Recap: Strange Arrangement & Keller Williams

What’s up music fans!? I have much to share about the past couple of shows at Canopy Club, as well as some insight into some upcoming shows.

Thursday night saw three bands grace the Canopy’s Void Room stage: The Right Now, Daphne Willis & Co., and Strange Arrangement. I showed up in time for the second act, Daphne Willis & Co. Her soulful backing band started the night off right. The highlight was a cover of Tracy Chapman’s “Gimme One Reason” with Ms. Willis belting it out to perfection.

Strange Arrangement then took to the stage. Their high energy set took the show into a different direction, replacing Daphne Willis’ soulful, acoustic set with an in-your-face jam set. Often changing direction with instrumental interludes, the Chicago-based jamband kept the audience on the balls of their feet with tight grooves and group cohesion.

Here’s a taste of some extended instrumental music from Strange Arrangement:

But it wasn’t all about playing outside the box on Thursday night. Those in attendance were treated to an interesting take on MGMT’s hit “Electric Feel.” That’s right: a jamband covering an indie band. Take a look:

Friday night, Canopy Club hosted the venerable Keller Williams. Though he seems like a whirlwind on stage, the show was actually quite subdued last night, compared to his previous visit to Central Illinois’ finest music venue. With a minimalist stage setup, Keller worked his way between his acoustic, a sunburst Fender Jazz, and a vast array of knobs and switches to control his loop machine. The venue was swarming with people old and young to catch the amazing one-man-jamband.

Because of the capacity crowd, I wasn’t able to grab more than one video. Here it is, a nice cover of the Grateful Dead’s “Scarlet Begonias.” Enjoy:

Keller’s second set actually closed with a large medley of Phish’s “Birds of a Feather” into “Begonias” into another Dead tune, “Fire on the Mountain.” Keller’s encore took the audience into a sonic jungle, complete with Williams wailing on a djembe and making noises fit for wildlife into his looping machine. The soundscape reverberating through the great hall fit perfectly with the jungle-themed walls of the Canopy.

If you missed out on all the fun last week, don’t miss out on all the great shows coming the first week of February!

Wednesday night will feature ZOSO: The Ultimate Tribute to Led Zeppelin.

Thursday will feature Gov’t Mule.

Friday will feature Lucky Boys Confusion.

And Saturday will feature my personal favorite ZMICK!! I can’t effin’ wait!

I’ll be jammin’ with ya!

Gearing up for 2010!

Hey Music Fans,

Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a great holiday season. Now that 2010 is underway, you must be thinking about seeing some live music or attending the other great events held at the Canopy Club. This post will preview and highlight some of the many events coming up, and there are plenty of them. Let’s hop to it!

I’ll start off with the Canopy’s FREE weekly events, that you won’t want to miss!

Start your week off right with Sunday’s new and improved Pizza, Pitcher & A Movie! New for 2010 is a unique movie theme every week. This is your chance to see a trio of classic movies with no admission charge, paired with the special you already know and love: $10 for a domestic pitcher and a large Manolo’s pizza. Some of the themes planned for 2010 include Kung Fu, Baseball, Brad Pitt Night, Quentin Tarantino Night, Stoner Flicks, 80s Movies, and many, many more. Check the blog each Sunday to see what movies will be playing!

Every Monday, bounce to the rock/reggae stylings of JoBu, playing a free show with the WILD special of $1 domestics and wells. After forming at SIU-Carbondale, this group relocated to Urbana in early 2009 and added former Underpaid Packy keyboardist Kevin McHugh. So make them feel at home! Get rid of your Monday blues with local tunes and cheap brews!

Free events come Two-Fer every Tuesday, with the early event, Trivia Diner, followed by the late event, Piano Man. Real Long Islands are $3 on special for both events, so don’t be afraid of coming early to get your trivia on, and don’t be afraid to stay late and sing one with the Piano Man. Trivia Diner is hosted by local comedy troupe, Fishing With Dynamite. Sign up starts at 6 pm; Trivia starts at 7 pm. Request your favorite hits and get ready to sing along with Piano Man. There’s no song he won’t play! (Don’t quote me on that.)

Last but not least, Wednesday’s free event is a real rager: RAVE TO THE GRAVE. Local DJs will be spinning beats and mashups from 10 til 2am and you’ll have to be there to believe what they come up with next. These DJs are pushing the envelope and redefining what a DJ can be, every single Wednesday. And with $3 Red Bull mixed drinks and bombs, you’ll be dancing as the staff politely asks you to leave the venue at 2 am.

Now, I’ll mention some of the marquee events that you should definitely mark your calendar for.

