If you haven’t heard of Pygmalion Music Festival, then you might not frequent this site very often, or really any art or community website in the area. But I’m here to tell you one thing: if you do nothing else worthwhile in Champaign-Urbana during your time here, do this:

Go to Pygmalion Music Festival.

It’s absolutely incredible that we have such an amazing weekend for us here in CU. Acts are coming from all over the country, and local bands have a chance to play alongside well-known bands. It’s a win-win for everyone.

Anyone who says CU is just a town in the middle of nowhere, that there’s nothing fun to do here, etc. is just plain wrong. The list goes on and on, but I believe Pygmalion to be the epitome of cool in the area.

Now in its fourth year, and building credibility daily, Pygmalion is being covered by national publications such as Pitchfork and The Onion. Artists are submitting their stuff from all over. And if you don’t take advantage of it, you might be a fool.

Even if you don’t want to spring for the festival pass (which, at $50, is extremely reasonable, not to mention the tote bag full of goodies you get along with it), you can still check out different shows. Think of it as a way to find new music that you might have never heard of. Be enchanted by the four part harmonies and face-melting guitar of Elsinore. Dance your ass off at Dan Deacon. Revel in the indie-rock of Black Mountain. Whatever you do, do yourself a favor and see at least one show this weekend (starting tonight). If you need any recommendations or help, the fine folks in CU have made it easy for you:

-Carlye Wisel, a former buzz writer and Music Editor and founder of OverUC.com, has done an excellent job in pre-coverage for the festival.

-smilepolitely.com, a self-proclaimed “Champaign-Urbana culture blog” and online magazine has run various previews for the fest.

-And of course, we here at the217.com have made every effort to keep you informed, and will continue to do so throughout the weekend.

So get out there, grab your camera, and rock. You won’t regret it, I promise.

pygmalionmusicfestival.com

Don’t wait to buy your Pygmalion passes for the fall — they’re on sale now at pygmalionmusicfestival.com. This is the easiest and cheapest way to see all your favorite acts from Champaign-Urbana, as well as great national acts, all in your own back yard!

Head over there now to buy your tickets.

the217.com and WPGU are hiring!

We’re hosting an info night on Monday, May 12 at 6:00 PM. If you’re going to be here in the summer, this is a great way to get some job experience while you’re not as busy.

Link for facebook event:
http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=12926508299

We’re hiring promotions, production, on-air, music, and engineering interns, as well as bloggers and possibly writers for the217.

facebook marketplace listing with info:
http://www.facebook.com/marketplace/listing.php?classified_id=13292268578

Hope to see you there!

I went to see the Penny Dreadful Players’ “Come See Our Shorts” on Saturday, and I laughed my ass off, pretty much the whole time. Between the rants of Carl Newman to the hilarious skits about god, relationships, politics and life in general, the show was a success. I was surprised at how vulgar it was considering how many moms were in the audience, but then I was also surprised at how many moms were laughing so hard at those jokes (mine included).

The PDP always puts on a good show; I saw Batboy last week and while it was the weirdest musical I’ve ever seen, it was also very well done.

I’ve been seeing a ton of theater in the area lately and I have to say I’ve never been disappointed.

Steve Plock fights Charlie Johnson during “An Audience Member Gets Assaulted”

In case you haven’t noticed, the Local Music Awards are tonight. It’s been a crazy past couple of weeks for everyone here at the217, buzz, and WPGU, but the night is finally here. We’re doing a lot of cool stuff with the awards this year, so if you can’t make it out to the show or want to catch some post-coverage, the217 has got your back.

Right now, you can catch a schedule from the buzz. You can also tune in all day long to hear WPGU playing a lot of local music. From 3-6, The Red Baron will be broadcasting live from the Highdive, and from 6-9, Ashley E. will be doing the same thing. They’ll be giving updates and doing interviews on the air as the night goes on, so tune in to WPGU.

Matt Fender will also be live blogging the entire event, which you can find on the LMA page. We’ll have photo galleries being updated live as the night goes on, and you can catch video performances of all the bands tomorrow morning. Have a little Corn Desert Ramblers with your cornflakes.

We hope to see you all at the LMA’s tonight, but if you can’t catch them, hang out with the217 because we’ve got you covered.

I woke up to an email from Pitchfork detailing all the artists that were added to the already great lineup at the festival this year (Vampire Weekend, !!!, Animal Collective, etc.). Recently added:

Dinosaur Jr.
Jarvis Cocker
Ghostface & Raekwon
The Apples In Stereo
+ more

Why do I tell you this even though it’s not local? Because WPGU is giving away 3-day passes to the festival TODAY. So listen all day long for a chance to win a free trip to the Pitchfork Music Festival!

Monday night rage with Zmick was, for lack of a better word, raging on Monday. It was a particularly full crowd at the Canopy, and Zmick provided all the sweet tunes accompanied well by good people and good drink specials. My particular favorite of the evening was a cover of “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots”, in which they inserted the word “acid” for “vitamins”.

If you haven’t been to see Monday night rage with Zmick yet, it’s definitely worth your while. No matter how terrible the weather or how many midterms are floating around, there’s always a solid crowd there and Zmick is always tight.

Oh yes, and it’s free.

I apologize for the lack of quality. They were taken with my phone — I was caught off-guard at the awesomeness.

So I went to New Sound Sundays at the Canopy last night, and it was an exceptional one.

The night started off with local act Sunset Stallion, who are just getting started but are already showing their good songwriting and sheer musical talent. From Martin O’Donnell’s drum skills to Chad Warner and Hannah Newman’s impressive voices, the band has definite potential.

Next was an act that almost blew my face off, Astronautalis, from Florida. I’ll come back to that.

After Astronautalis was Jon Childers, another Chambanite who plays his own distinct brand of rock and roll. The crowd watched intently as Jon told stories about his Easter experience, and how he couldn’t play almost any of his songs for his grandparents because none of them were appropriate. As good as the stories were, so were the songs. Jon’s got soul, so hit up his myspace for some tunes.

Back to Astronautalis, this man (Andy) is a one man show, but don’t get too many vivid images of Dick Van Dyke just yet. He travels with his computer and plays excellent tracks, and then he raps/sings over them. Normally I’m not a fan of rap in general, but this guy was one of the most incredible acts I’ve ever seen. He was a mixture of genius, raw talent, and energy, and if you don’t check him out, you’re missing out.

Just another reminder of how fantastic Champaign-Urbana and its scene is, so don’t forget to go see great local shows in your own back yard. And if you ever need help as to where to find them, the217 has got you covered.

This Friday night, the217.com will be sponsoring its first-ever show, headlined by the ridiculously awesome …And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead. It’s going to be a kick-ass show and a over-the-top launch party all rolled in to one, going down at the Canopy Club. Doors open at 8pm. Of course, you could buy tickets directly, but why buy them when you can win them?

WPGU, your True Alternative, is going to be giving away tickets all week. Make sure you listen in at 2:17pm (get it? get it?) every day, because that’s when we’ll tell you where to go in C-U to try to win free tickets. There are also a limited number of free tickets available at the Illini Apple Center (512 E. Green Street). Don’t miss the opportunity to hang out with the staffs of the217.com, Buzz, and WPGU, and see a truly awesome show.

More information about the event can be found here. If you’re not already familiar with them, get a taste of Trail of Dead at their MySpace or with one of their music videos (and be sure to search YouTube for more great clips).

…And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead is sponsored by WPGU 107.1 FM, the Illini Apple Center, and the Buzz.