Broke Rappers Coalition may not be broke for long

Mike ‘n’ Molly’s is the place to be this Friday night as the Broke Rappers Coalition brings you FREEBIE KICKS. The (weather permitting) beer garden show will run from 7 p.m. to midnight and is, as the name states, absolutely free. This leaves you a little extra cash to spend on drinks, or to use in picking up a CD or other merch items from one of the acts. They’re putting on a free show, man — throw them a bone. The Sugargliders (the go-to backing band for pretty much every hip-hop artist in town that knows what’s up) will once again provide the backdrop for much of the evening with drummer D. Miles Brown’s solid double-kick work and DJ Belly’s smooth scratching (assuming the rest of the band’s jumping up and down doesn’t shake the shit out of his table). Eureka Brown (myspace.com/polehouse) is scheduled to go first, and Kristov’s Agenda (myspace.com/kristovsagenda) second, both with a more dub-electronic sound than the rest of the evening’s players. Next up is Text (myspace.com/unforgetable217), who will get into a more meat and potatoes style of hip-hop-witty with a phrase and unafraid to speak with a message. Cornbread (myspace.com/cornthacoon) will follow, and the night will be capped off by Krukid (myspace.com/krukid). A quick look at any one of the listed MySpace pages will give you examples of how this group constantly collaborates — lending voices or instruments to tracks by another or sitting in live. They have a strong scene going and don’t care where they’re playing so long as they’re playing. It’s a refreshing thing to witness. If the weather is nice, it will make for a fantastic night of sitting in the beer garden and listening to great music. If the weather turns cold or nasty, it will make for one awesomely sweaty time upstairs.
Occasionally, I make mention of nights that are just frustratingly packed with excellent shows running at the same time. Well, this Saturday is another one of those nights. The shows are slightly staggered, meaning some folks will be able to hop if they desire, but you still have to make some choices. Here are your options:
The Canopy Club — Following an early show from Rooney (meh), Tall Tale will release a brand new full-length — the band’s first offering. The show will be opened by Organic Flow, a Chicago/CU hip-hop act who made this year’s Green Street Records compilation, followed by The New Royalties. Beast From the Sea (who I don’t imagine is the hardcore band from Manitoba listed on MySpace) will play in the direct support slot. Tall Tale will be focusing mainly on material from Pirate Ship, the release of which is the next step for the band that had a whirlwind year of going from a female folk-pop duo to full-on indie-pop band. Seven dollars will get you in the door, and the show starts at 10 p.m.
Mike ‘n’ Molly’s — Another show in a great weekend for Murph’s place. This time you’ve got the Beauty Shop headlining an 8 p.m. show that will once again be in the beer garden, if the weather allows. Folkies Casados will open the show, with the middle position being filled by The Number One Sons — a project fronted by singer/songwriter Benjamin Spoden. Five dollars to see the Beauty Shop is a steal even without two great openers, and the earlier time allows for some possible show juggling.
The Highdive — St. Louis band Gentleman Auction House will once again make a stop in Champaign — this time with a new EP in tow. The Book of Matches is a companion EP to their first full-length, Alphabet Graveyard, which will be out in July on Emergency Umbrella Records. You’ll be able to pick up the EP at the show, which starts at 7 p.m. sharp with Bear Colony (Little Rock, Arkansas), a band on the road with GAH (who will take the second position). Elsinore will headline the show (9 p.m.).
Sic Alps, who were to perform Sunday evening at the IMC in Urbana, have had to cancel their nationwide tour following a broken wrist on a band member. Their plan is to reschedule for later in the year. The show will still go on, I imagine, with Mit’n, Common Loon and Mordechai in the Mirror (which features members of Pulsar47). Even without the big headliner, that is still a fantastic show. Check out MySpace pages for the bands for more details.

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