Monday, December 29, 2008

The Grim Reaper checks in . . .

Delaney Bramlett
1939-2008

I snorted him … or was that Clapton? Wait, I’ve not yet come for Clapton. Harrison, maybe? Oh, who knows.

Friday, December 26, 2008

The Grim Reaper checks in . . .

Eartha Kitt
1927-2008

I snorted her ... it was the most exciting thing in the world.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

How did we miss this?

John Oates (yes, that John Oates) has been shopping around a cartoon about his superpowered moustache. “J-Stache” showcases Oates as a family man who is lured back to the rock star life by his moustache. “In a cartoon setting, the mustache has its own personality,” Oates tells Billboard. In the pilot, David Crosby warns Oates that a murderous Tom Selleck is trying to snuff out other moustache bearers.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Starchild or Voodoo Child?

Ex-KISS guitarist Ace Frehley will now connect directly with his fans through something called a “Web Site.” Frehley, known primarily for his awkwardly blatant Jimmy Page-ish approach to lead work, continues to push the limits by being on the cutting edge of technology. Ace's “Web Site” offers “something unique & different from the ‘usual’” … everything from news to tour dates to pictures to music and … get this … merchandise (coming in 2009).

… the mind boggles.

The Grim Reaper checks in . . .

Steve Isham
(1952-2008)

I snorted him . . . day in day out all week long, things go better with rock.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Oh-boy-oh-boy-oh-boy-oh-boy-oh-boy-oh-boy...

The Faces are set to play live dates in 2009, following the news last month that the original members, minus the late Ronnie Lane, had reformed for rehearsals. Guitarist Ronnie Wood told Rolling Stone that the band were in the process of finalising tour dates, and had been working on new material."We had a few fantastic rehearsals last week and we're ready to go," he said. "It's like no time has passed by."

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

What tha?!

Oh, how the mighty have fallen . . .

Oh my . . .

Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Five Guys Walk Into A Bar . . . 35 years later!

The Faces are rehearsing on Monday, 11/17 "just to check if they can remember the songs." Original members Rod Stewart, Ron Wood, Kenny Jones, Ian McLagan and Stewart's touring bassist (sitting in for the great, and departed, Ronnie Lane) will be jamming in anticipation of a full fledged reunion; which has been rumored for some time.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Hot Damn . . . Part Deux

The Kinks have begun writing new songs ahead of a possible reunion, singer Ray Davies has said. "We've started a little bit of this and that," he told BBC News. But it is too early to judge the quality, he said.

Friday, October 31, 2008

The Boys Are Back in Town

The Great Crusades
Friday, 11/7/2008

Mike and Molly's
105 N Market Street
Champaign, IL 61820
...lord have mercy on our souls


(original line-up)


Thursday, October 30, 2008

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Hot Damn . . .

The reunion of the original line-up of The Kinks has progressed around the dial from a definite maybe to give the people what they want.

Monday, October 27, 2008

What will they think of next?

See more Ron Howard videos at Funny or Die

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Take off, eh?

Does anybody know whatever happened to Elsinore?


The local band, that is, not the beer from the Bob & Doug McKenzie movie, Strangebrew...


UPDATE: Still no word on the band's whereabouts.

Huh.

That's weird.

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

I think I'm gonna uke...




...tip of the hat to Dave Dahl.

Buy some coffee from him. It is really good and the money goes to a fantastic organization.

I'm not "asking" you, I am TELLING you, daggit!

...sheesh.


Tuesday, October 14, 2008

Corny Tuesday

Welcome to a brand new feature dedicated to the waves of green which surround our community (although you can't eat much of that as it is all feed corn)...Corny Tuesdays!

Today's Sip of Pop . . .

Friday, September 19, 2008

Tuesday, September 16, 2008

Today's Loser . . .



