Alison Neubauer
Jrn 400 lab
3rd beat article
828


Faint sounds of fast guitars, thunderous bass, thrashing drums, and a clamor of voices conversing or singing to their favorite songs seep up and out through the walls of the white house at 700 Illinois St. in Urbana. Through the weathered wooden cellar doors at the back of the house, down the creaky wooden stairs, a crowd of fans enjoy live bands in a small, intimate basement. Andrew Hajduch hosts punk shows here regularly, once every month.
The Copyrights from Carbondale, IL, who are currently signed to Red Scare Records, are returning to Hajduch’s this year to headline the upcoming show on April 24th. The Knock Down from New York, The Kobanes from the Chicago suburbs, Teenage Martians from Champaign and Kid Tim from Champaign form the rest of the lineup. The show costs $5 and doors are at 9 p.m. Fans of all ages are looking forward to another entertaining night.
“That show is going to be awesome. They did that last year too,” said Chris Li, junior at the University of Illinois. Li has attended almost every show at Hajduch’s since he began hosting shows in 2007.
Andrew Hajduch, a senior at the University of Illinois, uses his basement as a venue for local and some national punk bands. When looking for a house to rent, Hajduch said that he specifically looked for a house that had a suitable basement for his bands to practice in and to hold shows in.
“House shows are fun. I like picking the bands that play. I like to pick bands that I like, bands that I’m friends with, bands that I want to see and bands that I want to play with,” said Hajduch. According to Hajduch, the shows are for fun and to promote the bands.
“I try to keep the genre consistent. Punk shows. Mostly local, sometimes out of town,” said Hajduch.
Tim Janis, guitarist for local band Dizzy Chair Time, acoustic guitarist for his local solo project, Kid Tim, and senior at the University of Illinois, plays shows in Hajduch’s basement and likes the laid back atmosphere. He said that he likes having the chance to play with new bands and that it’s fun making new friends.
“I like Andrew’s place because there’s always something interesting going on, whether it’s that someone lost their porn or there’s a big fight,” said Janis. “There’s not a bunch of dick bags telling you when to play, what to play or where to play.”
In comparison to a larger more traditional venue, Li said that in Hajduch’s basement the sound quality is worse and there’s barely any space or ventilation but that’s the fun part. It’s a bunch of friends getting together, playing music and making inside jokes.
“It’s hilarious,” said Li, laughing. “You don’t get that at a large venue.”
According to Li, the biggest difference is that at Hajduch’s, people don’t have huge egos, it’s just friends.
“There’s a big difference between going to a Green Day concert with a bunch of 12 year old kids and their moms and going to Andrew’s and getting beer spilled all over me,” said Li.
There’s not much space to move, people scream to hear each other, it’s so cramped that the sweat on you isn’t just your own, somebody lights a cigarette as another stumbles through the crowd, beer in hand. Hajduch quit smoking and doesn’t sell liquor at these shows but he doesn’t mind what people do. He said that there are basically no rules.
Hajduch said that the shows usually last from 10 p.m. until 1 or 2 a.m. and an average of 50 or more people come in and out throughout the night. The cops haven’t been called yet this year, the neighbors and roommates don’t mind, according to Hajduch.
“It’s not like it’s going all night,” said Hajduch. “One roommate stays in his room the whole time, but they don’t complain.”
Hajduch, band members, and friends walk around town posting handmade flyers on coffee shops and venues. They also post announcements on Myspace and opening bands.com to get the word out about the next show.
By hosting these shows, Hajduch is not only able to promote bands that he likes or that he’s friends with but he’s also able to promote the four bands he is currently in. Those bands are Dizzy Chair Time, Fourth Grade Rats, Social Defiance and Teenage Martians. He said that he will continue to play in bands after college and keep music as a hobby but isn’t sure he wants to book bands for a living. Right now, Hajduch is the only person in the area who hosts these types of shows regularly.
“Andrew’s house is a big part of the Champaign-Urbana scene. Bands come to play and have fun and that’s something you need in a budding music scene,” said Janis.


Sources
Andrew Hajduch
Ahajdu2@illinois.edu
847-3617573

Tim Janis
Tjanis2@illinois.edu
847-609-7582

Chris Li
Cli20@illinois.edu
973-420-8243