The 15th annual Great Cover Up has been postponed from November 2005 to January 2006. Temple of Low Men, due to headline Nov. 3 at The Highdive, now will play that night at Cowboy Monkey.
Arun Bhalla, drummer for The Opportunists and Humpty Dumpster, relocated Oct. 10 to San Francisco with fiancÇe Jane Andrew for a career with a software engineering company. Arun and Jane were active at Urbana-Champaign Independent Media Center and will be missed widely. They will visit next May. As Arun left, though, Humpty Dumpster (and Echolalia) lead singer Amelia Bowen returned to town after a stint in Santa Rosa. Humpty Dumpster disbanded in June 2003 at Cowboy Monkey. Besides being in Humpty Dumpster together and moving to California afterward, Arun and Amelia were airshifters at WEFT 90.1 FM.
Bluegrasss mainstay and WPGU-Buzz Best Roots/Americana Band 2005 nominee Green Mountain Grass plays its farewell show tomorrow at the Iron Post at 9 p.m. Three-fourths of the band is moving to Texas: guitarist Turtle and native Texans mandolinist Dave Wilmoth and banjoist Spencer Savoie. Upright bassist Quinn Bailey will remain in Illinois.
Fellow WPGU-Buzz Best Roots/Americana Band 2005 nominee elsinore introduces elsinore on display: a live CD tonight at Cowboy Monkey. Also aboard are Ambitious Pie Party and Theory of Everything. Show time is 10 p.m., and cover is $4. The disc consists of eight songs from the July 23 set at Jackson Ave. Coffee in Charleston and the Aug. 15 set on WEFT Sessions. Six of the songs are otherwise unavailable until release of the full-length underway with Mark Rubel and Carl Lund at Pogo Studio. A separate Charleston release for elsinore on display: a live CD is Tuesday at Jackson Ave. Coffee. Show time is 7 p.m., and admission is free. elsinore plays again with Granian (Garen Gueyikian) Oct. 30 at Cowboy Monkey. Show time is 9:30 p.m., and cover is $5.
Saturday at Cowboy Monkey, new-wave favorite Menthol plays its first hometown show since July 2004 with Green Light Go and Nadafinga. Show time is 10 p.m., and cover is $5. Earlier Saturday, The Courtyard presents The Beauty Shop with The Lesser Birds of Paradise and Shipwreck at 8 p.m., and cover is $5 ($3 with UIUC ID).
Occasional local and singer-songwriter Gabe Rosen has a new act: Gabe Rosen and the Good Enough Band, with drummer Jim Landeck and keyboardist Eric Chase. The trio makes its Urbana-Champaign debut Sunday for the OpeningBands showcase at the Canopy Club. Headlining is Deconstructing Jim, whose album The Further, The Better came out July 23 on Half Empty Records. Show time is 10 p.m., and admission is free.
Todd J. Hunter hosts WEFT Sessions and Champaign Local 901, two hours of local music every Monday at 10 PM on WEFT 90.1 FM. Send news to soundground@excite.com. Support your scene to preserve your scene.
