Champaign Is Also A Band

Released 4/5/2021: Election day is tomorrow, this past weekend I zoomed with Justin Michael Hendrix: write in candidate for Champaign City Council in District 3.  Although Episode 61 will not air for another month or so, I thought that his voice should be heard before this election.  To find out your voting info in Champaign County go to:  https://champaigncountyclerk.com/elections/my-voting-information

For other locations in the US: https://www.vote.org/

Please get out and vote!

Sven zooms with Kyle Lang of Special Death about his song "Remember" off of his self-titled EP: "Special Death" We talk about the reissue on vinyl of Easter's "Demonstration" EP on Beloved Records, favorite house venues in CU, and Kyle's favorite non-muisical thing(s).

SONG: Remember

ALBUM: Special Death

BANDS: Pontow, Well Read Devils, Nunpuncher, Easter, Adult Books, The Tyrants, Need, Special Death

Favorite Treat: Chocolate chip cookies without the chocolate chips

Photo Credit:  Josh Karlson

REFS:

NNAMDÏ

ThrashKitten

Ratboys

Sean Neumann (EP5)

Jupiter Styles

Terror House [Venue]

Error House [Venue]

Dan Aykroyd's House [Venue]

Dumb Records

Weekend Nachos [Band]

Wabeano Rock Farm [Band]

Sweettooth [Band]

Belleville, IL

Easter [Band]

Beloved Records

"Demonstration EP"

Oak Forest, IL

Garfield's Garden [Venue]

Rat King Records

Dude Ranch [Venue]

Sven zooms with Cara Maurizi of Linea Crux to talk about her song "Twist & Turn" off of the album "Stronghold." We talk about working in the studio to bring new life to her songs, where the name "Linea Crux came from, and maybe even what her favorite color is...

SONG: Twist & Turn

ALBUM: Stronghold

BANDS: Linea Crux, Backup singer with Slick Lisp, and Modern Drugs

Favorite Treat: All baked goods, Espresso, Coffee Tea, whiskey, wine, and really good beer

Photo Credit:  Della Perrone

REFS:

Ryan Groff (EP35)

Perennial Sound Studio

Audio Compression

EQ (Equalization) [Video]

Brian Wilson

Wall of Sound

Linnea (Flower)

Moons of Neptune

Opera

Highdive [RIP]

Seven Saints

Mike n' Molly's

Pour Bros. Craft Taproom Champaign

Elsinore

Brandon T. Washington

Mike Ingram

Ci La Cole (EP46)

New Souls

Tera Terra [Band] (EP41)

Milford Men [Band] (EP35)

Modern Drugs [Band] (EP35)

Galesburg, IL

Prairie Players

The Station Theatre

Parkland Theater

CUTC

Pens to Lens

The Double Machine [video]

Taste of Champaign

West Side Park

Greycoats [Band]

Common Loon [Band]

Color Theory

"Use What You Have Decorating" [Book]

In this episode Sven zooms with Jarrel Young to talk about his song "Doin To Me," off the album "I'd Be Mad Too..." the CU music scene, and his two favorite non-musical things.

SONG: Doin To Me

ALBUM: I’d Be Mad Too…

BANDS: Live band: Misfit Music

Favorite Treat: Spring Water, Assorted Herbal Tea and chips, preferably plain ruffles.

Photo Credit:  Boots Howard

REFS:

Doin To Me [Video]

H.Kal-El.

THEGR8THINKAZ

Hook

Cowboy Monkey [Venue] RIP

The Canopy Club [Venue]

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony

Eclipse Studios

Charlie Wilson

Boyz II Men

Montana of 300

Luyando Boxing & Fitness

SONG TEMPORARILY REMOVED (SAMPLES)

Sven zooms with Blair aka lovenloops to talk about her song "Black Girl Levitation (ft. Nikky Finney)" off the album Don't Ever Forget It. We talk about SOLHOT "We Levitate," the first Black Girl Genius Week in 2014, how it's grown and hopes for the future.

SONG: Black Girl Levitation

ALBUM: Don’t Ever Forget It

BANDS: SOLHOT We Levitate (Saving Our Lives Hear our Truths)

Favorite Treat: bourbon whiskey/sugar cookies 

Photo by: Kamari Smalls

REFS:

SOLHOT

Nikky Finney

Black Girl Genius Week

Hip Hop [Genre]

Funk [Genre]

Jazz [Genre]

Lo-Fi [Genre]

Dr. Ruth Nichole Brown

The World Is Round [Book]

Syracuse University

College of William & Mary

Hassaan Mackey

J Dilla

Madlib

Roland SP-404 Beat Machine

Black Feminism

Mother Nature

Klevah

TRUTH

Hear Our Truths: The Creative Potential of Black Girlhood [Book]

Dissertation

Dr. Porshé Garner

Jessica L. Robinson

Imposter Syndrome

Pygmalion

June Jordan [Author]

Gwendolyn Brooks

"Spin a Soft Black Song"

Nikki Giovanni [Author]

Recipe for 7-UP Lemon Pound Cake (not Blair's recipe)

Sven zooms with Sandman Slimm (Formally "Truth aka Trouble") about his favorite song the one (prod. by BMTJ)
Find out about how Trouble Chasin’ got started, creating the Beautiful Chaos EP, and how stillness & returning to nature is the key to everything.

