There are plenty of reasons to hold a concert in Lawrence, but MondayâÂÂs Campitronicon is the rare event to have cosmic significance.

The outdoor gathering centers around the Leonid meteor shower, which takes place each November. And this time, thereâÂÂs a musical bent to the proceedings.

âÂÂLast year we had 40 or 50 people out there, and that just spread essentially through word of mouth,â says Shelby Thomas, organizer of Campitronicon.

âÂÂIt wasnâÂÂt like we did a lot of planning for it. But last year the meteors were just awesome. And this year theyâÂÂre supposed to be even better, so we just decided to try and encourage as many people as possible to get out there. We thought having a really cool band would make it that much cooler.âÂÂ

Enter singer/guitarist Andrew Connor and drummer Richard Gintowt of Lawrence indie rock faves Ghosty. The pair will perform an acoustic set of their bandâÂÂs material beginning at 10 p.m.

Thomas says this isnâÂÂt the only act, just the scheduled musical entertainment.

âÂÂPeople are encouraged to bring an instrument to jam, a la Winfield,â he says. âÂÂWeâÂÂd love to have people perform.âÂÂ

Thomas, a KU senior, first got involved with the Leonid spectacle in 2000.

âÂÂBack then I wanted to go watch the meteor shower because I really like to camp in the winter,â he recalls. âÂÂSo I just started calling it CampitroniconÃi¿½” even though it really doesnâÂÂt mean anything. This is the third one. The first year it started there were probably 10-15 people.âÂÂ

According to NASAâÂÂs Web site, âÂÂLeonid meteor storms happen when Earth plows through clouds of dusty debris shed by comet 55/P Tempel-Tuttle.âÂÂ

The first cloud will be at the pinnacle of visibility in Lawrence around 10:30 p.m. Monday. The second, more intensive flurry will occur six hours later at 4:30 a.m. Tuesday.

âÂÂThis will be the last meteor storm of more than 1,000 meteors per hour of our lifetime,â adds Thomas. âÂÂIâÂÂll probably do it again next year. It would be nice if it kind of spirals out of my control and people just start showing up on their own … ThereâÂÂs plenty of room out there.âÂÂ

Directions to the spot where the participants will assemble can be found at ljworld/leonid.com. Also, people can e-mail campitronicon3@hotmail.com for map information.

Pack up the House

House of Blues, the nationâÂÂs premier corporate booking agency, has broken ties with its Lawrence outlet.

Word is that a decision was made in part because a House of Blues concert venue was not presently based in the area, and there were no plans to open one. The organization chose not to renew its contract after it expired with Lawrence HOB proprietor Jeff Fortier.

The longtime local promoter sold/franchised his independent agency Avalanche Productions to HOB in January 2001. Fortier is currently promoting shows through his own company Renegade Productions. But he is also still involved in partnership deals with HOB regarding larger concert tours.

Fortier has no official comment on whether he will continue his ties with either organization or even remain based in Lawrence.

Making waves

As those lovable âÂÂ60s radicals used to beseech, âÂÂDonâÂÂt trust anyone over 30.â Luckily KJHK 90.7 FM has three years left of counter-culture credibility.

The student radio station is celebrating its 27th year on the air with a party Monday night at The Bottleneck. Seattle act Pedro the Lion will perform, joined by fellow indie touring bands Seldom and Scientific.

âÂÂWeâÂÂve put more of an emphasis on getting the staff out, and to have it be more of a party than it has in the past,â says Peter Berard, KJHKâÂÂs development director. âÂÂOften itâÂÂs been more about the show than it is the party, and weâÂÂre hoping to reverse that. We want people to come out and see Pedro, of course, but weâÂÂre hoping it will be more about KJHK.âÂÂ

The station launched its initial broadcast on Oct. 16, 1975, with a format of Top 40 hits. Only four months later, a listener survey prompted KJHK to alter its concept and cater to a more underground audience.

âÂÂOur very first role is to expose people to music that they havenâÂÂt heard before Ãi¿½” music they donâÂÂt have the opportunity to hear anywhere else,â Berard maintains.

Tickets are $10 to MondayâÂÂs birthday bash, and admission is open to all ages. The first act takes the stage at 9 p.m. As usual, the staff will be giving away CDs and other promotional items. Most of the proceeds from the event will benefit the station.

âÂÂItâÂÂs going to be a great show,â Berard says. âÂÂIf youâÂÂre a fan of KJHK, then definitely come out. Also we encourage students to come out. We try to bring as many students into our organization as possible. There are lots of jobs available, and weâÂÂre always looking for new people.âÂÂ