Friday, January 22nd, 2010: The Gold Motel w/ Empires and Withershins

The Gold Motel should be perfect for those who love indie/power pop with female lead singers. Greta Morgan Salpeter, of the Hush Sound, brings her energetic side project to the Canopy Club. So if you’re bitter about The Hush Sound’s recent hiatus, you’ve got to check out this show, which starts at 6:30 pm and costs $10 in advance.

Thursday, January 28th, 2010: Strange Arrangement w/ Daphne Willis and the Right Now

Strange Arrangement follows in the footsteps of pioneering jambands like Phish, playing music that focus more on instrumental flourishes than commanding vocal performances. Strange Arrangement is a group of proficient musicians, who let their instruments do the talking. If you caught their last Canopy Club appearance, when they opened up for Umphrey’s McGee, you know what I’m talking about. If not, check this out:

This show starts at 10 pm and has a $5 cover.

Friday, January 29th, 2010: Keller Williams

One-man jamband, Keller Williams is a powerhouse on the live music circuit. He is a master of many instruments including guitar, bass, piano, theremin and, of course, his own mouth. In addition to singing his original music, he can accompany himself with throat trumpet and beat boxing. This whirlwind of musical talent is tied together all with a looping station. The layers of music swirl throughout the venue, bringing an uncontrollable urge to dance to the entire audience. Here’s a taste of his last trip to Canopy Club:

This show starts at 9 pm and costs $20 in advance.

Sunday, January 31st, 2010: The Prairie Ensemble

This one is for the classically oriented. Local musicians come together under director Kevin Kelly to form Champaign’s own orchestra, The Prairie Ensemble. This show starts at 7 pm and costs $18 in advance.

Thursday, February 4th, 2010: Gov’t Mule w/ Jackie Greene

This Southern-rock powerhouse comes to the Midwest for a night to remember with Jackie Greene. Gov’t Mule lead singer/guitarist has recently performed with The Dead in the summer of ‘09, and Jackie Greene is known for playing in Phil Lesh and Friends. Tie that with the heavy Allman Brothers influence, and the jam element will be sure to in full effect. Check it:

Friday, February 5th, 2010: Lucky Boys Confusion

Straight outta Dupage County, Lucky Boys Confusion mixes pop, punk and hip-hop to great success, having been together since the late ’90s. If you’re a Chicagoan who loves uptempo, indie style tunes, or you just can’t get enough of LBC, check out this show.

Saturday, February 6th, 2010: Zmick w/ Mathien

Urbana’s own breed of jamband returns with a brand new keyboard player for the brand new year. The new lineup looks to continue their legacy of Midwestern jam influenced progressive rock. If you haven’t seen Zmick, but have heard of them through word of mouth, it’s time to catch this local product before they hit it big on the national scene. Opening act Mathien combines a vintage soul sound with a modern edge for a result that never sounds passé. Here is a video of Zmick to wet your whistle:

The show starts at 10 pm and has a $5 cover.

Sunday, February 14th, 2010: Bela Fleck & The Africa Project

Legendary banjo player, Bela Fleck brings world-class musicians from various regions of Africa to the Midwest, with the Africa Project. Bela Fleck decided to give these musicians a chance to shine in America after traveling to their countries and listening to them play their native instruments.

Says Fleck, “This stuff needed to be heard! More of these great artists from the African continent will be brought into the light.”

The show starts at 9 pm and is $25 in advance.

Saturday, February 20th, 2010: RJD2 w/ Kenan Bell and Happy Chichester

“RJD2’s music is a collage of cut-and-paste hip-hop that combines disparate elements to make for soulful, moody portraits of the world.”

The show starts at 7 pm and costs $13 in advance.

That’s it for now. Thanks for staying tuned to all things Canopy Club, here, at the Canopy Club blog. I’m Josh and I’ll be jammin’ with ya. Peace!

Monday, April 5th, 2010: Bassnectar

Ok, so I know this one is a ways away, but bear with me - this show is kind of a big deal. Maybe you caught one of his two shows at Summer Camp Music Festival last year (I was at the Sunday late-night performance), but chances are you could have missed it. If you like deafening sub-woofers and heavy, electronic music Bassnectar (Lorin Ashton) will be right up your alley. His stage setup includes about a dozen 20-inch plus woofers, and he likes to warm them up by playing a recording demonstrating all of the (integer) frequencies starting at 2 Hz and going up.

Bassnectar lives to make the audience uncomfortable - from his extreme decibel level, to his extreme visualizer. It was apparent from the show I saw that Bassnectar is influenced by Maynard James Keenan of Tool, who gets off on the same weird shit. When I saw both Tool and Bassnectar, the visualizers were filled with shock value and cacophony. It just matches their motif and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Check out this official music video for “Bomb the Blocks.”