Categories for Shh..cago

Get Some Strange

Kinda like some other internet famous indie bands, the Strange Boys come highly recommended by a bunch of blogs all at the same time. I saw them on Rollo & Grady just the other day, then today saw a post in Berkeley Place about them. So I listened to a bunch of songs by them and am now continuing the little wildfire of recommendations for them. I agree with Berkeley that they have a great low-fi, 50s garage rock sound that is perfect for fans of Black Lips, Black Keys, and Jay Reatard. The lead singer has a very nasal voice that comes off as more endearing/unique than it does annoying; kinda like the Kings of Leon. You can stream their whole album at their label Rough Trade Records(Same label as Rox), or cop some songs over at the Hype Machine.

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Shh..ambana

Go Big Ten or go home.

Go Big Ten or go home.

Go Big Ten or go home.

1. Sonics. Yes you read correctly. Two. Need you read more?

2. Murphy\’s Pub. Excellent mock-Irish bar. Always a babefest. And it’s got a pool table, too!

3. Geovanti’s. Calzones the size of your head. Chicken “strips” so big, just one could feed a family of 4. As if that’s not enough, there’s a bar downstairs. A place where everyone knows your name, karaoke Wednesdays, and Lady GaGa is constantly on repeat. Just look at these specials. Personal favorite. Oh and it starts selling booze at 6 in the morning. Not that I’ve been there for that, of course, but it’s nice to know.

4. Home of REO Speedwagon. I “Can’t Fight This Feeling” that the above picture is kind of tacky.

5. Fat

6. Sandwich

7. Company

8. Kam\’s. Home of the Drinking Illini. Sticky, loud, smells like butthole, but damn it if I don’t contribute to the stickiness and smelliness every weekend.

9. NEIL street

10. Birthplace of Ludacris (suck it Atlanta) and hometown of Roger Ebert, who hosts “Ebertfest” every year. Sounds pretty cool. April 21-25.

11. Canopy Club. Cool set-up with 3 bars, a stage, and tables and junk. Piano Man every Tuesday, who plays your favorite pop and 90’s music on piano. $3 Long Island Iced Teas. AD (lightning bolt) HD, the infamous AC(lightning bolt)DC cover band, is playing there. Bunch of old townies rocking out, and the butt of me and Brian’s jokes.

12. Papa John\’s. Yes Brian, I’m rubbing it in. 6 meats?!?!?!

13. Townie Bars. Tempted Joan?

14. Disappointing Sports: $77 for football tickets and countless hours I’ll never get back. I can’t stand Ron Zook. Basketball isn’t shaping up either. I feel like a Cub fan.

15. Horseshoe Sandwich Not in Champaign, but in Springfield, an hour away. Saw it on the Travel Channel. I was born to eat this sandwich.

16. Activities and Recreation Center (ARC). Home of Illini Water Polo. Dirt cheap rock climbing wall and massages.

17. What It Is! with Booker T., Mavis Staples, and JJ Grey. At the Krannert Center March 30. I have 2 free tickets, and extra ones are 30 bucks. I offered to Brian, but seeing as it is his birthday, I’m thinking this may be Neil’s excuse to come down here.

Oh yeah, there’s the University of Illinois, which is really awesome. So if you haven’t visited Champaign-Urbana yet, or haven’t visited here for me, it’s about time.

Now, I believe it’s time for me to fly.

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I don’t Care…

Julian Casablancas apparently doesn’t care what the calendar says, cause he put on his myspace a cover of the SNL song “I wish it were Christmas Today.” Stereogum adequately described it as sounding like an early Strokes b-side. Yup, that goofy song Horatio Sans, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Kattan and Tracy Morgan did a couple years ago that was Neil and Austin’s favorite for so many years. Julian probably does care about getting as much press as he can for the solo album released two days ago, which is most likely the reason for the release. And if you want to listen the rest of the album, its streaming in it’s entirety on his myspace also.

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MJ

Every website has something about the passing of Michael Jackson, now including The Bruce. Go to Daily Swarm to see a collection of good posts about the man. This is the best that I have seen so far: Bubbles doing the Moonwalk. Via an Rollo&Grady post with a great song.

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