A Champaign County Community Blog

I was yelling at my Siri the other day, when I thought of Cormac McCarthy.

Not long ago, during the filming of the adaptation of his Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Road, the world-renowned author was asked by the Wall Street Journal, “What kind of things make you worry?”

His reply?

“If you think about some of the things that are being talked about by thoughtful, intelligent scientists, you realize that in 100 years the human race won't even be recognizable. We may indeed be part machine and we may have computers implanted. It's more than theoretically possible to implant a chip in the brain that would contain all the information in all the libraries in the world. As people who have talked about this say, it's just a matter of figuring out the wiring. Now there's a problem you can take to bed with you at night.”

Of course, anybody who knows anything knows that Cormac McCarthy is a big damned sis.

Okay, his novels about Godless, scalp-hungry, death-humping marauders of the West during the glory days of Manifest Destiny, and scorched Earth, cannibal-friendly post-apocalyptic U.S.A. may endear him to some wimps. But leave it to an old fart like Cormac to start whining about newfangled advancements in technology that make our challenged existence ever easier to deal with.

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A month from now, on Tuesday, March 20, 2012, local voters will face the first of two elections that will have a clear opportunity to have a historical impact. In effect, the revolution, previously televised in Madison, Wisconsin last year and by the Occupy movements this year, is coming to town.

Due to our new Illinois Congressional District 13, created by the Democrats’ control of 2010 redistricting, our new local district’s congressional race represents the “best chance” that the State of Illinois can add one more Democratic vote to the House of Representatives, currently controlled by the Republican majority caused by the dismal results of the 2008 elections.

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1. Life With Jack: Remember, Charlie …
2. Life With Jack: The Worst Thing
3. Life With Jack: Balancing Decisions

1. At the Editor’s Desk: Finding Out
2. At the Editor’s Desk: The Leap Day Baby
3. At the Editor’s Desk: Naming Rights

Download this week's podcast here.

In this episode, we talk to Dylan Heath and Jeremiah Stanley* about their talk show "Two Beers with Dylan Heath." We discuss why they decided to start a monthly variety show focused on the local community and who/what has influenced the show. Plus, we delve into the behind-the-scenes aspects of putting on a talk show and the show within a show "Two Beards."

The next Two Beers takes place tomorrow, February 22 at the Iron Post
Featuring the New House Band: The Four Shots
Music: Huck Fate
Comedy: Jason Dockins
Interview: Ben Juday and Ben Hay from Analog Outfitters

In addition to his work with "Two Beers", Jeremiah Stanley is an editor with Smile Politely.

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1. The FatherLoad: Taking One For the Team
2. The FatherLoad: Competition
3. The FatherLoad: An American Father Encountering a Hungry World

1. Champaign-Urbana Area Christmas Tree Collection Info
2. The Ins and Outs of Recycling in Champaign-Urbana

1. Bullying: What Are The Signs?
2. Bullying: When Others Make Your Weight An Issue
3. Safe Kids A Boost for Local Parents, Children

1. Chambana Social Scene: Getting Started On Twitter
2. Chambana Social Scene: Listing Twitter Locals
3. This Valentine’s Day Craft Brought To You By Pinterest

WHAT: "God vs. Gay?: The Religious Case for Equality," Jay Michaelson

WHEN: Monday, February 20 @ 7 p.m.

WHERE: Illini Hillel at Cohen Center For Jewish Life, 503 E. John Street, Champaign

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THIS WEEK’S SPECIAL EVENTS (please see below for year-round  weekly events, announcements, and selected regional events)

WHAT: Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin Film Screening

WHERE: Parkland Community College (Room D-244)

WHEN: Monday, Feb. 20, 11:30 a.m.–1:00 p.m.

Brother Outsider is the definitive film biography of one of the most controversial figures of the Civil Rights Movement. Bayard Rustin was one of the first Freedom Riders, an advisor to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and A. Phillip Randolph, and an organizer of the 1963 March on Washington. Yet Rustin was denied his place in the limelight for one reason: he was gay.

