Open Mic Night at The Canopy Club

Every Monday is Open Mic night at Urbana’s infamous Canopy Club, and last week was the first time I was able to explore this weird and wonderful exposition of the talents of Urbana-Champaign musicmakers. An eclectic mix of artists performed at the event; rappers, guitarists, and singers of varying ability performed both covers and originals for an audience of friends and Canopy regulars. One of the most mesmerizing acts of the night was a wildly skilled young guitarist named Lenny Seward, introducing himself as a massive fan of the Grateful Dead, and proceeded to bestow us with a breathtaking display of expert technique, gifted composure, and free flowing talent. The seemingly effortless ease and precision with which his fingers speedily slid up and down the instrument, chord after chord without skipping a beat, gave the audience an impression of witnessing a master of his craft. Another highlight of the night was a performance by a member of Pizza FM favorite, Rogue Tendency. MC Rote, describing himself as part of a community of indie, unconventional rappers, was a joy to watch. His furiously paced bars were an interesting combination of clever, hilarious wordplay full of far-reaching references as well as emotionally revealing lyrics that all added up to an act that was extremely memorable and was received very positively by the raving crowd. The host announced around 1 a.m. that the rest of the night was regarded as “The Shitshow,” where Open Mic regulars were given the chance to freestyle, try out new songs for the crowd, and improvise new ideas. A musician went on to impressively throw together a rhythmic cover of Snoop Dogg’s “Gin and Juice” with only a looper pedal and an acoustic guitar. That was followed by a downtempo, soulful rendition of “Stand By Me.” There was a clear sense of familiarity between those left in the audience, as people began going onstage without hesitation. After speaking to a few of the attendees, I was surprised by how many were from the wider C-U community and only came on campus to perform their acts and watch others, some as a hobby and some with professional aspirations. My night ended with a young rapper introduced as a member of local collective OG Tempo. He immediately broke into a set of entirely original songs, performed with the confidence and charisma of a seasoned performer. Equally as impressive, the songs themselves were rhythmically and thematically complex, also being catchy enough to stay in my head for days after.