1:15 p.m.-I was going to go see Loaded, The Velvet Underground tribute band at Canopy Club at 1:30 p.m., but a scheduled interview with Glenn Kotche of Wilco got pushed back to now. I missed it.

2:30-My former roommate texts me to tell me his T.A.’s band, Post-Historic, is playing to three people at Canopy Club. Sorry guys, and best of luck.

3:30-Made it over to The Canopy Club to catch Zmick’s performance. This is my third time seeing the band, and while they are better than when I saw them at Summer Camp, they are still very hit-or-miss for me.

I think what makes this show interesting is the reduced drum kit they are using. The band say that since they are not playing a full set, the drummer only brought a snare, a high hat and one cymbal. The second song, a loping country one, is the highlight of the set, short and sweet, with just the right amount of jamming.

That cannot be said for their last song, which is about seven minutes too long. Before going into it, they say that “this could take up the rest of the set.” They were right, and it was a shame to waste half their set with this song. The song went nowhere, and it just made me want to listen to Phish’s “Ya Mar” five times in a row.

9:00-Titus Andronicus starts its set in The Void Room of The Canopy Club. While I understand the reasoning for putting the band on such a small stage (they are extremely up-and-coming, with their first record, the excellent “The Airing of Grievances” coming out this year), it seems like the band is constrained. There is so much movement, it looks like the stage is going to collapse (nobody needs a repeat of last night though). It doesn’t though, and the band plays on, as hard as it wants.

The problem is, their music doesn’t translate as well live as it does to record. Lead singer Patrick Stickles’ voice sounds fine, and even revealing on their album, but live, he is tone deaf. It almost seems like he is trying to make his voice sound affected, when it would be so much better to sing naturally.

Then there is the music. On record, there are dynamics, as the band shifts modes from abrasive punk to anthemic folk to anything else they feel like doing. That doesn’t come off live. Instead, their sound is reduced to a two-chord slash for just about every song, with only two dynamics: loud and soft. There is no middle, rarely a build, it was just an explosion and a whisper (let me add though, that is great one or two times. A whole set of it, though, is bad news).

I went into this show with high hopes, because I really love the record. But the band’s live show is so basic, it strips the power away from their songs (which, for a debut album, are fantastic). The first few songs are great, because I am not sick of the formula. Then about 15 minutes in, it gets to be a bit tedious. Thirty minutes in makes it worse. Fifty minutes in was when I said enough.

The band has potential, but they need to follow what ever recorded muse they have in order to make their live show work.

12 a.m.-Black Mountain starts on the main stage.The band’s 50 minute performance can be summed up in one word: drone.

And it is a mighty drone, with a lot going on. The band’s psychedelic hard rock is intricate, booming and melodic all at the same time. The bass and drum groove is powerful but never in the way of the organ and guitar parts. It is remeniscent of the trippiest moments of Deep Purple and Black Sabbath.

The band’s drone lasts the whole time, and while energy is as high it could be for a show like this (the band began their set with “Stormy High” from their new album “In the Future”, and it is one of their fastest songs. Still, it is by no means fast), the band seems to lose all but the most hardcore of their fans during the middle of their set. While the show is massive-sounding, the drone continues on, and even this reporter’s girlfriend falls asleep during it (to be fair, she was tired, and the music can be monotonous. That is not a bad thing, but it does help put someone to sleep).

Black Mountain are effective though. They take everything Wolfmother tries to do and they make it into good music. It is heavy, trippy, and loud. I close my eyes during the organ solos, and even without any “enhancement,” the colors swirl in my mind.

The one thing this show is missing was a psychedelic light show. Instead, the band opts to perform on a stage illuminated most by a light in the drummer’s kick drum. It sets the mood well, but that light show would put this show over the top. Oh well, maybe next time.

1 a.m.-Back to The Void Room to catch The Hood Internet. It has been a long week, and an even longer two days, and by this time, I am exhausted. Still, this DJ duo is able to hold my interest for a little while. The group specializes in mash-ups, and some of them work well.

It doesn’t take long for the small crowd to dance, and once they start, they don’t stop. There are even a few crowd surfers (which is peculiar to see in a room that small).

The group is doing interesting enough work, and some mashups work better than others. Still, it is hard for me in my mind to not compare them to Girl Talk, who in my mind, does the mashup (or whatever Gregg Gillis wants to call his work) in a more original fashion. Every song just makes me think how much better Girl Talk would have done it.

I end up leaving around 1:30, hearing a mashup between a song I do not recognize and Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” (I know, I’m really specific). The crowd is still going strong, and good for them. As for me, I will return tomorrow, but I need to recharge.

So the rain finally let up as Face and I were driving back into the parking area.

We got back in time to collect our bearings, and to catch a little bit of The Vessel on the Camping Stage. They were…annoying. Just about everything I hate in a band. Meandering jams, annoying vocals…and nothing special (Yes, I do realize I am at Summer Camp, and I should like jam bands, but good jam bands do not have meandering jams. They go places).

Zmick fans march towards the “Camping Stage” at the Summer Camp Festival in Chillicothe, Ill., to see the band. -Aaron Facemire

After that Urbana’s Zmick came on the same stage. I know these guys have talent, but their set was subpar. I have no doubt they have talent, but they do not use it in the right way. A good band does not merely copy, and there are already too many Phish in the sea.

Finally came the Chicago Afrobeat Project. Face and I photographed the band, and we were both impressed. For a bunch of people from the Midwest, these people knew how to play Afrobeat quite well. The drums had swinging tempos, the guitar was choppy and the horns were plentiful. The band is, in my eyes, currently the best thing that will relate to anything Fela Kuti did. They have talent.

I was able to sit down (more like stand up) and interview a few members of the band as well. That is forthcoming. Stay tuned…