Trailer:

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As was widely reported late last week, and has been known locally for years, the Illini Media Company (IMC) is in dire financial straits. They currently owe at least $250,000 to the News-Gazette (for printing costs) and are late on their mortgage payments. The Daily Illini has been a part of the Champaign-Urbana community for over 141 years. Throughout these years, it has proven a worthy training ground for many great journalists, including Roger Ebert, Hugh Hefner, Will Leitch, and many others who have influenced society and literally changed what journalists can accomplish. So it’s frustrating and disappointing to see such a wonderful, and once financially sound, local institution fall on such hard times.

Some in this community (both alumni and not) have said that The DI, Buzz, and WPGU deserve this. They say the writing is amateurish and hard to read. To which we say, of course it is. It’s a college newspaper; it’s supposed to be a training ground on which future journalists make mistakes and hone their craft. To those of us on the outside, seeing a journalist develop over time, from the poorly written slop of their first articles to informed and well-sourced articles at the end, is actually quite satisfying. So let’s not use the current financial situation as another opportunity to question the consistency of an enterprise that is best served by people who are willing to try, even if they sometimes fail.

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1. Non-Invasive Fibroid Treatment Available at Carle
2. Campus Middle School for Girls: Top 5 Things Students Love About Their School
3. Public School vs. Private School, Round 4: A Winner is Named (Sort of)

FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 17

Student Playwrights Outreach Theatre at Krannert Center, 7 p.m., Free

U of I Women's Gymnastics vs. Michigan St. at Huff Hall, 7 p.m., Free

IHSA Wrestling Finals at Assembly Hall, Fri/Sat various sessions (check website), $50 for all sessions or $10 each

Evening of American Country Dance at Phillips Recreation Center, 8 p.m., $5

Company at the Station Theatre, Fri/Sat 8 p.m., $15

Read Meghan's review here.

The Artist at the Art Theater, Fri 5 & 7:30 p.m., Sat/Sun add'l 2:30 p.m. show, $6.50 before 6 p.m., $9 afterward

Read Jeremiah's review here.

Speed Racer at the Art Theater, 10 p.m., $3

I never watched the show and I've never seen the movie but it's costume month at the Art Theater. There are probably a good deal of avid Speed Racer fans for you to bond and "geek out" with. Cool beans. (JS)

Brazilian Carnival Party, 10:00 p.m.–2:00 a.m.

Radio Maria

Doors: 9:00 p.m., for VIP guests
           10:00 p.m., for general public

Tickets: $5 (VIP); $7 at the door
Age: 19 to enter & 21 to drink

This party is a Masquerade. I’ve never been to a masquerade. They intimidate me. See that awesome girl on the right? I'm just not that whimsical. (TN)

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1. Home for the Holidays? Keep Kids Busy with Winter Break Camps
2. 2012 Champaign-Urbana Valentine’s Day Guide
3. Champaign-Urbana Area Preschool Guide 2012

Spotlight on a Cause:

Wesley Evening Food Pantry

The Wesley Pantry was founded in the fall of 2006 when a growing need for a new food pantry was addressed in our community. The Pantry was chosen to be open during the evening hours to help those in need with daytime obligations. Since then, the Pantry has been able to work with other local organizations to supply food, as well as health and educational materials to pantry-goers. Wesley’s Pantry Night is always the third Thursday evening of each month. New volunteers are asked to go through a brief training the Wednesday night before a Pantry Night. Volunteers help with many aspects of the Pantry. They help patrons “shop” and bag their groceries for them; they restock items in the Pantry, assist people with questions and hand out information, direct traffic, and help folks load items into their vehicles, if needed. Bilingual volunteers, particularly those who speak Spanish, are always needed to help Hispanic Pantry patrons. For more information on the Wesley Evening Food Pantry and its’ services, as well as information on how to donate or get involved, please go to http://wesleypantry.org/.

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1. City Museum in St. Louis Worth The Trip
2. C-U Essential Toolkit: Champaign Public Library
3. Public School vs. Private School, Round 3: A Safe Environment

1. Weekend Planner: Veteran’s Day Edition
2. Weekend Planner: Tempest Edition
3. Weekend Planner: Labor Day Weekend Edition

Download this week's podcast here.

