Come gather 'round sudents
It's almost time to go.
Your schooling's almost over,
Can you believe this is so?
This town looks similar,
But some things sure don't
If you've heard what some folks are sayin'.
Then you best pay attention,
In your last months to go
For this town, it is a changin'.
Come DI and Buzz,
Write this down with your pen,
You need some good subject matter,
It won't come again.
Le Shoppe changed owners,
And Impasta had to go,
For Champaign wasn't where it'd be stayin'.
And Luna expanded,
It's in a depot.
For this town, it is a changin'.
Now the feminist folk
Should be pacified
Cause they have a women's center
With new events inside.
Meanwhile the charities
Learned they had to fight,
For their funding supply was decaying.
And Illini Orange was demolished,
It's now a construction site,
For this campus, it is a-changin'.
PAR has gone trayless,
And Lincoln has too,
And the luxury apartments
Are frighteningly huge.
The co-ops are still insane,
And it's certain that you
Have many options of where you'll be staying!
And the South Quad is sporting
A bell tower that's new.
For the campus, it is a-changin'.
Come down, Alumni
Come and reminisce.
Your obnoxious reflections
Will get us all pissed.
Your good old days are over,
Though it's true they are missed,
But they're a time you won't be regaining.
So let's toast our grads,
And wish them all the best,
For without them, UI will be a-changin'!
--Go Ask Alex
With all apologies to R-Zimmy/Robert Zimmerman/Bob Dylan
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Sunday, February 22, 2009
What's cookin at the Beat Kitchen?
Take some funky grooves, solid strong vocals, a ten-piece band, horns, and a seriously modern twist on classic R&B...
And you have the recipe for the perfect weekend band!
Meet the Beat Kitchen. They're ten folks from Champaign-Urbana (there is also a restaurant in Chytown with that name, but this article isn't about them), and can they play! They play some R&B/funk with some solid, danceable grooves, and their songs get everybody up and dancing. Most of the songs are originals, but they've been known to do a funkified cover or two (think an R&B cover of Radiohead's "Karma Police" for starters!). My friend DoMonique and I went to see them, and their worldbeat co-headliner Mhondoro, a few Saturdays ago. We were in for a fabulous double act, as both groups did not disappoint. They just kept us dancing and singing along, and the crowd in the whole bar, the Iron Post, was on its feet. I've liked R&B for a while now, but this only cemented my love for it. This band really knew how to work a crowd while also staying soulful and emotive. And that singer has a terrific set of pipes! He has a big deep voice, with a wide range for a guy.
The rhythm and blues crowd also knows how to behave, think the manners of the folk crowd mixed with the good exuberance of the rock one. Sure, the Iron Post was crowded and a small venue. But, there was no shoving, moshing, feeling-up when you don't want to be felt up, or creepies being creepy like I've seen at other shows. The fans behave, but that doesn't mean they can't get excited and energized. And their dancing is so much fun. You don't have to know any particular steps or anything, but rather to find your own groove. Some folks were doing West African style dancing to Mhondoro, since that group does have Zimbabwean and Guinea influences, but the rest of us were simply doing what we liked. Our friends Jane and Megan, who are more into social dances with lots of rules and steps (Megan's been known to ballroom and swing dance during punk shows--and pull it off), also could find their groove. It wasn't hard at all.
Only drawback is that the "comfortable" boots we both had on turned out to be not so comfortable after dancing for four hours straight! The bus ride we took to IHOP and then back home provided a welcome opportunity to sit down for once that night! Definitely a fantastic night and show, and one to hopefully be repeated!
And if you would like to cook up some grooves at the Beat Kitchen, hie thee hence to http://www.myspace.com/beatkitchenfunk, and find out when you can see them next!
And you have the recipe for the perfect weekend band!
Meet the Beat Kitchen. They're ten folks from Champaign-Urbana (there is also a restaurant in Chytown with that name, but this article isn't about them), and can they play! They play some R&B/funk with some solid, danceable grooves, and their songs get everybody up and dancing. Most of the songs are originals, but they've been known to do a funkified cover or two (think an R&B cover of Radiohead's "Karma Police" for starters!). My friend DoMonique and I went to see them, and their worldbeat co-headliner Mhondoro, a few Saturdays ago. We were in for a fabulous double act, as both groups did not disappoint. They just kept us dancing and singing along, and the crowd in the whole bar, the Iron Post, was on its feet. I've liked R&B for a while now, but this only cemented my love for it. This band really knew how to work a crowd while also staying soulful and emotive. And that singer has a terrific set of pipes! He has a big deep voice, with a wide range for a guy.
The rhythm and blues crowd also knows how to behave, think the manners of the folk crowd mixed with the good exuberance of the rock one. Sure, the Iron Post was crowded and a small venue. But, there was no shoving, moshing, feeling-up when you don't want to be felt up, or creepies being creepy like I've seen at other shows. The fans behave, but that doesn't mean they can't get excited and energized. And their dancing is so much fun. You don't have to know any particular steps or anything, but rather to find your own groove. Some folks were doing West African style dancing to Mhondoro, since that group does have Zimbabwean and Guinea influences, but the rest of us were simply doing what we liked. Our friends Jane and Megan, who are more into social dances with lots of rules and steps (Megan's been known to ballroom and swing dance during punk shows--and pull it off), also could find their groove. It wasn't hard at all.
Only drawback is that the "comfortable" boots we both had on turned out to be not so comfortable after dancing for four hours straight! The bus ride we took to IHOP and then back home provided a welcome opportunity to sit down for once that night! Definitely a fantastic night and show, and one to hopefully be repeated!
And if you would like to cook up some grooves at the Beat Kitchen, hie thee hence to http://www.myspace.com/beatkitchenfunk, and find out when you can see them next!
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