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• Record Store Day and IMC Fest all in one weekend

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Some notes from LM5 before we jump into the massive number of great shows this week. I was right in guessing that a Mongolian clusterfuck would ensue, but who’d have guessed that it would have actually been pretty much everything having to do with the show BUT the music happening onstage. With only about one in 10 crowd members actually paying attention to anything happening around them, it made for interesting times for the presenters, including random people wandering up to the podium and scores of ping-pong balls (certainly the dumbest promo-swag item I’ve ever seen) flying around the room. But when it comes to the performances, it was a pleasant experience. The Jips (mentioned a few times here as winners of the CPD Teen Battle of the Bands) opened the festivities with a solid set of original tunes. Precocious (and shockingly tall) frontman Boston seems fairly comfortable already onstage, and seeing a female bass player (Alex) in a high school band is always awesome but one that plays a five-string with no pick? Fantastic. The best moment, though, may have been when the guitarists swapped instruments (versatility!), with Alex on guitar and taking lead vocals over the concert snare drone (courtesy of Tyler back at the kit) of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit.” It’s nice to see a new band that clearly has influences past the crap that most high schoolers are listening to. You’ll be seeing a lot more of this band. The thing that Jon Hansen lives for all year, his video short, was once again well received and had the crowd rolling following the revealing of Seth Fein as the local equivalent of Ernst Stavro Blofeld (or Dr. Claw for you youngsters). Sunset Stallion and Jonathon Childers went with some interesting cover choices including Tracy Chapman and a nice version of Wilco’s “Handshake Drugs.” Robots Counterfeiting Money and Post Historic chose to take their relationship to another level by performing a fantastically falsetto-laden version of Kelly Clarkson’s “My Life Would Suck Without You,” and Santa and Curb Service did perhaps the most of any of the night’s mashups, performing excellent versions of songs from both bands’ catalogs, along with an incredibly solid cover of Hum’s “Stars.” Zmick didn’t get the memo that people were trying to present things in-between bands (not that anyone was listening anyway), but once they started their proper set, they got the asses shaking with covers from the Beatles and the second version of “Psycho Killer” played at the event. I’m unaware of anyone from Illini Media puking anywhere in the Highdive, and Jon Hansen doesn’t even remember launching into part of the speech from Independence Day at the end of the night, so I’d say we’ll have to consider this one a success.

This Saturday is Record Store Day across the country, so do your part to support your local record stores like Parasol Records, Record Swap and Backbeats. Exile on Main St. in downtown Champaign will be hosting several bands over the course of the day, along with stocking as many of the Record Store Day exclusive releases as possible (check out recordstoreday.com for a list of the limited 7-inches and other items that will be released). The store will open at 10 a.m., and music will kick off at around noon. Artists scheduled to appear include Elsinore (just back from an East Coast tour) and their tourmates, We Landed on the Moon!, along with Curb Service, New Ruins, Common Loon, Post Historic, Stan McConnell (of Santa), DJ Mertz and more. They will all be playing for free (though the store sells releases from all of the acts). There will be free food, too, so how can you go wrong? It’s a pretty cool day, and it’s great to see labels and bands putting in an effort to have releases that only the little guy can get.

IMC Fest is the other huge event for the weekend, running Friday-Sunday and featuring an incredible lineup of bands. For the full schedule and info on all of the festivities, check out imcfest.org. The event is part of the Boneyard Arts Festival and will feature music from bands including Headlights, New Ruins, the Duke of Uke and His Novelty Orchestra, Casados, Elsinore, Santa and a lot more. There will be art from local artists, late-night dance parties, speakers and more. Get your tickets fast.

Another show worth noting is actually happening this evening (Thursday) out at the Parkland Art Gallery. Good Night and Good Morning will bring the downtempo tunes if you bring your ears and eyes. They start at 6 p.m., and the event is free.

Last but not least, the Canopy Club will host Mhondoro Meets Bolokada on Friday from 7:30-9:30 p.m. The group is one of the best in the area to shake your ass to, with contemporary tunes from Zimbabwe and other locales. The show is $5.

—Mike can be reached at forgottenwords@gmail.com