Singer-Songwriter Collective shines spotlight on local artists

Todd Durnill is a passionate man. For two and a half years, he and co-founder Jeff Arrigo have crafted the Champaign-Urbana Singer-Songwriter Collective from an off shoot of the UIMC (Urbana Independent Media Collective) into an organization that has brought over 50 artists to audiences they might never have found on their own. Just ask John Coppess, who has performed nearly eighty-two times this year alone. Coppess attributes his success to the Collective’s practice of having the members play in front of each other to gain confidence and constructive criticism, two necessities for any musician  to perform in front of strangers.  The audience at the Clark Bar, which has been the Collective’s venue of choice since its inception, provides that group of strangers.The Collective started out as a side project of Durnill’s at the UIMC, an organization dedicated to the proliferation and exposure of local artists. It’s also an organization Durnill insisted that students and locals alike should check out. Going back to the group's origins, Durnill was a part of the UIMC’s show committee. He came up with  an idea where the UIMC would host different showcases every Wednesday night. The first night would be singer-songwriters, the next comedians, and so on. Unfortunately the only night that seemed to be working out was the singer-songwriter night, where Todd met Jeff Arrigo. Jeff had moved from Columbia, Missouri which in his own words had a “booming music scene”.  In Columbia, Jeff had been a part of a song circle, which is a way for musicians to meet each other. Naturally he wanted to continue this process in Champaign-Urbana. This desire led him to the UIMC and Durnill, who was engaged in a meeting about the showcase nights. Jeff proposed the idea of the song circle to Durnill, which got the “train running”. Eventually, what had started as a simple song circle turned into a full-fledged organization complete with shows and a designated venue.Today, the Collective holds its meetings the first Tuesday of every month at the Clark Bar. They are free and open to all musicians. Their meetings still share a bit in common with their song circle origins. They simply discuss songs and song ideas. The real meat for strangers is the shows on the other Tuesdays of the month. The collectives shows can have any thing from the country rock styling’s of Eric Strubinger, to the acoustic garage rock of Gnu Kung Fu. The Collective also holds a number of other shows around the local area, including a riveting set of Johnny Cash covers at the Rose Bowl last weekend. In a slight change from the norm, the Collective also held the show in Normal. This change is indicative of Durnill’s plan for the Collective. He is currently working with a variety of similar organizations in other towns in an effort to expand the Collective, an effort which Durnill expressed confidence in.This coming Tuesday the Collective is showcasing John Coppess and The Rustic Sun at the Clark Bar. Coppess is an avid fan of the old style of country and cowboy music, where the bands were just as much cowboys as the ones they sang about. Mr.Coppas certainly fits that description, his friendly deep voice and distinctive ten gallon hat are his most immediate characteristics. He cites many legendary artists of the country scene like Roger Miller, and Johnny Cash as influences on his many songs. So if that sounds interesting come and check out the Clark Bar this Tuesday at 7, enjoy a legal drink, talk with Todd (he’s the most enthusiastic guy there), and most of all enjoy the music.

For a full list of shows see our shows calendar.