DIY Weekend: A Recap of Two Underground Shows in the C-U

 It was an exciting weekend for the punk scene here in Champaign-Urbana this past weekend, with not only one, but two underground shows happening!Saturday night featured a classic emulation of the DIY ethic: a house show. If you have yet to experience the intimacy and camaraderie that comes with watching live bands perform in a basement, then so far you've missed out. At this particular event, six bands from across not only state borders but international ones convened in the basement of U of I junior Gabe Kuhlman's house (a.k.a. Dingbat Dungeon) to take part in a little bit of controlled chaos.2194 and Life in Vacuum (below) were first to take the cramped corner of the basement that serves as the stage. The two bands, who were touring together, were late additions to the show, but nonetheless made the night even still more interesting. 2194 hailed from Michigan and, equipped with thorough pedal boards and over-sized cabinets, did nothing but amaze. They delivered an all-over-the-place performance reminiscent of post-punk acts like At the Drive-In and Refused. Life In Vacuum was especially exciting to see; they had played Black Sheep in Springfield back in June 2012, and it was heartwarming to see that they were still around. The trio, although based in Waterloo, Ontario, features two brothers that grew up in the Ukraine. Their set included touches here and there of math rock and post-punk, much like 2194, but with their own Canadian twist.If you are interested in seeing Life in Vacuum perform, they will actually be stopping through Champaign again on January 18, 2014 at Error Records with Enta and Scowler. You can find the event page for that show here. Slam Dinner, which in fact was playing its first show, took the stage next. This group is brand new and yet to even have a presence on the internet, but features myself and two Allenites: Adam Sidor and Mitch Baker, who you may recognize from his radio show "Live and DIY". The three have apparently been "relentlessly overtaking Allen Hall's drum room" in preparation for this very show, and it must have paid off quite well! To an audience which also included several of their neighbors in the notorious dormitory, Slam Dinner played a quick yet much enjoyed four song set of sad boy songs. Hopefully you will see these three play another show sometime before the semester is out.Los Assparados followed and caused instant chaos. With Sam Cronenberg at the microphone, right in the crowd's faces as he referred to himself and his bandmates as "Jack Black and the White Stripes" before weeding out the Miley Cyrus fans among the audience, the fairly new and local hardcore punk outfit would not allow anyone to stand still. In fact, not everyone walked away from their set unscathed, a few retreating to the upstairs of the house to attend to some minor injuries. Despite that, however, Los Assparados' quirky and energetic stage presence were a treat.Los Assparados will soon be playing a show with Bookmobile at Mike 'n' Molly's this Saturday, and the event page for that show is here. The show will also feature a Bad Catman reunion.The Valenteens, who were midway through a weekend mini-tour about the Midwest, opted to go next despite being the headlining event of the show. The band, a pop punk trio from the 312, features Vince Aguilar of Horrible Things fame on guitar and vocals, a group you may have recognized from various shows around the C-U area. They played a brief, loud, yet utterly fantastic 8-song set that featured selections from both of their current releases on tape before relinquishing the stage over to the final act of the evening.Bookmobile (left), a staple of the C-U punk scene, and notably the group that took on the role of The Cure for the Halloween Cover Shows at Error Records, had before them what seemed like a lenghty setlist written out by their feets. However, for those haven't seen the group perform, hardly would you expect their songs to be the 30-second bursts of pure unadulterated punk rock that they were. After singing a few numbers about Mother's Day and not liking you, Bookmobile said their final goodbyes and exited stage left as quickly as they had arrived. However, with one underground show in the books, the weekend still was not over. Sunday featured a first by my own eyes: a dorm-room acoustic show. About twenty or so Allenites crowded in to the Matty P.Atio, the name given to Matty Paluszak's room in 3 North. The lineup included acoustic performances from myself, Matty, Mitch Baker, and a touring folk punk act from New Lenox called Amy Bruce Spaceshow. For about an hour of annoying neighbors, the collective of attendees took part in snacks, laughs, and acoustic merriment, all in guerrilla fashion, as none of the RA's were notified.Keep your eyes peeled for more underground excitement in the C-U! The normal trend is to come across a couple house shows or even guerrilla shows (shows occurring at impromptu locations, such as parking garages or tunnels) each month.