The Philadelphia Eagles’ DeSean Jackson:
Last night, Jackson hauled in a 60-yard pass that should have been a touchdown . . . but he dropped the ball at the 1-yard line as part of his premature celebration. This isn't Jackson’s first blunder. In the 2005 Army All-American Bowl, Jackson broke free for what was believed to be a 53-yard touchdown reception. He spread his arms in a swan dive and dove toward the end zone, landing at the 1-yard line. Oof.

Monday, September 15, 2008

The Grim Reaper checks in . . . again

Rick Wright
1943-2008

I snorted him . . . and who'll deny it's what the fighting's all about?

The Grim Reaper checks in . . .

David Foster Wallace
1962-2008

I snorted him . . . it took way too long and I came away confused.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Monday, September 8, 2008

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

The Grim Reaper Checks In . . .

Don LaFontaine
1940-2008

In a world where . . . ah, f-it, I snorted him.

Friday, August 29, 2008

From the ministry of silly walks . . .


Presidential hopeful John McCain has selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his vice presidential running mate. When questioned about his choice, an obviously confused McCain replied, “The dead parrot sketch slays me every time. Palin will be great fun to have around the office.”

Your Sip of Champaign

Thursday, August 28, 2008

The Grim Reaper Checks In . . .

Steve Foley
1959-2008

I snorted him . . . at least until the roadies took over.

Tuesday, August 19, 2008

That's Weird...



This is totally weird, but for some reason both Jay Bennett and Pieholden Suite Studios have been omitted or are hidden somehow on the C-UMS.bs friends' list on MySpace.

Please excuse this delay while we try to contact Tom and get to the bottom of this!






UPDATE: Pieholden Suites Studios is BACK!!!


They LIKE us! The REALLY LIKE us!




(in all seriousness, even though we do hate music, that studio does look pretty f*ckin' cool)

It's a clear cut case . . .

Combo Audio's John Kellogg has compiled all of the bands live and studio recordings and is offering them for sale in an 84-track CD set or individually as downloadable MP3 albums. Orders are being taken through the band's website (which is loaded with great photos and both versions of the Romanticide video).

Today's Sip of Pop . . .

Monday, August 18, 2008

This just in . . .

Forget the premiere of the next season of “The Hills” . . . the real drama is happening in C-U. A story has been making the rounds that Jay Bennett has reconnected with ‘the original cast’ of Titanic Love Affair and is planning an album of unreleased material in 2008.

Unfortunately, it turns out that it’s “news” to at least half the band's original members. In addition, posted on Bennett’s MySpace page is “Hanging On” - a track originally titled “Pain Inside” - written by TLA vocalist Ken Hartz in 1996 for his short-lived group Mutual High Life (with the underrated Rob Arrol on bass and Alex Moore on drums). Bennett contributed lead work and backing vocals. When reached for comment, Arrol, the only one remotely affiliated with the story who was willing to speak on record and who is enough of a media whore to not decline the request, said, “I’m just happy to be remembered as an ‘original’ cast member, even if I didn’t meet Ken until 1994 – shortly before the final TLA release came out.”

This Is As Close As You'll Get To A Reunion, Cheese

"I still think (Don) and I peaked when we had the first Bowery Boys demo freshly released and we were hearing from Westerberg at the Pleased to Meet Me release party (Ginger Man) that Mould had just played him the demo. Then (Don) told Westerberg that we were opening for them soon in Madison and he said "we'll blow you off the stage ...".

It was all downhill from that moment of greatness right then and there!"

-- Ken Hartz (Titanic Love Affair, Mutual High Life - aka "Jay Bennett's TLA", The Bowery Boys (sic), Little Pitchers, et al.

Thursday, August 14, 2008

Banjo Joke Thursday: special Matt B. edition


What is the difference between a banjo and a South American Macaw: one is loud, obnoxious, and noisy; and the other is a bird.

Today's Sip of Pop . . .

Monday, August 11, 2008

Today's Sip of Pop . . .

The Grim Reaper checks in . . .

Isaac Hayes
1942-2008

I snorted him . . . can you dig it?

