Alright! From the March issue of MRR (#322 — available here), here’s an A+ scene report from southern Illinois. We wanna know about your scene too! Send text and photos to webzine {at} maximumrocknroll(.)com, and please include photo credits and links for the bands you mention. No scene left behind!
Ray Suburbia here with the good word from Carbondale. I’ve been lazy, busy, sleepy, drunk, and too bored to write a new one of these lately. It’s much easier to do drugs in the woods than bike to the library and type while weirdos jerk off using hand sanitizer next to you. But luckily for all of you I’ve gotten over my faux-apathy (and fear of strange semen) and have come to spread the gospel of true small town DIY punk rock.
Conniption Fitts
Mother Nature and bad business acumen have worked together to close two of the three reliable show bars in town. The Hangar 9 closed because the roof collapsed under the weight of a crazy ice storm. Booby’s Beergarden (which in the past had been very, very kind to the punks) ran itself into the ground. Not surprising since it was pretty much a front for an incarcerated, convicted child molester. Giving out $100 dollar guarantees every night was awesome for all of us booking and playing shows this past year, but man, was that a stupid idea for a bar to do. Seriously, it’s like a David Lynch small town around here. There also haven’t been any shows at the Big Muddy IMC space for a long while since the cops starting busting every show. We can thank the kids that fucking advertised a “rave” at the space. Once again, stupid humans ruining it all. The only upside to these closings is that more and more shows and kids have been forced to move to houses.
Lost Cross house (photo by Patrick Houdek)
Along the lines of houses, Lost Cross is still going strong. We’ve got the new housemates John, Wally, and Shawn to thank for that. When Tim moved to Chicago to get married (and I got burnt the fuck out of living there) they stepped up, moved in and have helped keep it thriving. Shows constantly. You can get a hold of them directly through the mail (407 W. Elm, Carbondale, IL, 62901). The Swamp has been having about a million shows a week lately. They tend to have shows that lean towards the noisier/experimental/prog elements of DIY music. It’s not really my scene, so I don’t tend to go to a lot of their shows. But it’s fucking awesome that they’re giving up their house for strangers and friends. I know they have a MySpace, so you can get a hold of them there. The Skihouse has been having the odd show every now and then (maybe once every couple of months). The shows there tend to be more of an event, due to the sporadic nature. Lots of random faces. Their shows are more of the indie punk variety, and are pretty eclectic, actually. It’s a great venue: huge basement with high ceilings and a great sound system. Hopefully they can have more shows regularly. The only reliable bar that does punk shows right now is PK’s. They have them mostly Thursday through Saturday nights, but occasional weekday shows as well. It’s nice cause it’s a local townie bar that doesn’t charge cover (but still pays bands), and is pretty much barren of collegiate douchebaggery. I’ve heard that there’s a restaurant in town that’s starting to do shows, but I’m not too sure what the deal is. No one I’ve known personally has done anything there. Maybe next time I’ll have more on that. Read the rest of this entry »
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