To start off with – apologies for the lack of live shots. My new digital camera didn’t arrive until the day after the show. But to prove I was actually at this concert, here’s a review.

It happens every year like clockwork: students start filing into Champaign-Urbana in August, form bands, begin to play shows and, just when the buzz starts to build and people other than close friends begin to frequent their gigs – the kids all go home in May.

Luckily, just as there a few individuals (like myself) who have decided to stick out the next three months in Chambana, there are also numerous bands and musicians who take to the towns’ stages all-year-round – not just the eight months when classes are in session.

Last Thursday, I had my first opportunity to see two such local hallmarks – The Beauty Shop and The Living Blue – perform at Mike ‘N Molly’s, along with Dark Meat and Quiet Hooves, both from Athens, GA (although I apparently showed up too late to catch the opening act).

With the weather as unpredictable as it has been lately, it was a surprise (the first of many) that the evening was nice enough to allow for the show to be held outside in the beer garden. This was my first trip to the downtown Champaign bar and I have to say that it has to be the best outside venue in at least a 50 mile radius. The antique-style street lamps. The stone bird fountain. The ivy-covered brick walls. Even the hideous portable heaters that popped up everywhere after the smoking ban went into effect were a welcome addition to help combat the cool breezes which were a constant nuisance throughout the night.

Also serving to make the chilly wind a mere afterthought were the pleasantly melancholic strains of alt-country melodies produced by the trio of local musicians who call themselves The Beauty Shop. Previous to this show, my only experiences with the band came via a friend of mine who saw them play with The Mountain Goats two years ago and got me hooked on “Rumpelstiltskin Lives” for a short time soon after as well as occasionally hearing their phenomenal cover of Depeche Mode’s “Personal Jesus” on WPGU (request it now, thank me later). But as I soon found out, the three musicians have a lot more to offer than just these two standout tracks.

Anchored by John Hoeffleur’s distinctively deep singing voice – which at times morphed into some kind of Gaelic accent – the threesome (rounded out by bassist Eric Fisher and drummer Ben Ucherek), played a fairly even mix of slower cuts (“Like I Wasn’t Even There”) and more uptempo toe-tappers (“Ambulance”). Although Hoeffleur admitted he was a little under the weather (and at one point even forgot the words to a song), I was nonetheless a little disappointed when the set came to a close (especially since it was sans “Rumpelstiltskin Lives”). If the harder-edge and faster-pace of the group’s newer cuts are any indication, The Beauty Shop’s next record might make as good of fodder for a jukebox inside Mike ‘N Molly’s as well as on its stage outside.

While the platform set up against the back wall of the beer garden was just large enough to accommodate the three members of The Beauty Shop, it was woefully inadequate to support the traveling army, err…band, that call themselves Dark Meat. Brought to Champaign by their booking agent, the Canopy Club’s own Seth Fein, the Athens, GA natives boasted an impressive fifteen member entourage of musicians (at least, that’s how many I counted before I lost track), including two violins, a trombone, trumpet and flute, two drummers, multiple guitars, and whatever else that can be used to produce music.

Decked out in war paint and an exotic assortment of costumes, the majority of the group’s members crowded onto the stage while the violinists stood in front (possibly to avoid blinding their fellow bandmates with their bows) and others walked through the crowd banging on drums and shaking tambourines. Although the set could have easily devolved into mere spectacle (on account of the lone firework set off during “One More Trip” and the contraption used to spew glitter into the air during “No One Was There”), the strength of their music was enough to keep the show grounded firmly in an appreciation for their chaotic and infinitely layered rhythms. High school band class never looked like so much fun.

Maybe it was due to the fact that the night had gotten increasingly cold, or maybe because Dark Meat had raised my expectations to an unattainable level, but for some reason The Living Blue never really succeeded in capturing my attention like I thought they would. Although, judging from the crowd (which for the first time that night filled up the beer garden), I was definitely in the minority on this opinion.

Performing for the first time in Champaign since releasing the online stream of Walk, Talk, Rhythm, Roam, its fourth full-length album, The Living Blue seemed a little too straightforward (i.e. too safe) in its approach. While a spattering of people danced in front of the stage (perhaps because they were moved by the music, or maybe just to generate some warmth), I sat almost aloof off to the side – much like the group’s guitarist did throughout Dark Meat’s set.