This week on Smile Politely Radio, local comedians Andrew Voris and Jason Dockins join us to talk about the local comedy scene, where there's a lot more going on than you might know about at first glance. This week's show sheds some light on what's funny in Champaign, and we get to chat about open mic nights and the hopes for even more comedic opportunities in Champaign. We also make fun of a local cab service for Andrew arriving to the show ten minutes late, and listen in to the silky smooth sounds of him enjoying hot wings and celery on the air. Pure radio magic.

Smile Politely Radio is available here, but you can look us up on iTunes as well.

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Help support local bicycle advocacy organizations Wednesday night, February 15, by attending a special screening of Bicycle Dreams at the Art Theater. Tickets are $11 in advance (purchase them here) and $15 at the door, and the show begins at 7 p.m. Part of the proceeds will go to such local outfits as Champaign County Bikes. Here's the trailer:

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If you ever need or want to read old agricultural newspapers or magazines, it won't be difficult to do so. The Farm, Field and Fireside collection is a digitized collection of historic U.S. agricultural newspapers and periodicals. It’s one of several digital collections available in the University of Illinois History, Philosophy, and Newspaper Library that anyone with access to a computer can research or read online.

From the Farm, Field and Fireside collection website: “Together with the introduction of rural mail delivery, the telephone, and the automobile, farm newspapers played a key role in the modernization of rural America. The Farm, Field and Fireside collection contains historically significant U.S. farm weeklies published in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.”

One such publication was The Farmer’s Wife, published in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Farmer's Wife provided information on a variety of topics of interest to country women, such as "methods of work" and "practical experience." It also published romantic fiction. Just for fun, I picked a romantic short story (“A Valentine Conspiracy,” by Helen Frances Huntington from the February 1907, edition) and asked local romance novelist Lynn Crandall for her reactions to the story — its artistic merit, whether it stands the test of time, etc.

Crandall, the author of Silver Wings, and her fellow romance writer HiDee Ekstrom at Prairie Hearts (a Central Illinois chapter of Romance Writers of America) offered their thoughts and observations on this 105-year-old story. “A Valentine Conspiracy” is reprinted below, and the reactions from our local romance authors follow.

~~*~~

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WHAT: Engineers' Week kickoff talk by Ed Viesturs, high-altitude climber

WHEN: Monday, February 13 @ 7 p.m.

WHERE: Foellinger Auditorium, 709 S. Mathews Ave., Urbana

From the event announcement: "Ed has summited Mount Everest 7 times, and all 14 of the 8,000 meter peaks, without the help of supplemental oxygen. Back in the United States, Ed has summited Mount Rainier 208 times. Ed has also worked extensively on product development and has help advance the sport of mountaineering. In addition to the aforementioned achievements, Ed won the American Alpine Club's prestigious Sowles Awards in 1992 for his participation in two rescues on K-2, the world's second highest mountain."

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THIS WEEK’S SPECIAL EVENTS (please see below for year-round  weekly events, announcements, and selected regional events)

WHAT: What's UP: LGBTQA Young Adult Social/Support Group

WHERE: The UP Center of Champaign County

WHEN: Monday, Feb. 13, 6:30–7:30 p.m.

What's UP is a group for LGBTQA people aged 18–25 to come together and work out problems, rant, socialize, philosophize, commiserate, speculate, or just plain talk.

For more information, email Bronwyn.

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Sad but true, many traditional Valentine’s Day gifts—flowers, chocolate, and jewelry—involve exploited labor and environmental degradation which can suck the sweetness right out of the holiday. However, this year you have several local options for keeping it sweeter for everyone involved.

Flowers
During the summer, you can get organic flowers picked by workers earning fair wages from the Urbana Market at the Square. But, by February, most of the flowers in the local shops were grown in California, Central and South America, and Europe with pesticides and often picked by workers earning substandard wages.

However, this year you can buy fair trade roses at Common Ground Food Coop in Urbana, as well as forsythia, curly willow, and quince branches from Fleurish in Champaign which sources them from an organic farm in Oregon.

Fair Trade Chocolate
As with coffee, fair trade has historically meant that farmers get a fair price for their products. However, a universally accepted definition of “fair trade” does not exist despite the fact that there a number of organizations providing fair trade certification. Additionally, the cost of certification is out of the reach of many small farmers who are producing under fair trade standards. So what do you do about chocolate, which is often produced at a very high human cost?

