right back to Los Angeles. The music sounded as if on steroids.
9. April 3: Larry Gates and Jesse Greenlee, The Elanors, Mike Ingram, Kate Hathaway, and John Owen and Harman Jordan at Illinois Disciples Foundation. At this benefit for the Center for Women in Transition, The Elanors spellbound the audience with an Over the Rhine tune, and half of Shipwreck managed to sound more psychedelic acoustic than electric.
8. Aug. 25: i:scintilla, Form 30, Relenter, DJ ZoZo, and DJ Evily at The Highdive. Subversion presents Children of the Night was a back-to-school extravaganza where two of our most underrated acts and another from Indianapolis performed before big-screen showings of
monster movies; Relenter opened to the black-and-white image of someone sucked to death.
7. June 26: Eva Hunter Band, Angie Heaton and the Gentle Tamers, and Darling Disarm at Cowboy Monkey. In contrast to so many Cowboy Monkey shows, this started on time, ended at a decent hour, and was a delight throughout.
6. June 9: Kissinger, Green Light Go, and Overman at Cowboy Monkey. Austin quartet Kissinger had an album release in Champaign and, although the album fell short of the show, the show could save rock ‘n’ roll all by itself.
5. June 24: Elsinore and Shipwreck at Friends & Co. Ryan Groff held the audience in the palm of his hand, and John Owen appeared particularly haunted.
4. Oct. 22: Menthol, Green Light Go, and Nadafinga at Cowboy Monkey. Menthol exhibited no erosion from the first time I saw them at Central Tap in 1998 and even resurrected a rarity from 1996. Thomas Duggan of Wasteoid Workforce summed up this show with a simple “oh God yes.”
3. Oct. 28: Lorenzo Goetz, Sanya N’Kanta vs. Krukid, and Monte Carlos at Cowboy Monkey. Halloween is not necessarily Oct. 31, but instead whenever Lorenzo Goetz schedules its annual Hallowe’en affair. This year, Lorenzo Goetz dressed as “vampirates” and played 16 songs to a writhing mass of merrymakers, many of whom wound up on stage, although I doubt anyone really remembers.
2. Nov. 3: Temple of Low Men and Lorenzo Goetz at Cowboy Monkey. This had huge hype to overcome, and did handily. Temple of Low Men rocked like a construction crew wrecking
condemned buildings left and right: 16 songs and a momentary mosh pit, a sad but sweet
ending to a quintet that never really got its due.
1. Oct. 15: Larry Gates and Jesse Greenlee and The Girls Next Door at Illini Union. Huh? Hardly anyone anticipated it, but this incongruous pairing for a HUM post-show complete with “Stars” produced the most surreal concert this year. Disqualify it if you wish-Temple of Low Men are more than worthy-but it was one of those things you honestly had to be there to appreciate; “JUST AN UNREAL NIGHT, TOTAL BLAST!!!” raved Chris Reehoff of Smoke Off Vinyl. Intermission included a Madonna medley, “Please Mr. Postman,” and “Java Jive.” Magical.
Todd J. Hunter hosts WEFT Sessions and Champaign Local 901, two hours of local music every Monday at 10 p.m. on WEFT 90.1 FM. Send news to soundground@excite.com. Support your scene to preserve your scene.
