Smile Politely

The Overture: April 10-16

WHAT: Nectar / Euriah / Joshua Powell & the Great Train Robbery / Nicholas Garcia

WHERE: Blips and Chitz ($5 suggested donation)

WHEN: Monday, April 10 at 8 p.m.

Kick off the week with an evening of punk pop and folk as Joshua Powell and his group swing back through the area. Euriah will also be there in order to fulfill your Monday quota of emo sadness.

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WHAT: Take Care, Options, Fond Han, Single Player

WHERE: Blips and Chitz ($6 – $8 pay what you can)

WHEN: Wednesday, April 12 at 8 p.m.

This adorable show flyer is designed to inform you about your hump day Blips show, featuring Take Care. TC have been doing ambient emo in C-U the right way for a few years now. They’ll be assisted by pop punk act Single Player, who is making their first of two show appearances this week, and a couple touring bands that skew towards pop, emo, and synth genres.

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WHAT: Mielo

WHERE: The Canopy Club ($8 in advance / $10 at the door)

WHEN: Thursday, April 13 at 9 p.m.

Mielo headlines an electronica show featuring an all-Chicagoans lineup that will give you a solid sample of what the DJ scene in the city is all about these days.

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WHAT: Lil Wayne

WHERE: State Farm Center (cheapest seats available are around $35)

WHEN: Thursday, April 13 at 7:30 p.m.

The notorious rapper Lil Wayne will grace us with his presence this Thursday, and that is not entirely said in jest. Wayne began his career at the age of NINE years old, and he has kept his moniker throughout. Now, at 34, he is one of the most popular artists to date, and has sold over 100 million albums, making him one of the bestselling artists of all time. If Weezy is your thing, you’ve got to be at this one.

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WHAT: Break Science

WHERE: The Canopy Club ($15)

WHEN: Friday, April 14 at 9 p.m.

Another techno set at Canopy is fronted by Break Science, who use sampling and queues from multiple genres to fill out their sound.

 

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WHAT: Peter Frampton acoustic tour (make-up show)

WHERE: The Virginia Theater (tickets start at $47.50)

WHEN: Friday, April 14 at 8:00 p.m.

After the late March show at the Virginia had to be cancelled because of technical difficulties, rock and roll artist Peter Frampton rescheduled for this date. Kudos to him for rescheduling so quickly. Let’s hope this show will go off without a hitch. If you had a ticket for the March 30th show, you should have received a replacement. (If not, contact the Virginia asap.) Additional tickets are also available.

 

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WHAT: Acoustic Living Room Show

WHERE: Casa De Sasha ($5 suggested donation for touring bands)

WHEN: Friday, April 14 at 7 p.m.

An acoustic show at a newish venue (message the event page host for the address et cetera) includes unplugged sets from C-U performers from a range of genres. Sean Neumann’s Single Player will undoubtedly play stripped-down versions of the songs from his latest release. Square Donuts and Julia Roskopf both have streaks of classical and jazz music within their repertoire, and singer-songwriter Dan Durley returns to C-U to join in.

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WHAT: Parachute Day / The Phantom Broadcast / Imelda Marcos / Jarring

WHERE: Blips and Chitz ($5 suggested donation)

WHEN: Friday, April 14 at 8 p.m.

A Pizza FM-Sponsored event at B&C is sure to be a good one. This one’s full of plenty of emo, as well as math rock, punk, and instrumental jams. Support U of I’s own student-run radio station and a bunch of scrappy young musicians at the same time.

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WHAT: Planet Music Benefit Show

WHERE: Planet Music (donations, $5 before 12 a.m., $8 after)

WHEN: Friday, April 14 at 10 p.m.

I don’t know what Planet Music is, but it appears that there is a second DIY house new to the scene that I get to debut this week. That, or I’m just out of touch, which is very possible. Either way, this late night benefit show seeks to help beef up the new (or lesser-known) location and features some solid C-U acts new and old like Kenna Mae and Jarring, so I’ll bite. See the event page for the full lineup.

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WHAT: Katie Flynn

WHERE: Cowboy Monkey (no cover)

WHEN: Saturday, April 15 at 8 p.m.

The inimitable Katie Flynn does some imitating of her own for this “singing newer oldies” show, where she’ll provide her take on some classic jazz and pop artists. This acoustic set will showcase Flynn’s versatility and vocal prowess.

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WHAT: 38 Special

WHERE: The City Center (tickets start at $35)

WHEN: Saturday, April 15 at 8 p.m.

Arena rockers 38 Special are staples of country rock radio with songs like “Hold On Loosely.” If radio is your jam, you’re bound to know that hit, in additional to a few more songs that these guys promise to crank out.

 

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WHAT: Cadence Fox / xXiwearwhiteskinnyjeansXx / TBA

WHERE: Ghost Planet ($5 pay what you can)

WHEN: Saturday, April 15 at 8 p.m.

Touring act Cadence Fox front this night of hardcore music, with support by a new outfit who are playing their second show. Two more bands are yet to be announced, so keep an eye on the event page as things unfold.

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WHAT: Love Sign

WHERE: The Iron Post (no cover)

WHEN: Saturday, April 15 at 8:30 p.m.

Acoustic, harmonic outfit Love Sign make their Post debut on Saturday for a no-cover show in a great homey venue.

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WHAT: Nathan Kalish

WHERE: Watson’s Shack and Rail (no cover)

WHEN: Saturday, April 15 at 11 p.m.

A late night show at Watson’s features roots rocker Nathan Kalish, who draws influences from Tom Petty and John Prine, among others. The forecast calls for insanely mild weather this weekend, so make your nightcap an adult slushie with a twangy soundtrack.

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