After a nice little vacation, WPGU is back in full force!

Make sure to come out to the Canopy Club tonight for your chance to be on a live game show! That’s right Trivia Diner starts at 7, but make sure to get there early to sign up your team!

If 7PM is too early for you, head over for The Piano Man at 9PM!

Tune in here on the217.com or 107.1 for all of your music news and local show updates!

Hey guys! I’m just going to remind you all about something very important…

Vote for the LM5 Local Music Showcase categories. It’s fun. I promise.

Categories include:

-Meanest band
-Best use of leather
-Best stage banter
-Sweatiest band

Now I know it seems silly, and maybe you’re normally too cool to vote on stuff like this. I get where you’re coming from. But keep in mind the bigger picture- we need to applaud the efforts of our local musicians and give them some credit/recognition. If voting for silly categories means participating in LM5, then do it!

Oh, and also head on down to the Highdive (in downtown Champaign) on April 9 for some live performances! LM5 at the Highdive!

-Liz

Sadly as the Fighting Illini Men’s hockey team admitted defeat yesterday, and they are no longer the national champions, there is still something to look forward to on Friday Nights…

The Mad Hatter’s 8 O’clock Rock Block!

I’ve been sharing a cozy space with live hockey coverage on Friday evenings over the past year and when I get my chance, the best classic and current rock cuts rule the airwaves. In the past We’ve heard the likes of Pink Floyd- Dark Side of the Moon, Led Zeppelin IV, Boston (self titled), Muse - Absolution, and many more. Commercial free albums in their entirety brought to you courtesy of WPGU 107.1!

This Friday the 20th of March, look to bring the rock once again and tune in for:

Metallica - Master of Puppets

I’ve got the best way to start your night right at 8 PM, if you have any requests or suggestions for what songs to follow the album when we’re still rollin’ from 9-10 PM please comment below on the blog! I’ll do my best to make you happy, just make sure it rocks, and if it does I’ll play it…

That’s right, today is both Ticket Tuesday and St.Patrick’s Day! For that reason, we have a special treat for you, JASON MRAZ TICKETS!

Tune in all day long starting with the morning show from 6-9AM and ending with the Mad Hatter for your chance to win one of the 5 pairs we have for you.

Happy St.Patrick’s Day from your friends here at WPGU!

Phoenix - “1901″ - Three years have passed since the release of It’s Never Been Like That, Phoenix’s remarkably solid third album. The newest single is much more electronically-driven than much of what they’ve previously put out, but it still has the same hooky vocals and funky guitar swagger to give it that same “Phoenix” sound. The new album, Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix, won’t be released until May, but this should help hold us over for now. This is definitely a band worth checking out if you’re not familiar with these guys. (The lead singer is also Sofia Coppola’s babydaddy, in case I haven’t yet peaked your interest.)

Violens - “Spectator & Pupil” - Another band from the bustling New York indie music scene, Violens distinguishes themselves with a very New Wave sort of sound. Think The Smiths with quirkier instrumentation, but still on the darker side of indie pop. This band has gained a great deal of attention from the indie music web giants and prominent music blogs such as Brooklyn Vegan. They recently released an eponymous four song EP, which also includes “Violent Sensation Descends,” another song we played the tar out of a couple months back.

Also listen for:
Bishop Allen - “The Ancient Commonsense of Things”
White Lies - “To Lose My Life”

Hey all! Grego here!
Normally I’m supposed to do these blogs on Tuesday, but I was so motivated in cleaning my room last night that the time got away and I feel asleep! But thats alright, it is early on Wednesday and it’s better late than ever! Right?

Anyway, if you didn’t get your chance to win during our Ticket Tuesday, that still doesn’t mean you shouldn’t come out to the High Dive tomorrow night. The Tossers and The Mighty Stef (from Ireland!) will be at the High Dive and it will be the ultimate Irish concert experience to hit Central Illinois. Since it is smack-dab in between Unofficial and St. Patrick’s Day, why not go out and see some awesome Celtic rock right here in good ole C-U?

The show is on Thursday, March 12 at The Highdive and the doors open for 8 pm. Its $12 and you must be 19 or older! This is a show you don’t want to miss!

Yours in oddness,
Grego!

We all know Champaign-Urbana has a bitchin’ music scene. We’ve got a slew of fantastic artists (New Ruins, Common Loon, Elsinore, Headlights, Tractor Kings,etc,etc,etc) several awesome venues (Canopy, Cowboy Monkey, Highdive, Mike and Molly’s, IMC), some great record stores (Exile on Main St., Parasol Records, Record Swap), two record labels (Polyvinyl and Parasol), and a kick ass radio station (yours truly).

But if there is anything that is most crucial to the survival of our wonderful music community it has to be the open mic night. While several venues host open mic nights throughout the week, none may be as eclectic and laid-back as the Red Herring’s. Just getting off the ground after its first week in January, the Red Herring’s Open Mic Night strives to combine all aspects of art. Not only can musicians play their music on stage, but artists, poets, dancers and actors are all encouraged to come out and showcase their craft. Whether you are looking to perform, or just seeking a friendly place to study and get work done, Sundays at the Red Herring are a fantastic end to any weekend.

Hosted by Santa’s Stan McConnell, the Red Herring Open Mic Night takes place every Sunday night from 7:30-10:30pm.

Hey guyzzzzz! Today we gave away tickets to Murder By Death at the Canopy Club (the show is Saturday, March 7). Since this has already happened, I’m just going to advise that you go to Murder By Death at the Canopy Club on Saturday. In the words of DJ Joe Smyth, “they f**king rock”. Their original keyboardist is going to be joining the band this time as well!

Here’s hoping that Murder By Death plays Pygmalion Music Fest again this year! And as always: Props to Canopy Club.

<3 Liz

Hey guyzzzzz! Today we gave away tickets to Murder By Death at the Canopy Club (the show is Saturday, March 7). Since this has already happened, I’m just going to advise that you go to Murder By Death at the Canopy Club on Saturday. In the words of DJ Joe Smyth, “they f**king rock”. There original keyboardist is going to be joining the band this time as well!

Here’s hoping that Murder By Death plays Pygmalion Music Fest again this year! And as always: Props to Canopy Club.

<3 Liz

Another Ticket Tuesday is upon us! Today we have Murder By Death tickets for their show at the Canopy Club this Saturday. Tickets are on sale for $10 now, but all you have to do is listen to 107.1 throughout the day for your chance to score a pair for free.

Tune in every Tuesday to win free tickets!

Also, make sure to listen to the Odd Couple every weekday morning from 6-9AM featuring myself and Grego! Only on WPGU 107.1!