Champaign-Urbana blogs

Last night The Low Anthem played a strong set at Canopy Club featuring a wandering set full of folk-inspired tunes that ranged from slow wandering love songs to raucous distorted jams. They joined us here in Champaign-Urbana while taking a break from a long tour throughout Canada in support of City and Colour. City and Colour features Dallas Green from Alexisonfire who just broke up within the year, not to mention he is Canadian himself, so this was a much smaller night for the seasoned multi-instrumentalists that make up the group. They started the night with two softer songs off of their second..."  [Read more]

Download or listen to this week's podcast here. This week on Smile Politely Radio, Jason sits down with local political blogger Eric Bussel to discuss the upcoming race for the State Senate seat in the 52nd district, currently held by Mike Frerichs. In what was shaping up to be a 2-way race for the Republican spot on the ballot, Champaign County board member Alan Nudo withdrew his candidacy from the Republican primary. The developments leading up to Nudo's decision provide the opportunity to discuss Champaign's unique political climate, and a little bit about "what might have been" on the Republican side of..."  [Read more]

When I sat down in the Studio Theatre and looked around, I said aloud that Stephen Adly Guirgis’ The Last Days of Judas Iscariot wouldn’t “be at all biblical.” The stage was as cluttered as any I’d seen. It was a mess. Or — depending on how you look at it — it was a room that any scholar would be proud of. Desks, shelves, and tables were overflowing with books and papers. Books were piled in stacks of varying height all over the stage, in front of chairs, tables, and shelves. And there was a balcony overlooking the stage that also contained a desk and chair covered with..."  [Read more]

Winter Pantry Soup I’ve been bored with everything I’ve cooked since taking my husband to June in Peoria Heights for his birthday in January. Like Thad Morrow, Josh Adams does wonderful things with local food. So much so, that I feel inadequate in my kitchen for days afterwards. Not wanting to waste time that could be spent in the sunshine standing in line at the grocery store, I decided to go for a walk and make due with what was in my pantry. I pulled out my copy of Twelve Months of Monastery Soups by Brother Victor-Antione d’Avila-Latourette. It is 16 years old, but I love this book. The..."  [Read more]

I wasn’t always a Sondheim fan. Until recently, I had only seen a couple of productions of Stephen Sondheim musicals, and wasn’t extremely impressed with either one. This led me to conclude that Sondheim musicals were pretentious and boring, not knowing that I hadn’t seen one of his shows done well. That changed after enjoying a production of Follies in Chicago — which I now count as among the greatest shows I’ve ever seen. It may have taken a while, but I’m Sondheim convert. Continue Reading... Published in: {categories}{category_name}{/categories}  [Read more]

Tuesday night the The Low Anthem come into Urbana to play a rare headlining show for the revivalist folk/Americana band from Providence, Rhode Island. The band’s last album, Smart Flesh, came out in early 2011 and after a long tour last fall there were few people who expected them to come out of hiatus until they had another album in hand. For the past few weeks they have been traveling throughout Canada in support of City and Colour (Dallas Green from Alexisonfire) and the show here in town is one of only a few stops where the band has a chance to headline. As co-founding member..."  [Read more]

WHAT: The Low Anthem, Aron Stromberg WHERE: Canopy Club ($10 advance/$12 door) WHEN: Tuesday, February 7th at 7 p.m. These Rhode Island-ers make their way through Champaign before they venture into Canada, a place where it might be a little more wintery than it is in C-U. They are currently supporting their newest record Smart Flesh (recorded in an abandoned pasta sauce factory in their home state, mind you) released just about this time last year. Supporting is Aron Stromberg, whom you might recognize as one of the axemen in Evil Tents. Listen: "Charlie Darwin" by The Low Anthem ..."  [Read more]

WHAT: Ian Cheney, Director of King Corn, Unit One Guest-in-Residence WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 5 through Thursday, Feb. 9 @ 7 p.m. each evening WHERE: South Rec Room of Allen Hall, 1005 W. Gregory Dr., Urbana Monday, 7 p.m. – Against the grain: King Corn and the politics of what we eat -- Screening with q&a and discussion about obesity/diabetes epidemics, crop subsidies, organic food, "social documentaries," and making your first film. Tuesday, 7 p.m. – Cities of tomorrow: The Greening of Southie and the challenges of green building -- Screening with q&a and discussion about green building,..."  [Read more]

THIS WEEK’S SPECIAL EVENTS (please see below for year-round  weekly events, announcements, and selected regional events) WHAT: Quench! Let's Talk About Sex ... Education WHERE: Illini Union (Room 406) WHEN: Monday, Feb. 6, 12:00–1:00 p.m. Speaker: Kevin Ng, LGBT Resource Center Intern       Continue Reading... Published in: {categories}{category_name}{/categories}  [Read more]

Sunday afternoon in the House of Plain, a lanky group of future CEO's played keep-away from its prospective labor force. It was kinda fun to watch. How often do social elites deign to mix it up with the unwashed masses? The cat-and-mouse game ran for forty minutes, and then Northwestern's Wildcats got bored and left town with a 74–67 victory. (Brandon Paul's last three-pointer snapped the net as the final horn sounded, making the official score more respectable.) Continue Reading... Published in: {categories}{category_name}{/categories}  [Read more]