I normally try to start this column out saying something profound. I don’t really have anything that wouldn’t devolve into an expletive-laden editorial against Scott Walker and/or The Obama Administration (they are more connected than you think). So, in an effort to avoid that (as well as the fact that it’s not totally appropriate to talk about politics in a weekend events column), I’m just going to start and see what the weekend has in store for us.
THURSDAY
Jean-Michel Basquiat: The Radiant Child // Bijou Theater // 6:00 PM // $5, Free if UI Student, All Ages
Jean-Michel Basquiat is widely recognized now as one of the great artists to come out of the downtown NYC art scene in the late 1970s/ early 1980s. Facing immense odds as a Black artist rising up in a racist white art world (NYC was just as racist as the south in the 1970s. Don’t let the now fool you about the then.), Basquiat was able to elevate himself and his work to great status along with making friends with icon Andy Warhol. Julian Schnabel has already done a fantastic biopic on Basquiat, but it skated around some of the touchier subjects involving the artist. This documentary will paint the full picture as well as open eyes to one of the most dynamic and interesting artists to come from the American art scene in the past 30 years.
Andy Frasco w/ Dave Zollo & Collectible Boys // The Mill // 9:00 PM // $8, 21+
Andy Frasco is something of a national drifter. If you are wondering if that is possible, consider the following. Over the past two years, Frasco has traveled over 90,000 miles and played 500 shows. If you’ve ever talked with a traveling band or gotten a good whiff of some of them (I know some bad smelling bands), they are good people, but they definitely shift from place to place, never settling in one place for very long unless it’s to record. Frasco’s music can also be described with the same drifter spirit. Never content with one genre, Frasco’s sound is familiar (hints of jazz/blues) yet indescribable, but is one that will be familiar to The Mill regulars and will fit well with the two local openers, Dave Zollo and Collectible Boys.
Call-Me-Lightning w/ We Shave, Lipstick Homicide & Farms // White Lightning Wherehouse // 10:00 PM // $5, All Ages
Coming from the ever exotic land of Milwaukee, Call-Me-Lightning play straight ahead thrash punk. That’s always exciting in its own right. It’s especially so since they actually rock pretty hard. They will be coming to a space that suits their style very well: White Lightning. They will be sharing the bill with local transplants We Shave, Wisconsin natives Farms, and local punk-poppers Lipstick Homicide (who are really good, if you’ve never seen them). A good, clean-cut Thursday punk show. That’s what the kids dream about right?
Moving to the next day, it seems as if Friday has a high number of festival type deals on it. Let’s delve into that.
FRIDAY
Summercamp Battle of the Bands // Iowa City Yacht Club // 8:00 PM // $7, 19+
Chillicothe is a town outside of Peoria, IL. On Memorial Day weekend, it will be the home of the Summer Camp Festival. Featuring a mix of artists from Wiz Khalifa and Girl Talk to moe. and Widespread Panic, the Summer Camp Festival will be three days of straight jamming. You, fair reader, will have the opportunity to choose one of the bands that plays at this festival if you go to the Yacht Club on Friday. You will have five bands to choose from: 5 In A Hand, Chasing Shade, Item 9 & The Mad Hatters, Purple Asteroid Cadillac, and Dead Larry. Bands start SWIFTLY at 8, so show up on time and support your favorite on their drive to Summer Camp.
Midwest Dubstep Conference // Gabe’s // 8:00 PM // $10, 19+
I’m older than my appearance might suggest, so I’ve seen enough waves of British dance music hit this shores to be able to describe dubstep to the uninitiated. A hybrid of Jamaican dub music (read: King Tubby, Lee “Scratch” Perry, Coxsone Dodd), grime (read: Dizzy Rascal beats), and garage (read: The Streets) that is accented with vocal samples and light toasting (Super Cat is a toaster), dubstep’s American equivalent is chopped and screwed (read: DJ Screw tapes and anything from Swishahouse). The primary difference between the two genres is that choppin’ is meant for being blared in your whip as you go about 5 mph down the road while you can actually dance to dubstep like you would if you were in a dancehall in Kingston or Brixton. If you want to dance, five DJs from all over the region are converging on Gabe’s to bring the bass Friday night.
After all that bass, you might want something a bit calmer for your Saturday. Yea, that’s not going to happen, but it did sound nice, didn’t it?
SATURDAY
Akron/Family w/ Datagun & Delicate Steve // The Mill // 8:00 PM // $8, 19+
While they may be hairy gentlemen, Akron/Family play music in the vein of Grizzly Bear or another like-minded band. Fusing experimentation with a more traditional folk structure, A/F have been making noise around the indie world for a little while, releasing records on the well-known Young God label. Their sound is beautiful, atmospheric, and quiet. As you will see from the below video, it fits quite well in a church setting. They will not be playing a church proper here, but in a place with church-style seating in The Mill. Opening for them will be Delicate Steve and local experimental pop band (and Little Village contributors) Datagun.
SUNDAY
If you haven’t noticed, this weekender is a bit extended. Not distended, but extended. That’s because it’s the Academy Awards this Sunday. There’ll be red carpets, people in shiny dresses, an excess of people being unnaturally forced off of stage with music and shapely women in well-draped dresses, and dudes who clearly don’t leave the editing room very much talking about how psyched they are about winning a piece of gold-plated metal. All cynicism aside, the Academy Awards are a lovely ceremony, one which is made better by the presence of others. If you have nowhere to go or you’re not really impressed with watching the ceremony on your puny 70″ flat screen TV, step out into the world. The Bijou (Free; 7:00 PM) and The Englert (Free, $10 Suggested Donation; 6:00 PM) will be having viewing parties. Both will have red carpet activities, while the Englert will also have a silent auction and prizes for those who come dressed to the nines or as their favorite character from one of the nominated films. This year’s ceremony should be exciting as there are a number of excellent films/actors up for nominations. I’m hoping Natalie Portman wins for Black Swan, but I’ll have to wait until Sunday to find out like the rest of you.
When I started thinking about writing this, I thought it was going to be a slow weekend in these parts. As the final result shows, I was totally wrong. Go have some fun and get rowdy somewhere. Peace out and have a totally dope weekend!
~LV
Want to see your events here? Email weekender@littlevillagemag.com with the details.
