Champaign Rock

Champaign Rocks! (literally)

This morning around 4:36 AM the majority of the Champaign-Urbana area was awakened by the largest Earthquake to affect the area since 1987 (reports on this vary - today’s quake may have been comparable or even slightly larger). No injuries have been reported, and only minor damage has occurred - mostly in cities closer to the epicenter (SE IL near Olney). The earthquake registered 5.2 on the Richter scale.

USGS Stats on the 4:36 AM Quake

(update): Another fairly large earthquake occurred in SE IL (very similar location) around 10:14 AM. This second quake registered 4.5 on the Richter scale.

USGS Stats on the 10:14 AM Quake

….we realize this has nothing to do with rock music… but the pun was too fun, and this sort of thing doesn’t happen very often around here!

Cursive @ the Canopy

Tonight (actually… in a few hours) Cursive will be playing at the Canopy - you should go.

http://www.cursivearmy.com/

Backyard Shark at Salute

It’s not a well-known fact that half of Champaign’s Backyard Shark is originally from the state capital. Next weekend the band will be playing a solo show at Salute (107 W. Cook St) in Springfield IL - closing the bar down for good as the 28th is Salute’s last night in business.

Anyone interested in a carpool to Springfield can contact the band on MySpace for more info:

http://www.myspace.com/backyardshark

Curb Service with Backyard Shark

in High Anxiety Music’s attempt to bring more attention to local music - a series of house shows are being hosted regularly on weekends at the High Anxiety Music Center at 302 S. State St. in Champaign.

This weekend Curb Service, the latest brainchild of ex-Loreno Goetz frontman Larry Gates will play at the High Anxiety Music Center with Backyard Shark, the side-project of JigGsaw drummer Ed ‘Hell’ Waldmire.

The Moves @ the Canopy Club

The Moves, a three piece from Chicago was one of 4 bands featured at the Canopy Club’s ‘New Sound Sundays’ yesterday. Although The Moves was a three piece, they sounded like a rockin’ four piece with the use of a mini-disc backing track. The singer stepped on stage with his orange Brian Setzer Gretsch (complete with dice knobs), white v-neck t-shirt and was a spitting image of Mike Ness from Social Distortion. I’ve got to say: I was blow away by this band’s pop rock. Grab a PBR, check out a show (or myspace cranked to 11) and enjoy.

Local Music Podcast

There’s a new podcast in town, and it’s the HAMP (or the “High Anxiety Music Podcast”). The High Anxiety Music Podcast will be released on the 1st and the 15th of each month and will highlight local music and news. The first episode (from 02/01/08) features Arwin, The Brother Whys, Chyme, Conrad, Deconstructing Jim, Five Oh First, Grinner, Sequoia, Shipwreck, and Temple of Low Men.

For more information see:
http://www.highanxietymusic.com/podcast.html

To subscribe to the podcast with iTunes or another media player use:
http://www.highanxietymusic.com/podcast/hamp.xml

The Great Cover Up Is Over.

Last night concluded another successful cover up.

Check out pictures here: 
http://www.smilepolitely.com/music/2008/01/covering-the-great-cover-up-night-3.php

Check out videos here: 
http://www.smilepolitely.com/music/2008/01/the-best-of-the-great-coverup-2.php

The Great Cover Up 17

(details shamelessly stolen from The Highdive’s website):
A 3-night extravaganza with 19 local CU bands, each masquerading as a “tribute” band for one night only to benefit local charities. Past highlights of this event (NOW IN ITS 17TH YEAR!) include Poster Children as Elvis, Absinthe Blind as Beastie Boys, Hum as Led Zeppelin, Lorenzo Goetz as Sublime, and Temple of Low Men as Rage Against The Machine.

EXACT ORDER AND SET TIMES SUBJECT TO CHANGE!!!

Sunday January 20th…
Kilborn Alley 9:30-9:50pm
Brother Embassy 10:05-10:25pm
Krukid 10:40-11:00pm
Curb Service 11:15-11:35pm
Mike Ingram Band 11:50-12:20am
Beat Kitchen 12:35-1:00am

Tuesday January 22nd…
Monster Honkey 9:30-9:50pm
New Ruins 10:05-10:25pm
The Chemicals 10:40-11:00pm
Terminus Victor 11:15-11:35pm
Tractor Kings 11:50-12:15am
The Beauty Shop 12:30-12:50am
Shipwreck 1:05-1:30am

Thursday January 24th…
Reds 9:30-9:50pm
Mad Mardigan 10:05-10:25pm
Roberta Sparrow 10:40-11:00pm
jigGsaw 11:15-11:35
Darling Disarm 11:50-12:15am
elsinore 12:30-1:00am

Rock the Courtyard, Rock the Courtyard

Ok, ok, ok….. I know it’s really last minute notice and I know that was about the most cliché Clash reference possible, but you should all head over to the Courtyard Café (1401 W Green St, Urbana, 61801) tonight for the Belikos, Curb Service, RC$, and Jiggsaw show.

The show starts at 8:00 and is $3 for students and $5 for everyone else…. According to the myspace description “They rule”.

It’s true.

http://www.myspace.com/iucourtyard

UPDATE: We’re at the show now and just found out that RC$ is Robots Counterfeiting Money…. it all makes so much more sense now. 

JigGsaw, Shipwreck in Nylon Magazine

The November edition of hipster favorite Nylon magazine features a two page spread of local music scenes across America.  By focusing on smaller yet equally as influential music scenes (e.g. Durham, NC and Champaign, IL), Nylon encourages readers to explore the unexpected and hopefully discover something new in a place where one never would have guessed to look.  The specific section on Champaign includes a few quotes from Polyvinyl Records own Matt Lunsford:

 ”The music scene in Champaign-Urbana is vibrant, especially for a town our size…There are several active venues for shows…C-U has always had solid local artists…”     

The section then closes with a list of bands, venues and radio stations including JigGsaw, Shipwreck, The Beauty Shop, Cowboy Monkey (what a coincidence!) and WPCD-88.7 The Wave. Pick up the November issue of Nylon today at most local bookstores or Borders.