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FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 10

Illinois Hockey vs. Lindenwood University at 7:30 p.m., $?

Illini hockey faces off against one of the best teams in the country (25-4 record). The Illini will need two wins this weekend, as well as a little help from other teams if they have any hopes to take the 3rd spot in the CSCHL standings before the league tournament. (PS)

The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, Fri–Sat, 7:30 p.m.; Sun, 3:00 p.m.

Kranner Center, Studio Theater

This play is wonderful. Please see our review here. Highly recommended. (TN)

Stephen Sondheim's Company, Fri–Sun, 8:00 p.m.

The Station Theatre

Please see Meghan Whelan's review here.

You can watch the trailer here. (TN)

Class It Up, the After Party, 8:00–11:00 p.m.

Emerald City Lounge

The party doesn't end after Class it UP 2 has concluded. Emerald City is hosting a fundraiser for the UP Center of Champaing County. All Sales of the “Ruby Cocktail” will be donated at 100% directly to the UP Center.

The Ruby Cocktail is a vodka cocktail to be mixed and sold only for this event! Larger poster image (TN)

Withershins, Sequoia, Hot Cops & New Ruins, 9:00 p.m.–2:00 a.m.

Mike ‘N Molly’s

Withershins will be playing songs off of their forthcoming Silver Cities.

Chicago’s Sequoia has recently recorded Couple Two Tree at Great Western Record Recorders in 2011.

I’m not familiar with this new (to me) genre called “slop-rock,” but from what I've heard, Hot Cops has mastered it and it’s supposedly best enjoyed live.

New Ruins is awesome. That’s all that needs to be said. (TN)

Mike & Kayla at JT's, 9:00 p.m.–12:30 a.m.

JT Walker's Restaurant & Sports Bar

Get there early if you want a table, and prepare yourself for a "crazy evening." (TN)

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Download or listen to this week's podcast here.

This week on Smile Politely Radio, Jason sits down with local political blogger Eric Bussel to discuss the upcoming race for the State Senate seat in the 52nd district, currently held by Mike Frerichs. In what was shaping up to be a 2-way race for the Republican spot on the ballot, Champaign County board member Alan Nudo withdrew his candidacy from the Republican primary. The developments leading up to Nudo's decision provide the opportunity to discuss Champaign's unique political climate, and a little bit about "what might have been" on the Republican side of the race.

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Download this week's podcast here.

In honor of Restaurant Week, we are joined for this episode by SP food writers Susanna Kline and Seth Fein. We talk about the ever changing landscape for local cuisine, focusing on new restaurants in Champaign. We discuss all the changes in Champaign’s north downtown area, plus we the buzz over Maize and Meatheads.

(Photos by Justine Bursoni)

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A couple years ago I watched Wayne Coyne from The Flaming Lips hug EPA Administrator Lisa Jackson with his psychedelically proportioned, giant foam hands—one of many freak props familiar to anyone who has seen The Lips in the last ten years.

It was a free Earth Day concert on the lawn of the National Mall. Perhaps the event represented less of a demonstration of mass conscientiousness, and more of an opportunity for people to openly drink wine and smoke weed on federal property, while watching “Lighting Strikes The Postman” jammed out in front of The Capitol. Regardless, it was part of a time not long ago when we saw citizens, media, and elected officials (none of whom are exclusive from the other two) more engaged in the discussion about what is happening to our environment, what it means, and what to do about it.

Now, in this election year, “green” is largely out of style. And while that was inevitable in the context of pop culture, it is particularly frustrating to see the lack of discourse happening on the national political level regarding climate change, pollution, and other problems of epochal consequence. What is said by those vying to move into, or maintain residence at, our White House only makes shit worse.