SONG: the one (prod. by BMTJ)

ALBUM: Beautiful Chaos EP

BANDS: Trouble Chasin’, Dizzy Ape, 10 Flow.

Favorite Treat: Gin & Tonics & Red Vines

Photo Credit: Boots Howard

Refs

BMTJ

Zack Fox

"Jesus Is the One (I Got Depression)" [Article]

"Six Feet" [Song]

GOAT - Greatest Of All Time

Wolf of Wall Street

"I AM NOT OK" [Song]

Stickup [Song]

Vent [Song]

Systemic Racism In Education: [Articles]

1. Fighting Systemic Racism in K-12 Education: Helping Allies Move From the Keyboard to the School Board

2. Systemic racism has led to education disparities

3. Resources for Exploring Systemic Racism

Toto Riina

Bravado

The Canopy Club

Bone Thugs-n-Harmony

10 Flow

SIUC

Freestyle

Dre Bill

Kodak Black

H.a.t.e. Tape Mixtape (High Above The Enemy)

Chase Scott aka Chase Baby (EP 38)

Trouble Chasin'

Illini Union

Go Crazy (Feat.Truth aka Trouble, Prod. by TheGr8Thinkaz [Song]

Champaign & A Movie [Mixtape]

Trouble Chasin' [Spotify]

Richard Kadrey (Sandman Slim Series)

Stov Da CEO

Kickapoo State Park

**Inauguration Day Special!!!*

In this episode Sven zooms with Oliver Groff: vocalist, lyricist, and artist behind the band Cactuss.  We talk about his song "The Reason Donald Trump Should Be in the Trash," we talk about the inspiration behind the song, their creative process, working with producer Ryan Groff (EP35), and running a world class CU local recording studio.

SONG: The Reason Donald Trump Should Be in the Trash

ALBUM: Single

BANDS: CACTUSS

Favorite Treat: Bubly and chocolate

Photo Credit: Ryan Groff (EP35)

*Please note: a Ghee-Tar is like a Key-Tar, but with clarified butter.  ;-) 

In this episode Sven zooms with Mike Skibski, Vice President of Music for the Masses UIUC. We talk about his song "I'll Stay With You," Music for the Masses, and planning for the future.

SONG: I’ll Stay With You [Spotify Link]

ALBUM: I’ll Stay With You

BANDS: Solo

Favorite Treat: Blueberry Acai Green Tea and Dark Chocolate Hershey's Kisses

Photo Credit: Jackson Skibski

Refs

Music For the Masses UIUC

Ukelele

Tremolo

Metaphor

Shotgun Microphones [Video]

Vance Joy

RSO [Registered Student Organization]

UIUC Union

The Canopy Club

Introversion

Singer-songwriter

Midwest Emo [Genre]

Math Rock [Genre]

String Harmonics

Tapping

Bottom Bracket [Band]

Rat King Records [Label]

Information Systems

Entrepreneurship

In this episode Sven zooms with Elena and Travis of Soft and Dumb to talk about their song "Tony, Please." Find out if there IS a Tony, being self-conscious about making music, and how to be a band that has only had one live show before COVID-19 locked everything down.

SONG: Tony, Please

ALBUM: Out of Bed

BANDS: Soft and Dumb

Favorite Treat:

Elena: hot apple cider

Travis: cold apple cider

REFS

Star Wars Order

Ghostwriter

Natural Harmonics

DAW [Digital Audio Workstation]

Looper Pedal

2021danceparty [Song]

Inception

Chronologically

Cult Leader

Anthem

Barre Chords

Drop D Tuning

Power Chords

Dissonance / Consonance

Spat [Song]

Birdhouse [Venue]

Hazy Seas [Band]

Dog Mom [Band]

Waluigi's Mansion [Venue]

The Forest [Venue]

King Kruel [Band]

Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Campy

Call of Duty - Zombies

Freddy Krueger

Sarah Michelle Gellar

Breaking Bad

Joss Whedon

Sitcom

Musical Episode of Buffy -"Once More, with Feeling" [Ssn 6, Ep 7]

"No One Can Speak" Episode of Buffy - "Hush" [Ssn 4, Ep 10]

Light Pollution

Every great episode needs a sequel, EP51 is no exception. Consider this bonus material from part 1.

We talk about Sven finding joy in hip hop, recording an upcoming album, supporting artists, AMS' family history in CU, all the CU hip hop connections he's made, and finally what makes a good scene!

BONUS SONG: "Half (a Life)" from the upcoming album: Strange Days, Stranger Tomorrows

Photo by: Yevgeniya Mazur