Shipwreck now has a title and release date for their forthcoming full-length. Origin will come out July 5 at Cowboy Monkey; on the bill besides Shipwreck are The Living Blue and 2ON2OUT. Show time is 9:30 p.m., and cover is $5. The release is strategically timed because bassist Vladimir Brilliant is off for a month in Russia starting July 15.
A barbecue and kickball game may precede the release party. Shipwreck next plays with Elsinore at Friends & Co. in Charleston, June 24 at 10 p.m.
At Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, Krannert Uncorked resumes today at 5 p.m. with the music of Jim Haptonstahl and Steve Jackson. This is a free wine tasting every Thursday in the lobby, often with live music.
At 8 p.m., Arìma continues its Acoustic Music Series with Kara Kulpa and Angie Heaton. Elsinore was scheduled, but frontman Ryan Groff was asked to sing with Joni Laurence on live television at the same time. The program is Arts Across Illinois: CenterStage and airs on WTTW (Chicago) tonight at 8 and on WILL (Urbana) August 10, also at 8. Afterward, Anglo-Afro beat project Sacrelicious Groove Congregation performs across the street at Cowboy Monkey. Cover is $4. Joni Laurence will be at Taste of Champaign in West Side Park, June 24 at 5 p.m.
There are two free outdoor concerts Saturday afternoon. The Champaign Public Library’s third annual battle of the bands is at 2, in a new location: Hessel Park. The contestants, in grades six to 12, are: Dark Room Notes, Mac & EZ, True to Form, Identity Crisis Jazz Combo, Cold Cut Quartet, Indeed and H.O.T. The grand prize is three hours of recording time at Pogo Studio. The event will be broadcast live by WPGU.
At 4, Meadowbrook Park hosts Strawberry Jam, sponsored by Urbana Park District. Also an annual event, this is an old-fashioned kickoff to summer, with free ice cream and strawberries, hayrack rides, and of course live music. Bands include Spiral Seisi£n, Grass Roots Revival and Noisy Gators. Attendees are encouraged to use the Race Street entrance, pack a picnic dinner, and bring blankets or lawn chairs.
That night, there are two CD release parties, each at 9. Fresh from Strawberry Jam, Spiral Seisi£n issues their new album at The Iron Post. Cover is $3. In the Mike ‘n Molly’s beer garden, Relenter formally releases their long-awaited synth-rock album Through the Mirror. Also on the bill are i:scintilla and Enamel. Cover is $4. Relenter was the OpeningBands.com Band of the Month for April and is the Stream of Consciousness Artist of the Month for June.
Another event Saturday night is Poser Roast 15 at The Canopy Club. Founded in 1999, Heavycore is a worldwide union of heavy bands, and a Poser Roast is a show with six or more of these bands. At the Canopy Club Saturday night are: Lividity, Skullpl8, Colossus, Low Twelve, Verbal Narcotic, Pist, and Skeptik. Show time is 7, and cover is $7. Poser Roast
16 is July 29 and 30 at Purgatory in Oklahoma City.
Answers to questions about the release party at Cowboy Monkey last Thursday:
1. Overman is from Joliet.
2. The new Green Light Go lineup is tight.
3. Kissinger did deliver the rock.
