Ah, Halloween weekend is upon us – time to dress up and see a bunch of shows. Your challenge for the weekend is this: go to any campus bar and try to find five girls dressed as something other than “a slutty _____.” Actually, it may be hard to find girls dressed as a slutty take on something else, as lately the trend seems to be just to say fuck it and go in regular lingerie and not be bothered with finding a nurse’s hat. So, give it a shot. You’re truly doing God’s work, people.
If you’re reading this early on Thursday and you will be eating lunch on campus, you should head over to the Beckman Institute. In the lobby, from 12:20 to 12:50 p.m., Jane Boxall will be playing a free solo set on the marimba. Just bring in some lunch and enjoy some music. Jane, who is working on her percussion doctorate at U of I, is also the drummer for the band Triple Whip, a band which has become a duo since the departure of singer/guitarist Santanu Rahman. Jane plays the drums, while former buzz columnist Holly Rushakoff rocks the bass. Holly and Jane will release their first CD as a duo, Horsepower, on Nov. 11 at the Iron Post in Urbana. It has been great to see the band morph into a drums/bass duo, even after having been a huge fan of Santanu’s work in the band. There will be more info on the CD release to come.
Jane Boxall is also involved in the new Sunday night series happening at the Iron Post. Titled “7-9 Sundays,” the shows will feature three bands in two hours, with a cover charge of $3.50. Says Boxall: “Quality gigs for busy people, or scenesters with day jobs.” I know, I was all, “Jane, that’s a fragment,” too. The Iron Post is all-ages, and the early hour means that you can bring the kids out to see some good music and still get them home at a decent time on a school night. This Sunday will be the first show in the series, and will feature Monster Honkey (self-proclaimed “redneck punk rock” band), reds (experimental pop from John Isberg of the Firebird Band), and Kayla Brown.
I’m excited about the Lovedrug show at the IMC on Friday. I even wrote about it last week. I think these guys put on one of the best live shows I’ve ever seen. This will be their third show in CU this year, having opened for Switchfoot at Foellinger last spring and headlined the Canopy Club over the summer. This time around they’ll have a new tour EP, featuring five new songs. For those who haven’t been to the IMC since it moved into the old post office building in downtown Urbana, the place is really coming along. The sound system could still use some work, and some knowledgeable people to run it – but the space is cozy, the couches are inviting and there’s always someone there to sell you homemade cookies and brownies. The Lovedrug show also features Brandtson and the Myriad. Showtime is 8 p.m., and tickets are $10 online at Etix, and $12 at the door. The show is all-ages. It was booked by my partner (business, not sexual – though that line can be pretty blurry sometimes) Seth Fein. If you get there early, you might even catch a glimpse of him before he goes home to play with his cats.
Also on Friday, the Brat Pack returns to the Highdive stage for a Halloween bash. The Brat Pack has emerged over the years as being the best ’80s cover band in Illinois. They play all over the region to packed bars and festivals, and now you can see them back in Champaign, and wear an awesome costume and win prizes at the same time. Showtime is 8:30 p.m., and the cover is $7. That’s, like, 15 cents per awesome ’80s cover song. That’s a deal that can’t be beat, folks.
Saturday night, Lorenzo Goetz will play a very impromptu show under a giant tent in the parking lot of Rock’s in Champaign. There will be prizes for the best ’80s costume and for best overall costume. Assuming that there aren’t any more tent shows that come out of nowhere, this is likely the last time you’ll be able to see LG in town before the final LG show on New Year’s Eve at Cowboy Monkey. I will also allow this show as an exception to the challenge thrown out in the first paragraph, as this is basically on campus and will surely be populated by girls in underwear complaining about the cold. The show starts at 9 p.m., and there will be a $5 cover at the tent flap.
Saturday night also brings Centaur to the Cowboy Monkey, playing their first show in roughly two years. Centaur is a project featuring Matt Talbott of Hum. Also on the bill is Archives of the Future, featuring members of the Mezzanines and Lovecup.
Sunday night at Cowboy Monkey featured Arrah and the Ferns, along with Everthus the Deadbeats. Muncie’s Arrah and the Ferns recently played at the Courtyard CafÇ with Shearwater, and return to CU with Everthus, also from Indiana. Arrah is a former member of This Story (the band with the SWAT bus) and her band plays sweet indie pop in the vein of Unicorns, Joanna Newsom and, of course, John Stamos. Hey, Jesse and the Rippers were no joke. Plus he was in the “Kokomo” video! At press time, the third band had not been booked, mainly because I booked the show and I’m a slacker. Showtime is 9 p.m., and the cover is $5.
Tuesday is officially Halloween, and there are some great choices for you to explore. Beat Kitchen, featuring the Brandon T. Washington (Temple of Low Men, Funky Butt Drum Club, Soulstice) will play Cowboy Monkey with Weapons of Mass DisFunktion. At Canopy Club, elsinore will wrap up their Rehearsal Space run with a late set after the Victor Wooten show. The best bang for your buck is over at the Brass Rail, where Terminus Victor, Scurvine and Water Between Continents will play. Terminus is one of the best rock bands in town, and they have really begun to shine since replacing their drum machine with Terry Wathen.
Retraction! Last week I stated in the “coming soon” section that Don Gerard would take on anyone who was listening. This was an incredibly immature and stupid thing to say and I wish I could take it back. I in no way meant to imply that there is anyone out there who actually pays attention to Don Gerard. I would like to extend my deepest apologies to anyone I offended with such a reckless comment.
Mike Ingram is a booking agent and musician. He also is the local music director at 90.1 WEFT, where he books WEFT Sessions. You can reach him at forgottenwords@gmail.com.