First, it’s my understanding that every time Newt Gingrich speaks, his jowl-heated, tail pipe-flavored breath travels north and melts a giant, Newt-head sized chunk of ice from a glacier. Weirdly, that happens whether he is speaking about the perils of climate change, or not. (Plus, let’s not forget that the man talks almost constantly, making his volume of pollution competitive to a coal-fired power plant in China—or West Virginia.) Additionally, I have heard that every time President Obama promises to expand off shore drilling an oil executive gets his wings. That executive then uses his new wings to fly to northern Alaska and urinate on, and thus thaw out, the Arctic permafrost. It’s how billionaires in the energy sector mark their territory.

Of course, Ron Paul thinks the EPA limits our liberty to shit away the planet; Mitt Romney doesn’t understand what the North Pole is, because it isn’t a living, breathing corporation; and Rick Santorum hears the word “pole” and thinks “gay” (because deep down in his bigoted heart he is), and therefore considers it an abomination.

And that, folks, is what we are offered for leadership regarding the condition of our ever more polluted, adulterated, and exploited planet. In one corner—our habitually compromising, corporate-influenced, centrist president, who continues to attempt a handshake with a party who only shows him one finger in return.

In the other corner, we have status quo humpers, who think strictly in fiscal quarters, poll numbers, and days ‘til The Rapture, The Return, or whichever End of Days cop out they've chosen to replace real concern about maintaining our one and only world. (Okay, so Newt poses some long-term thinking with his ambitious ideas of building a base on the moon. It is almost like he is saying when you get tired of and wear out one world, you should be able to just ditch it and move on to another. Huh.)

So, for the rest of the year we will get none of the necessary and deserving discussion of climate change, sustainability, and the environment from Cable TV or anyone running for president. A lot of that is because so many of us are poor, unemployed, and freaked out.

It is unfortunate, but understandable. If your legs suddenly catch fire, you may momentarily forget that you have heart disease. Sure.

However, we are all able to check our A.D.D. and take influence from more than just the major mass message entities in our society. We can sustain the dump truck of marketing that tells us what to talk about at the dinner table, and still stay informed about the critical issues that may focus group poorly and generate less ad revenue.

Listen, I am just as easily distracted as the next American. (I have even taken three breaks during this piece to watch clips of The Kelly Family, do some push ups, and make sure no one posted drunken pictures of me on Facebook.) I’m not going to pretend that I have quit my day job to join the Occupy Movement, and I know that somewhere in Vermont there are undergrad volunteers for Bill McKibben that get more done by 9:00 a.m. than I will by May.

But if our elected officials, and want-to-be elected officials, won’t talk about what is happening to the planet, we sure as Santorum better.

Let’s stay informed. Stay pissed. Stay engaged.

We can do all of that and still talk about Super Bowl commercials, people we think are hot, and other bullshit. That’s the thing: not being a full-time activist does not mean that you must automatically be apathetic.

Yes, sneak wine into The Flaming Lips show and take pictures that make the Washington Monument look like your penis. Then you can recycle your wine bottle, look around, think about how lucky you are, and bounce ideas off your friends about how to take better care of our mutual home.

Even better, the next morning, you can put one of those ideas into practice. Perhaps call our White House and tell them you think the pee stains all over the melting Arctic are dangerous and unnecessary—or however you choose to phrase it.

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Hey, remember when ethanol and biodiesel seemed like a good idea, and not just a way for scam artists to make a quick buck? Yeah, me too. In 2007, I heard the siren call of the burgeoning boom, and left a fairly stable job at a soybean processing plant in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to join a consulting engineering firm in Champaign. I thought I was getting into a rapidly-growing business at exactly the right time, but in reality, the wheels were already in the process of falling off.

The engineering firm had two biodiesel plant projects in the design phase, a recently-completed design of an ethanol plant in Canton, Illinois, along with several other ethanol and biodiesel projects on the horizon. With all that work happening in a rapidly-expanding industry, what could possibly go wrong?

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On the University of Illinois campus, the gorgeous, historic building Altgeld Hall (1897) — located right behind the iconic Alma Mater statue — contains more than one gem. In addition to the university’s only authentic bell tower, the one-time university library building contains campustown’s central post office, the University Station.

Campustown has only one other, less centrally-located, post office — located on Third and Green: Station A.

The Postal Service is threatening to close both of these stations.

