Sound ground #55

i:scintilla have finished a video for “Capsella” (Toxin Mix) with director Chris Folkens. His independent film Toxin incorporates “Capsella” and another i:scintilla song, “The Bells.” The video will air on public television and also be available at iscintilla.com.

Alumni of At Knifepoint, the short-lived local post-rock octet, have begun a new band; Pulsar47 will blend bass, cello, guitar, keyboard, samples and drums, eventually. Meanwhile, prolific side project PSR perseveres with Aaron Hanson and Dave “Nuriel” Samuel.

Innocent Words Records is under way on its third annual compilation album, due February 2005. A portion of the proceeds goes toward art supplies, books and music for patients at Riley’s Hospital for Children. Apart from exclusives by bands signed to Innocent Words Records, the track listing is a secret.

Downtown Champaign is busy with activity tonight. At 8 p.m., Sandunga performs Cuban music at Aroma. At 9 p.m., Nargile presents what it calls “A Winter Holiday Celebration,” but beside talk of indoor snow, lips are tight about what to expect. At 9:30 p.m., Urbana Booking Co. presents The Blackouts, The Beauty Shop, Headlights and New Sense. This is a benefit concert for The Shawna Morrison Education Fund, at The Highdive, and cover is a sliding $5-50 scale.

As drummer for The Beauty Shop and bassist for Headlights, Brett Sanderson inextricably links the two. Seth Fein left Headlights in November, so Pulsar47 are now not the only band in need of a drummer. Brett will do double duty in Headlights while looking for a replacement. The search was stalled because The Beauty Shop were in England and Scotland last month for 10 more shows there. The November 2004 issue of Mojo lauded long-awaited album Crisis Helpline and their two singles, “Monster” and “Rumpelstiltskin Lives.” The “Monster” import single is available at Parasol.

At Cowboy Monkey, Sick Day plays with out-of-towners Smoke Off Vinyl and The Locked Sound, which replaced DB3. Smoke Off Vinyl are a rock trio from Chicago, friendly and familiar with Champaign, and The Locked Sound are a “better than bread” psychedelic garage group from Normal. Show time is 10 p.m., and cover is $4. On a side note, Sick Day members Adam Wolfe and Guido Esteves return to Cowboy Monkey on Sunday at 9 p.m. for a free show with Jesse Greenlee, drummer for Lorenzo Goetz.

Friday at 9:30 p.m., Green St. Records hosts another local showcase at Nargile. Aboard this time are Ambitious Pie Party (ex-Synesthesia), Sincerely Calvin and Bullet Called Life. Ambitious Pie Party now have a Web site: itastemusic.com. Then at 10 p.m., The Iron Post pairs Lorenzo Goetz and Elsinore for one last holiday hurrah. Elsinore have 500 copies of their debut EP on the way, and elsinore.com is active at last.

Although it has received scant attention, Corkscrew After Dark is still on for Saturday, with Darrin Drda and David Tcheng of Darrin Drda’s Theory of Everything. As always, this is a smoke-free, all-ages show that lasts from 8 to 10 p.m. Corkscrew After Dark is booked through the end of March 2005, and acts next year include Sam Shaber and Mark Smart. Corkscrew Wine Emporium is located at 203 N. Vine St. in Urbana, across from Schnucks. As Corkscrew After Dark concludes, The Brass Rail has its first concert in a while, with The Chemicals, Mad Science Fair and Green Light Go. Show time is 10 p.m., and cover is $3, 21 and over.

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