It’s Thanksgiving week, which means that most students have gone home to do laundry and eat real food while us townies are left to our own devices here. What will we do with ourselves? Maybe we’ll eat a meal or two on campus without fear of asphyxiation by Axe body spray. Maybe we’ll just go to campus and park our cars in all the empty spots. The possibilities are endless, I tell you.
Since it’s Thanksgiving week, this issue will come out on Wednesday, which means another whole day to report on. So, here’s Wednesday! Canopy Club will be hosting a hip-hop showcase, featuring the Movement, Twick G, Bri and P.E.T.R.O. – it seems we’re officially running out of good names for groups – starting at 8 p.m., with an $8 cover charge. At Cowboy Monkey, DJ Bris will be spinning some of the best salsa and Latin music all night long, with a $5 cover. My suggestion would be Javelinas at the Iron Post in Urbana. At 8 p.m. and for only $3, this is a great chance to hear some great music and enjoy many, many drinks as you prepare for a day with family and (hopefully) more alcohol. The Iron Post seems like the right place to be on the night before Thanksgiving. It’s cozy and they serve cheap drinks.
Thursday night is pretty empty as far as shows go, giving you one less reason to give for bailing out on family dinner. In fact, several bars will be closed, but for those of you godless heathens out there that will be looking for a place to go: Boltini will be open and hosting Limbs (DJ), and Guido’s and Jupiter’s will also be open. I’ll be honoring my tradition of watching Christmas Vacation and getting drunk. Hopefully, at least one or two people will get it this year when I relentlessly say things like, “You serious, Clark?”
Friday night is officially ladies’ night. Talented ladies will be coming out of the woodwork to perform for crowds still hopped up on tryptophan. During happy hour, you can catch the Leigh Meador Organ Trio at the Iron Post. Leigh is a great local talent, and has been lending her skill on the keys to several bands, including Beat Kitchen and the Alma Afro Beat Ensemble. She also plays the front-woman well, and will do so with her Organ Trio at 5 p.m. – no cover! This will be
a good place to go to get over being trampled during Black Friday stampedes on North Prospect.
Shortly after happy hour, at 7:30 p.m., Lynn O’Brien will perform an evening-with-style performance at Canopy Club. For $7, this is
a cheap chance to see one of the area’s fastest rising musical talents. Lynn has been wowing building crowds for about a year and a half now, even picking up the Best New Artist award at the 2006 CU Music Awards. Following her performance, there will be a late show featuring another 2006 nominee for Best New Artist, Megan Johns.
Saturday night, the Canopy Club will host
a $5 metal showcase featuring local hardcore band Seven Year Existence, along with Zero Base, Habit of Force, Redeeming Damnation and Resurgence. At a dollar a band, that’s a pretty great metal deal. The show starts at 9 p.m. – it’s metal time, and the place is the Canopy. Cue Brandon T. Washington – that’s how they do it at the Canopy!
If you’re not feeling like a fest of metal and goth girls, then the Iron Post might be the place for you. It will be hosting the young band Bandito Bandana for only $3.
Sunday night brings Planes Mistaken For Stars to town. They’ll play the Canopy Club with North Atlantic and Oceans at 9 p.m. Planes Mistaken For Stars can’t seem to describe their sound well, throwing experimental, Hawaiian and healing/easy-listening on their MySpace page. One thing’s for sure – it’s worth checking out. Head to myspace.com/pmfs to make the call for yourself about the Colorado band.
Monday night carries with it the excitement of open mic night at Cowboy Monkey. OMFG, I’ll be hosting this week. Look out, world – he plays music and he self-promos like a mother. Hey, it’s free and I’m not really any good, so what do you have to lose? Enjoy $2.50 on all drafts except for $1.50 PBRs.
Tuesday night continues the Krukid/Triple Whip collaboration during Canopy Club’s Rehearsal Space. I’m hoping to make it out this week. Two great acts doing live mashups, no cover and cheap drinks – they even brought back $2 Long Islands. Canopy is happenin’ on Tuesdays.
Wednesday night will be the beginning of
a Guitar Hero 2 epic battle at Cowboy Monkey. There will be cheap drinks and an 8’x10′ screen on which to play or to watch from afar. Think you’ve got Guitar Hero skills? Come out and show them off. There’s no cover, even. Though I’ve recently learned that there is always someone better at this game than you.
Looking ahead to next week: Bar Louie is now having music on Thursdays and Fridays, and next Thursday will host Larry Gates (who has a sexy new picture on openingbands.com) from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. Larry will play every other week, rotating on Thursdays with Doxi. Bar Louie is located on John St. between Johnstowne Center and Rentertainment in the space that Panera used to occupy. The place is amazingly nice for being on campus, has a decent menu, and doesn’t charge a cover on music nights. Drop in and check it out.
Also next Thursday: Live Karaoke Band makes a triumphant return to downtown, playing at Cowboy Monkey. Over at Canopy Club, the Beauty Shop will open for Pete Yorn.
In other local music news: the Living Blue (formerly the Blackouts) have recently returned from a European tour, and I hope to have some tales to recount in next week’s column … Hard tickets will soon be available for the final Lorenzo Goetz show, which takes place on New Year’s Eve at Cowboy Monkey – keep an eye out … Casados will also be returning from a tour soon, and will play at Cowboy Monkey on Dec. 15 with New Ruins and Watery Domestic.
Mike Ingram wants to know what love is. He wants you to show him. He wants to feel what love is. He knows you can show him. You can do so at forgottenwords@gmail.com.
