“(What’s So Funny ’Bout)
Peace, Love and Understanding?” — the Nick Lowe-penned
New Wave classic popularized by Elvis Costello circa 1982 —
was meant as a jab at punks picking on the happy hippie culture of
the ’60s.
The song title takes on a whole new meaning
when area comics Mark Morfey, Ken Junior, Greg Larson, Abdul, and
Kevin Patterson serve as the source of amusement for this
weekend’s Contact Ministries benefit at the Funny Bone Comedy
Club. Proceeds from the event, named the “Christmas Carnival
of Comedy,” go to the needy during the 2005 Yuletide season.
Bring a new, unwrapped toy and a canned good
and receive $3 off the price of admission.
Back in the fall of 2004, musician Mike
Burnett decided to use his and his friends’ music to help out
local children with cancer. With a little organizational acumen on
the part of studio owner Ric “Skippy” Major, Burnett
began getting the people and sounds together to make it happen.
Soon musicians were popping in and out of Major’s Middle
Option Music studio, recording songs and dropping off previously
recorded material for inclusion on the upcoming benefit CD.
In a matter of weeks, the process was
complete, with several area bands and individual artists
contributing to the project, including Debbie Ross, the Groove
Daddies, Micah Walk, the Oohs, Eva Hunter, Jill Manning, the Station, and others. After many
months spent locating funding for the pressing of the disc, Burnett
finally realized his dream last May.
Now, how is all of this connected, you ask?
Well, Burnett decided to give the proceeds from the CD sales to
Contact Ministries and let them distribute the funds as needed
throughout the community. The disc, titled For the Smallest Angels, is
on sale this weekend at the Christmas Carnival of Comedy.
Aha! Now it all begins to come together: Live
local comedians onstage and recorded area musicians on CD, hosted
by the Funny Bone Comedy Club, all for the good cause of
helping out the less fortunate anytime the need arises but
especially during the holiday season.
You know, what really is so funny about
peace, love, and understanding? It helps to have some hard cold
cash to spread that good stuff around.
The Funny Bone Comedy Club (2937 W. White
Oaks Dr., 217-391-5653) presents Contact Ministries’
“Christmas Carnival of Comedy” at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m.
Friday, Aug. 5, and 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 6. The fundraising CD, For the Smallest Angels, is available at Recycled Records (625 E. Adams
St., 217-522-5122) and Contact Ministries (1100 E. Adams St.,
217-753-3939).
Music Notes
Hey there, roots rock fans, our gal pal Rosie Flores
makes a central Illinois appearance at the fabulous Decatur Celebration
(217-423-4222, www.decaturcelebration.com) on Friday and Saturday nights,
Aug. 5-6. Oh yeah, they’ve got some other bands playing over there,
too.
What, you’ve never heard
of Stoney LaRue and the Organic Boogie Band? Come now, it’s high time
you did. SLOBB comes from the so-called Red Dirt music movement in the
Stillwater, Okla., area that begot other bands like Cross Canadian Ragweed,
Jason Boland & the Stragglers, and the original Red Dirt Rangers. LaRue
just released his first solo album, appropriately titled the Red Dirt Album and makes a stop
at Turasky’s Steakhouse and Saloon in Dawson on Friday, Aug. 5.
Call them a super-group of
central Illinois jazz all-stars if you will, but just remember members of
The Odyssey are all still in college — except for bassist Tommy Good,
the youngster of the group, who is a senior at Pleasant Plains High. The
other members of the jazz quartet — Zach Radwine, piano, A.J. Good,
trumpet and fluegel horn, and Josh Fox, drums — are studying music at
different Midwest universities. The fledgling musicians met while still in
high school doing stints with Jane Hartman’s LLCC jazz group, Stolen
Moments. Weather permitting, they’ll be improvising jazz from 6-9
p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9, on the patio at Cheddar’s Casual Café (3151 Horizon Dr., 525-3820).
Come, welcome Micah Walk back
to town on Saturday, Aug. 6, when the wandering one returns to Norb
Andy’s (518 Capitol Ave., 523-7777) for a 10 p.m.-1 a.m. show. The
singer-songwriter traveled most of the summer in all directions, playing
miscellaneous coffeehouse gigs and assorted barroom functions.
Before the Bottle Rockets take
the stage at Underground City Tavern on Saturday, light up your life with
the Smoldering Punks from 7-9 p.m. at Sun’s Up Koffee Kafe (1001 N.
First St., 522-5348). Led by singer-songwriter John Brillhart, graced by
guitarist Michael Sullivan, and driven by percussionist Jose Santiago, the
group promises plenty of acoustic indoor fireworks to complement the
rockin’ Rockets later show.
This article appears in Aug 4-10, 2005.