Ploughing their way through a set list of similar sounding songs – a scuzzed-out guitar riff here, an electronic flourish there – the quartet seemed pleased to have their new offerings receive a good reception from the hometown crowd. As I meandered my way out of the bar with chants of “One more song!” echoing in the night, I finally heard the band strike up one last chord as I crossed University. Wow, an actual unplanned encore – what more could a band ask for?

In November 2005, I went to see Senses Fail/Saves the Day/The Early November/Emanuel at the House of Blues in Chicago. The show was memorable for a lot of reasons — for instance, when TEN’s guitarist jumped off several stacked-up speakers at the end of “I Want To Hear You Sad” and absolutely crushed three girls standing next to me. Good times.

However, another thing that continues to stand out clearly in my memory from that show is the annoying fan who after every Saves the Day song yelled out for them to play “Sell My Old Clothes, I’m Off To Heaven.” Although I’d never heard the song (a b-side from the Stay What You Are sessions) and the band (not surprisingly) did not end up playing it, by about halfway through the set I would have gladly sacrificed hearing “Rocks Tonic Juice Magic” just to shut the kid up.

Point of this story is: I’m still bitter.

But more importantly, a new website just might put an end to such behavior. Although it’s been around since 2006, PickRSet has recently started to gain momentum with bands and concertgoers in the punk and rock communities.

Operating under the motto “Pick the band. Pick the show. Pick the set.” PickRSet allows visitors to the website to choose the songs they want to hear from the bands whose concerts they will be attending. Although the site’s creator claims that it is still in the Alpha stage (get it? not even Beta, yet), his innovative concept got a high-profile boost when The Starting Line decided to let its fans choose what songs would be played on the group’s final headlining trek before starting its “indefinite hiatus” in April.

Currently, artists including Angels and Airwaves, Bad Religion, Silverstein, Foo Fighters and numerous others have all signed on to take advantage of the opportunity to further blur the line between fan and band. (And even put a little extra money in their pockets, as PickRSet graciously lets bands take a cut of the site’s ad revenue).

What’s more, rumor has it that LiveNation recently tried to purchase the site for $1 million. Interestingly, though, the offer wasn’t made with the intention of pouring more resources into the site, but rather of shutting it down entirely. To me, it’s not much of a surprise that an entity that used to be owned by Ticketmaster is not too keen on the idea of placing power in the hands of the people.

Luckily, the people behind PickRSet saw the intangible (read: not financial) value in their idea and decided to continue with their own vision for the future.

Ultimately, while there’s no guarantee that a participating band will play all of the most requested tracks, it does open up the possibility that the one song you’ve always wanted to hear live might finally make it onto the set list.

And if all else fails, you can still do the tried-and-trued method of obnoxiously screaming out the name of the song you most want to hear. As long as it’s not “Sell My Old Clothes…” Or Freebird.

Art-punk. No Wave. Anti-music. Noise.

No matter what label is affixed to it, one thing is certain: the music that originated in New York City’s Bowery neighborhood during the early 1970s was unlike anything heard up to that point.

For pioneering acts such as Teenage Jesus & The Jerks, DNA and Theoretical Girls, the songs they created – atonal bursts of discordant notes punctuated by primeval yelps – pushed the limits of what could rightly be considered “music.”

Although the people performing in these groups had no musical guiding force, for those looking to learn more about this unique artistic movement one recent film provides some direction.

Kill Your Idols (the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival’s Best Feature Documentary) helpfully traces the lineage of the art-punk scene: from its abrupt inception, through an introduction to a larger audience via Sonic Youth (whose song “Kill Yr Idols” leant the film its title) up to present-day torchbearers, such as the more mainstream Yeah Yeah Yeahs and the less accessible Black Dice.

Directed by newcomer S.A. Crary, the hour-long film wisely lets the music – in the form of grainy concert footage – and the musicians, themselves – including Thurston Moore and Karen O – tell the story of a genre that often defies description. (However, if I were to attempt such a comparison, I would liken No Wave music to that moment in Guitar Hero when you’re playing at a level above your ability and the game is about to terminate your song because you’re only hitting a third of the notes. And yes, I know purists will hate the fact that I just used Guitar Hero as an analogy to art-punk. But hey, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs just had a song added to Rock Band so it all works out.)