Friday, August 8, 2008

Thursday, August 7, 2008

Thursday, July 31, 2008

We've come so far . . .

The world's oldest recorded joke has been traced back to 1900 BC and . . . get this . . . it’s potty humor. The joke heads up the world’s oldest top 10 joke list published by the University of Wolverhampton and is credited to the ancient Sumerians.

It goes: "Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband's lap."

Granted, I’m not sure it's held up to the test of time . . . but still.

Tuesday, July 15, 2008

Those crazy Canucks

Look carefully at the picture. Do you see Rush’s Geddy Lee? Do you see his amplifiers? Ha – gotcha!

Turns out Geddy stopped using live amps. and now runs his bass direct with the house speakers/monitors. He opted to fill the big hole on his side of the stage with industrial grade appliances. Early on, he used Laundromat washing machines. For their current tour, Lee is using rotisserie chicken cabinets as balance. During their show, a roadie periodically comes out to baste the chickens inside. Always willing to see a joke to its end, Lee even has the cabs mic'd as if they were providing his sound.

As for guitarist Alex Lifeson . . . roadies tease him with an assortment of dolls strapped to his pedal board, each holding post it notes with messages like: “I was conceived at a Rush concert,” “My grandpa says you’re cool,” and “I thought ZZ Top had beards.”

Friday, July 11, 2008

For Whom The Bell Casts



Local rockers Bellcaster have called it a day...apparently to devote more time to playing racquetball.


Tuesday, July 8, 2008

It's good to be The King?

Fred Norris is a bully . . . after 13 years it’s got to be said. In 1995, Champaign’s Hum appeared live on The Howard Stern Show; after Stern was heard gushing over their single “Stars.” Until recently, the broadcast has been mostly unavailable and fans only had Stern’s recollection to go by, which, surprisingly, has not been flattering. About once a year, Norris, Stern’s longtime sound effects guy and aspiring musician, will play “Stars” as a bumper between bits or coming out of a commercial. It usually prompts Stern to ask who it is and when reminded (by Norris) he goes ballistic; maintaining that the band was difficult and then rattling off a laundry list of how they “screwed up” what should have been a great boost to their career. Through the years, Stern has convinced himself (or been convinced) that Hum didn’t even play that day and were thrown out of the studio.

Seeing the segment in its proper context, which originally aired on “E Entertainment” Television and is currently available through many online sources, it is nothing as Stern has described and really indicts Norris as an instigator who has had great influence in clouding a memory of what was an entertaining interview and great performance. In fact, it’s downright unfair to the band and their reputation.

The fact of the matter is the band did play and did a damn fine job of it. The only bump in the road seemingly involves Norris. The band and manager Chris Green are seen in negotiations with Norris and producer Gary Dellabate over the live set up. Norris tries to throw his weight around to get the band to run direct instead of bringing amps into the studio. Ultimately, a compromise is reached and the band is allowed to set up a reduced backline. Stern talks to Matt, Tim and Jeff (Brian was unavailable as his kit was set up in the hallway outside of the studio) and the interview comes off great. The band is engaging. Stern laughs at responses and is genuinely full of compliments after the performance, even closing with a “You guys play like mental patients. I love you guys.” Station manager Tom Chisano comes in after to say the song sounded great on the radio. Norris is seen bent under his console covering his ears throughout the performance.

Very disappointing.

Saturday, July 5, 2008

The Grim Reaper Checks In . . .

Sen. Jesse Helms
1921-2008

I snorted him . . . he was all right (come on, who didn't see that comin'?!).

Tuesday, July 1, 2008

RIP

Maralou Moore Shields

Weaverville - Maralou Shields, 49, of Weaverville, died Tuesday, June 24, 2008, unexpectedly at home. Mrs. Shields was born February 23, 1959, in Des Moines, Iowa. She lived in Buncombe County since 1997. Maralou was an artist and a jeweler.

