For those who believe the Champaign-Urbana music scene is only filled with indie rockers and folks strumming acoustic guitars – think again. Although based primarily out of Chicago, the hip-hop/jazz/rock group Treologic (pronounced: tree-oh-logic) has made waves around these parts in the past with its combination of hip-hop rhymes and real live guitars, drums and bass.

A couple of Thursdays ago the band made the trek down I-57 to perform a free show at Cowboy Monkey in support of its soon-to-be-released third full-length Colabo – a gig that also doubled as a reunion of sorts for a town and band that hadn’t seen each other for over six months.

Sounding more like the pairing of Run-D.M.C. and Aerosmith than any of the countless imitators that have tried to blend rock and rap in the years since “Walk This Way,” Treologic shared tracks from its brand spankin’ new record (their first in three years) and showcased the kind of funky-fresh beats and socially conscious lyrics fans should already be familiar with from the group’s earlier efforts.

With dreadlocks flowing out of a straight-billed Chicago Cubs hat, vocalist MC Billa Camp was continually engaging and entertaining – particularly when waving a white towel around his head as he unleashed streams of rapid-fire lines of poetry while Champaign’s own Conner Grant ably accepted the challenge of keeping up with the rhythm on his electric guitar.

In addition to the slew of original songs Treologic played during the two-hour time slot, the band also injected an aura of spontaneity into their performance via its affinity for borrowing the beat from well-known rap songs (by The Sugarhill Gang, Beastie Boys, Kanye West and others) and coupling the familiar choruses of “Stronger” and “Jesus Walks” with freestyle verses.

This framework also afforded the sextet the chance to share the spotlight with Krukid (voted Chambana’s best Hip-Hop Act two year running), a talented emcee in his own right who was brought on stage at various times throughout the night to release his own off-the-cuff rhymes upon the small group of people dancing in front of the stage.

Although the set began to drag at about the time the clock neared 1 AM and the MC Billa Camp took time out to give each of the five other instrument-wielding members a chance to solo (none of which were particularly riveting), Treologic redeemed itself by calling Krukid up to the platform once more to participate in a final freestyle centered around the beat and chorus from Biz Markie’s 80s classic “Just A Friend” – a moment that combined old-school and new-school and gave the crowd a chance to tell Treologic: “You got what I need!”

And so the tour de Champaign-Urbana continues.

Since beginning this blog I have made a “concert”ed effort to venture outside my comfort zone (i.e. attending shows featuring the national touring acts who occasionally appear at the Canopy Club as they pass from St. Louis to Chicago) in search of the unique venues and eclectic mix of performers that are truly responsible for making the local music scene a source of pride for the community.

And while I haven’t yet quite brought myself to expand my musical horizons outside the safe confines of indie rock – Can I really handle a night of bluegrass or jazz or polka? I’m sure I can. Well, maybe not polka – I do think I’ve done a decent job of looking to find shows at the various venues scattered about town which are rarely frequented by students during the school year.

One such establishment is Cowboy Monkey, a downtown fixture that just recently re-opened its doors after it had previously stopped hosting live performances and then shut down entirely over the winter to re-evaluate its business model.

The results of this temporary closure are immediately obvious: a nicely remodeled interior (done up in warm and inviting reds and yellows) as well as No Cover Thursdays (a free weekly concert series) which not too long ago featured Sangamon – a locally based quartet that was honored as WPGU’s Band of the Week toward the end of May and has already earned a spot at last year’s Pygmalion Festival.

Because they weren’t scheduled to appear until 11PM, it seemed as though more people simply happened to be at Cowboy Monkey while the band played, rather than made a special trip out to see them perform. However, although there were more people lounging in the beer garden outside than taking in the refreshing sounds being produced inside, Sangamon played as though there were a thousand adoring fans gathered in front of the stage (instead of the one – most likely a friend or relative – who occupied this spot throughout much of the set).

Despite having only released the four-song The Right Way EP, the band treated the somewhat sparse crowd to an 11-song set of original material (that was to be followed by an hour of covers, which I decided to pass on). Nonetheless, the music I did hear was a bit different than I had been expecting.

Although their name and breeding (all four members hail from Decatur, an industrial town located just a short jaunt down the cornfield-lined I-72) would seem to suggest music more in the vein of straightforward rock and roll, Sangamon has nevertheless drawn frequent comparisons to piano-toting pop-rock groups from across the pond (such as Coldplay and Keane – lead singer Shay Thiele is the Canopy Club’s own Piano Man after all!).

However, aside from “Follow Me” (which did possess more than a few similarities to tunes often crafted by Chris Martin and Co.) to my ears at least Sangamon’s sound was not as piano-oriented as others might lead you to believe.

Perhaps it was only a result of the live mix, but the bluesy, classic rock riffs found on “Running Out of Time” and the wailing solo featured in “Selfish” (as well as the prototypical rock star poses continually struck by guitarist Tyler Bundy) seemed to suggest a more diverse set of influences – as if their heartland upbringing helped to erase some of the pretentiousness of BritPop and replaced it with arena-ready pop rhythms and down-home rock melodies.

As the set wound down with newer offerings “All the Same” and “Time Is the Price I Pay,” it sounded as though Sangamon has already begun to move even farther away from the labels and comparisons the band has been tagged with in the past – as the fresh tracks were decidedly more spirited and lively than most of the older cuts.

After all, if Cowboy Monkey can make a new start, then why not Sangamon?