Doing so would leave the entire university community without a way to send mail. The next closest option would be the Urbana Lincoln Square office, which is inconvenient at best. Due to the expense of parking, many students have no cars. Many university employees do not drive to work, and work the same hours the Urbana station is open, making it impossible to use on weekdays.

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Download this week's episode here.

On this episode of SP Radio we talk to Drew Phillips, mandolin player for Big Bluestem Band, and Uncle John (aka John Coleman), the host of WEFT's weekly bluegrass show Old-Time Country Music for New Old-Timers. We discuss the current local string band music scene and the history of local bands. Plus, we play songs from each band performing at the Iron Post this Sunday.

As mentioned above, Big Bluestem will be playing a special show with Ol' 97, Strings Attached and Black Ridge Road on Sunday, January 29 at 5 p.m. at The Iron Post. There will also be drawings and prizes. The donation is $10 with all proceeds benefiting WEFT.

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President Hogan:

In accepting your position here at the University of Illinois, you were no doubt aware of the myriad difficulties that would confront your office. A stagnating economy, a State with long-standing budget issues, a University with insufficient funds and a backlog of needs, and an administration rebuilding on the heels of an administrative scandal. By no means was this position going be without its challenges.

Your experience with turning around other universities that faced financial hardship, like that which the University of Illinois finds itself in presently, was probably a significant factor in offering you the position, and was likely reassuring to many among the administration, staff, and community at large.

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I want Mitt Romney to become president; and I want him to privatize love. I don’t mean the way pimps and Hallmark stores privatize “love.” I am talking about, once and for all, allowing free enterprise to quantify the monetary value of my heart.

Clearly, the current supply of love in the world does not meet demand. (That’s even taking into consideration the potentially market-manipulating love hoarders like Benny Hinn, and Usher.) Therefore, I see an embarrassingly untapped opportunity for profit. And I believe it was the great Milton Freidman who said that neglecting an opportunity for profit was the same as mooning God. Or was that Milton Berle? I forget; maybe Milton Bradley.

Regardless, once we completely map and reverse-engineer the human brain — an epoch which could happen during a Romney two-term presidency — we will be able to thoroughly identify, analyze and track the specific electricity in the mind that is love. Thus, the curtain will be pulled back on this pesky, yet-to-be-monetized force that makes the world go ‘round.

Think of the power the U.S. will have by placing this new product on the market. World economic competition will be turned on its head.

Sorry, India and China. You mostly worship a false God, so your love isn’t genuine and your product is therefore obsolete. Plus, love is the one thing everyone wants even more than shoes and cell phones. So, I believe your emerging superpower dreams will have to be put on ice for a while.

Also, America, Europe, Brazil and other Christian nations will finally be able to stand up to OPEC when we form OLEC.

Sure, it will be strange at first to go to war with some other nation when one, inevitably, has vast reserves of love that it refuses to let the U.S. get in on. (Hinn and Usher will be easily waterboarded, and their love plundered.) However, as a collective American society, we’ll surely approach such weirdness with the same apathy and cynicism we offer to our wars today.

That brings me to the current commander in chief. He’s too busy sipping microbrews and signing defense bills that allow for any citizen to be thrown into prison for the rest of their lives without getting a trail to even think about manning-up and becoming the CEO in chief America needs.

Mitt, who celebrates that U.S. law recognizes corporations as people (unless that corporation is gay), knows that innovations within capitalism are what make a nation strong, make a people great and make a penis hard. I’m confident that he will do away with any foul regulations that stand in the way of the private sector nimbly adapting to create the love market. If we keep a Democrat in the Oval Office, there will no doubt be some social welfare safety net system that gives love stamps to lazy poor people with their hands held out, lowering love’s overall market value.

This world is only going to get faster and stranger. We need someone with the business experience and the smarts to stay lucid, and avoid getting emotional when it comes to the market-matters of the heart. Particularly, we need someone who knows that what matters is how much your heart is worth.

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Leaving work the other day, I walked past a $90,000 sports car — a car that seemed wholly out of place given where I work. It's no Fortune 500 company, and it's not a governor's mansion or high-priced resort either.

But the car was in the “visitor” parking, which somehow made a bit more sense.

