As I mentioned last week, tonight is a busy one around town. Live Karaoke Band will make a triumphant return to downtown to rock Cowboy Monkey, featuring you as the lead singer. If you’ve been living under a rock and have no idea what I’m talking about, then you should head out and see what karaoke should be like. You get to hop onstage with a real band, made up of members of the Brat Pack and X-Krush. Check out livekaraokeband.com for more info and a song list. Cover for the show is $5, with a start time of 10 p.m.
If you’re on campus (or if you’re off-campus and feeling adventurous), you can swing over to Bar Louie to catch a solo show from Lorenzo Goetz’s Larry Gates. Bar Louie is a fairly new establishment, and is extremely new at the live music game. It is located in the space formerly occupied by Panera on John Street, between Insomnia Cookies (hell yes, late night cookies) and That’s Rentertainment (one of the best rental places in the nation). There is no cover, and Bar Louie is actually very nice inside – you won’t even feel like you’re on campus. They have a full menu and a great draft selection. So, the moral of the story: head down to Rentertainment, find a good movie or two (head to the Czech section and pick up Little Otik if you want to see something both amazing and disturbing), then swing into Bar Louie to see great covers and originals by one of CU’s finest singer/songwriters. After the show hit up Insomnia, for some warm cookies and cold milk.
Across the Quad at the Canopy Club, local favorite The Beauty Shop, will open for Pete Yorn. The Beauty Shop’s John Hoeffleur has long been one of my favorite CU songsmiths, and the band (Hoeffleur, bassist Ariane Peralta and drummer Ben Ucherek) has been debuting several new songs. They also now have all of their CDs for sale, so if you’ve been waiting for a copy of Yr Money or Yr Life (out of print for years) or Crisis Helpline (which spent a lot of time as a UK-only release), now’s your chance to pick one or both of them up. I say go with both. The show starts a little before 10 p.m. and tickets are $17.
Friday is also ridiculous when it comes to great shows. There’s a pretty cool show at the Illini Media Building called “Musicians on A Mission!” that features Lynn O’Brien, The Greg Spero Trio and The Beauty Shop (back to back nights, mofo!). The show is a benefit for alternative spring break trips dealing with AIDS issues, disability issues and wildlife conservation. It’s only $5, and the best part is that it starts at 8 p.m., which means that you can see three great bands and still have time to head out to another show!
At the Iron Post no one seems to be entirely sure who is playing, but I’m sure that someone will play. The Living Blue and Centaur were originally on the bill, but the Living Blue has officially cancelled. Will Centaur rock the show with opener Aloke? Will Seth Fein play a 20-minute drum solo to fill some time?
I have no idea. The Living Blue, fresh off of a European jaunt, may have come back with some addictions to deal with, or perhaps some Euro-mullets that need cutting. I’m not exactly sure, but I’m sure they will rock on their next appearance.
Across the border and into Champaign, Cowboy Monkey will present elsinore, a band brimming with sexiness. Along for the ride are Colourmusic (from Stillwater, Okla.), Down the Line (Chicago) and CU’s own Darrin Drda’s Theory of Everything. Colourmusic wowed the crowd on their last stop in town, and Down the Line is one of Chicago’s most popular bands. Drda and his Theory will call this show the release for their new CD Loveway. elsinore has been making the Midwest touring rounds this fall, working on new songs and preparing for January’s 16th Annual Great Cover Up. This show will be their last headline date in CU for the year, though they’ll play on New Year’s Eve, opening Lorenzo Goetz’s final show. This is quite the action-packed show at only $7, and the start time is 9 p.m. This show is an official mingram joint.
Terminus Victor and Mad Science Fair will hit Mike ‘n Molly’s on Saturday night for an excellent rock show with Motivo Loco and Lil’ Isaac & the Dirty Stank. Terminus is one of the best hard rock bands in the area, and Mad Science Fair is another of my local favorites. It’s ridiculous that this show is only $4. ’80s Eddie Murphy would say, “What a bargain.” Current Eddie Murphy would manage to say it in a cleaner and less interesting way, that kids under seven might enjoy (though I think even they are starting to get tired of him). The show starts at 9 p.m.
The Iron Post will host a much different show as, under the banner of Rockstravaganza, fast risers Santa will headline a show with The Dakota and The Squares. Maybe you should change your name to “the Santa” just for the night, guys. Santa packed ’em in for a Monday show at the Canopy Club last month, so an all-ages show on a Saturday should be insane. Tickets are $7 at the door, but you can get them in advance from band members for $5. The first band goes on at 9 p.m.
Sunday night brings Michigan band Tally Hall back to Cowboy Monkey (moved from the Highdive). After a residency in April that brought them here for four straight Tuesdays, the band toured the country, had songs on The OC and The Real World and even appeared on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson. They stopped here again in September and played a sold-out show. This time should be no different. Most people say that they weren’t sold on the band until seeing them in a live setting. They come packing excellent harmonies, catchy songs and even a few well-placed covers to sate the appetites of those who can’t seem to handle original bands. So, head down for the 8:45 p.m. start time and drop your $8 to see what all the fuss is about. Zox will open.
Monday night, Pulsar47 will perform on WEFT Sessions, so tune to 90.1FM at 10 p.m. to hear an amazing set. Tuesday night, My Morning Jacket will come to town, but I’m sure there’s more info about that elsewhere in buzz this week. Wednesday night will again feature a Guitar Hero night at Cowboy Monkey. Check our shows listing or openingbands.com for more show info.
Mike Ingram can be reached at forgottenwords@gmail.com.