She was preceded in death by a brother, Jerry Moore. She is survived by her husband, Steve Shields*; and son, Shane Shields, of Weaverville; a brother, Orville Moore, of Wisconsin.

Published: 2008-06-28


*Ack-Ack, Judy Gang, Steve Pride & His Blood Kin

Monday, June 23, 2008

The Grim Reaper checks in . . .

George Carlin
1937-2008

I snorted him . . . he was indecent, though not obscene.

Friday, June 20, 2008

Say it ain't so, Joe




...tip o' the hat to Jeff Evans.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

The Grim Reaper checks in . . .

Jim Mckay
1921-2008

I snorted him . . . he’s all gone.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Plain White Tees . . . not quite

Corndolly/”1993 Revisited” t-shirts are still available . . . free shipping.

Double-sided with Corndolly logo on front and listing of event, bands, date and venue on the back. Nice quality.

Support the scene. Live the dream.

The Grim Reaper checks in . . .

Bo Diddley
1928 – 2008

I snorted him . . . “it didn’t put no figures in my checkbook.”

Friday, May 30, 2008

Oof...



...um, yes...yes, the fact you are now wearing those pants and those shoes would be, in my opinion, quite ironic.

"There's nothing ironic about being stuck in a traffic jam when you're late for something. Unless you're a town planner. If you were a town planner and you were on your way to a seminar of town planners at which you were giving a talk on how you solved the problem of traffic congestion in your area, couldn't get to it because you were stuck in a traffic jam, that'd be well ironic."
"Rain on your wedding day is ironic only if marrying a weatherman and he set the date."
"A no-smoking sign on your cigarette break, that's inconsiderate office management. A no-smoking sign in a cigarette factory - irony."
"Ten thousand spoons? How big is your sink, Alanis? What do you need this knife for - to stab the bloke who keeps leaving spoons all over your house?"

The Grim Reaper checks in . . .

Harvey Korman
1927-2008

I snorted him . . . he was Hedy.

Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Class of 1993 - OR - "Post your favorite internet video!"

Please follow THIS LINK for a fantastic interview with the brilliant and talented Rob Arroll who manages to put into perspective the incredible dynamic bands of the era possessed which made this time period historic both on the local and national level.

"How many bands can say they’ve been covered by The Replacements, toured with Husker Du and were the first to know of their break-up, or currently have a song featured in a Cadillac commercial? Talk to a member of The Vertebrats, The Bowery Boys or Hum and you’ll get an idea of how C-U bands have been and still are appreciated on a national level."

"I seriously doubt current students could conceive that The Replacements, Nirvana, Dinosaur, Jr., and countless other amazing bands once played over their heads (at Trito's Uptown on Sixth & Green) as they walk down Green Street."

































...and click on the image to view the maelstrom of activity on the C-U Music Scene's most vital resource, OpeningBlands.com, the day following this amazing, once-in-a-lifetime event:




...follow THIS LINK for a passive-aggressive, shitty, half-assed reference to the show by the self-proclaimed current local scene (sic) guru.

Friday, May 23, 2008

The Long Road to May . . .

Corndolly’s recent practices have best been described as “fierce.” From the look of the new kit Angie Heaton will debut at The High Dive on Sunday, I think the reports are selling them short.

Sex Kitten, indeed!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

We're Going To Go Ahead and Say, "Sunset"...


...because, like, it kinda feels like if we don't we are going to be on the receiving end of a serious ass-kicking.

Angie Heaton threatened to further kick our asses if we did not post a link to www.Parasol.com

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

An Historic Event for An Happy Music Scene


"Did you hear Don Gerard tried to do some crazy jump and fell down and broke his hip?"

"Actually, at that age typically it is the case the person's hip breaks first and then they fall."

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Fatboy Slim is F#$%ing in Heaven

Norman Cook has retired his nom d’plume Fatboy Slim, a moniker he’s recorded under since 1997.

[editor's note: In all honesty, this post is worth skipping . . . it's just that the title's been burning a hole in my pocket and needed to be spent. That is all.]