While the car caught my eye initially for seeming out of place, the choice of personalized license plate was even more jolting — an homage to the author of Atlas Shrugged and The Fountainhead. 

The combination of the vehicle and the message on the license plate tell us an awful lot about the owner.

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Is storytelling a dying art? Not if you go by the Champaign-Urbana scene, where there are several monthly, annual and one off events that celebrate the art of performing the “written” word in front of an audience. This includes For a Cold Winter's Night: Colder Lines in Colder Times, a storytelling/poetry show that will take place on January 21 at Indi Go Artist Co-op. Many of the best local storytellers will be performing, including Benjamin Matheson, Jamie Marlow and Dan Keding, who all join us in the studio to discuss the event and their work. In just 30 minutes each of them performs one of their works, we talk about the inspiration for writing and we explore the benefits of performing in front of an audience.

More information about For a Cold Winter’s Night: Colder Lines in Colder Times is available here.

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Listen to the podcast here.

On this week's edition of Smile Politely Radio, host Jason Brown sits down with Mathew Green, Katie Baldwin, and Rob Zaleski from the Station Theatre in Urbana. In the midst of the theater's 40th season, the director and crew are preparing for the opening of their next show, Gruesome Playground Injuries, and take time out to discuss the Station's history, the upcoming performance, and the joys and troubles of putting on quality shows without a budget and often without a net.

They'll also discuss what it's like to work in a black box theater, often within arm's reach of the audience. And the conversation was so good, they were gracious enough to have it twice (after a recording snafu by yours truly). The podcast version of the show features an additional 11 minutes of our discussion that didn't fit into Friday's broadcast, so even if you listened in on Friday night, be sure to download the show for the complete conversation.

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On this week's edition of Smile Politely Radio, we are joined by SP Music Editor Ben Valocchi to talk about the year that was in C-U music. In this extra long edition of the show, we are visited in the studio by local bands Mean Lids and Easter. All the while, we play SP's top ten songs of 2011 and lots of others that didn't quite make the list. Plus, we debate why certain genres and bands didn't make our year end list (including some that later got mentioned in the comments section.)

1. Mean Lids talk about their 2011 album Kalyx and what the future holds for the local bluegrass/contra dancing outfit now that one of their members may be relocating.
2. Easter's Kyle Lang discusses some his favorite music, his recording philosophy and why he thinks publicly ranking music is a little silly.
3. Oh and we were supposed to have New Ruins in for an interview, but there was a little miscommunication between us and the band so it didn't work out. But we do play a couple of tracks off of their excellent new album This Life is Not Ours to Keep.

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As mentioned in Chris's article, long-time keepers of the scene and one of the last bastions for indie music shoppers, Parasol Records will be suspending its mail order business and brick & mortar record store operations as of this Saturday, December 17. Last Friday, we had a chance to recollect all the good times and talk about the future of the label side of the business(which will still be going strong) with Jim Kelly, Parasol’s label manager/PR specialist/jack-of-all trades and Lisa Bralts-Kelly, former employee. We discuss the reasons for the change in operations; its impact on local, national and international customers; and everything the business has meant to him and to the community over the years.

The store is currently offering steep discounts on merchandise and will be hosting a Whimper vs. Bang concert next Saturday from noon until whenefer.

The podcast features The Finchley Boys performing "Outcast"  off of their album Garrett Master and concludes with three songs from other upcoming Parasol releases:

• "Lost & Falling" off the album Call Signs by Black Cab
• "Black Cloud Man" off the album High in the Lowlands by Mattias Hellberg
• "Rundowners" off the album Saturday School by Mazes

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This week on Smile Politely Radio, we talk to authors Josh Wild, Laura Adamczyk and Caleb Curtiss about the last Stories & Beer of 2011. Listen to hear an excellent original holiday tale centered around Goodfellas, the joys (or pains) of televangelists being the only thing on late-night television, and a poem about Christ taking a holiday from Christmas. Plus, poet Josh Wild shares a very non-Christmas poem, just in time for the holiday season.
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Welcome back. And thanks for being patient while we packed up for the holidays to take a little breather and redesign our home on the web.

Scroll down. Click around. Some things are different. Others are the same, but look a little sharper.

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