Despite my personal dislike for most of the sounds being produced, the movie itself does a great job of juxtaposing authentic live performance tape with more recent interviews, as well as a healthy sampling of perspectives from generations both past and present.

While some of the observations about the current state of the music industry might seem like the same old lamentations everyone’s been hearing out about for years now, some of the insight and historical details are illuminating (such as the revelation that shows from the early days of the scene rarely lasted more than 10 minutes).

About the only true complaint that can be levied against the film is its need for better mastering (most of the live recordings are very loud and the interviews are very soft). But even this can be chalked up to an attempt by Crary to mirror the poor sound mixing at the venues where many of the bands featured got their start.

For those willing to squeeze in a little counter-culture education between their 8 AM math classes and night-time minimum wage summer job, Kill Your Idols is well-worth the time and couple dollars spent at the video store.

And I checked – That’s Rentertainment has a copy. I hope it gets checked out often in the next couple of months.

UPDATE: After a tremendous amount of public outcry, the Chicago City Council has decided to reconsider and rework the event promoters ordinance. Score!

Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 14, 2008, Chicago’s City Council will vote on a law that could potentially put an end to Chicago’s vibrant local music scene.

The suggested regulations — which are targeted toward shady, underground event promoters — would also effectively get rid of numerous legitimate promoters who have been putting on shows in the city for years.

Among its myriad other stipulations, the ordinance requires that all event promoters must purchase a license ($500-$2,000 per show), as well as possess $300,000 in general liability insurance. This only applies to shows being held at venues with less than 500 fixed seats — such as the Metro, Schuba’s, the Riveria Theater, the drummer’s basement and so on.

This means that smaller, independent promoters will no longer be able to afford to put on shows. And, if they are able to somehow shoulder these massive fees, ticket prices will rise considerably to cover their extra costs. As well, smaller clubs will doubtlessly find it harder to book shows because of all the additional fees and regulations associated with holding concerts in their buildings.

Image if such a law were passed in Champaign-Urbana: no Canopy Club, no Highdive, no Courtyard, no IMC, no Iron Post, no nothing. Not to mention all the great local artists who would be forced to stop playing or move. I guess the only concerts in Chambana would be for artists big enough to hold shows at Foellinger and the Assembly Hall. Welcome back, Ben Folds…for the fifth straight month.

Even as someone who has never lived near the Chicagoland area — but who has attended a fair amount of concerts in the city and has enjoyed the music of countless artists who got their start putting on DIY shows at these small venues — I think this is a terrible idea. If you want to get more in-depth information and learn what you can do to help save the scene, visit these great links:

Jim DeRogatis (music writer for the Chicago Sun-Times) discusses the law and provides a full-text copy of the legislation

Chicago Music Commission - has tons of information about the ordinance and how to voice your opposition

Save Chicago Culture - group that is starting a petition to prevent the passage of the law

This week’s installment of the Late Nite Delight Awards brings you a double dose of everyone’s favorite are-they-related? are-they-married? are-they-related-and-married? duo: The White Stripes.

Although technically a music video, this clip does feature the band performing “The Denial Twist” on the Conan O’Brien show (and then eating dinner with the host afterwards). Directed by Michel Gondry (Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, “Fell In Love With A Girl,” “The Hardest Button To Button”), this groundbreaking video is a reference to when the band performed for an unprecedented four straight days on the late night talk show back in 2003. Between all the distorted figures and funhouse-esque imagery (intended to simultaneously represent what it’s like to watch and be on television in one shot), watch for the replica Conan O’Brien head — which the duo actually presented to the host on the last night of their run.

Date: 6/18/2007
Artist: The White Stripes
Show: Late Night With Conan O’Brien
Synopsis: For those of you craving an actual, live late night talk show performance, I’ve got you covered, too. I hope you haven’t reached your quota of The White Stripes for today because it’s in your best interest to check out the duo playing an up-close-and-personal acoustic version of “Cause and Effect” (from its most recent release, Icky Thump) while sitting amongst Conan’s studio audience. Awkward? Awesome? Uncomfortable? Unparalleled? And what’s that guy in the blue-and-white striped shirt doing around the 2:12 mark? So many questions, Jack and Meg, so many questions.