Music - Tom Irwin | Thursday, May 16,2013

From Perkins to Presney

John Michael Presney spent the better part of the last two years on the road in the first national touring production of the Tony award-winning musical Million Dollar Quartet portraying the “fat

Music - Tom Irwin | Thursday, May 9,2013

This Momma’s Boy is blessed

By Tom Irwin

Within the burgeoning Springfield music scene bubbles a wonderful and creative world of hip-hop and rap music that thrives on talent and expression. As the national music direction goes, so goes the f

Music - Tom Irwin | Thursday, May 2,2013

20 years of the FTQ

By Tom Irwin

Oh, how we love to measure time, indeed, we live by that desire, but that’s the human way of observing and commemorating movement through our lives. Important events in our travels are designate

Music - Tom Irwin | Thursday, April 25,2013

Kirwan, Foster and Lincoln

By Tom Irwin

What do the songs “Oh! Susanna,” “Camptown Races” (“doo-dah, doo-dah”) and “Old Folks at Home” (“… way down upon the Swanee River”) a

Music - Tom Irwin | Thursday, April 18,2013

Heil, high and hi-fi

By Tom Irwin

During a recent conversation with Illinois Times blogger Scott Faingold, I mentioned that National Record Store Day coincided with what has become national “weed” day (Huffington Post has

Music - Tom Irwin | Thursday, April 11,2013

Marina V’s magical music tour

A performer’s journey from Moscow to Springfield and beyond

By Tom Irwin

What separates the dreamers and schemers of the world from the believers and achievers? Some say hard work and some say circumstance, but most would think it’s a fair amount of both that make th

Music - Tom Irwin | Thursday, April 11,2013

Drum Fest 2013

By Tom Irwin

Back in 2010 for the debut of Drum Fest, I started out with a few typical drummer jokes such as “What do you call someone who hangs around with musicians? A drummer.” And a beauty like thi

Music - Tom Irwin | Thursday, April 4,2013

No fooling April

By Tom Irwin

If last Monday someone tried to pull an April Fool’s joke on me by talking about the quality and variety of upcoming live music this month, I think I’d wholeheartedly felt foolish and fell

Music - Tom Irwin | Thursday, March 28,2013

The sounds of spring

By Tom Irwin

Oh, I can close my eyes and hear those wonderful sounds of music played out-of-doors as the weather breaks and spring returns to take us into summer. I hear rock bands outside in beer gardens, festiva

Music - Tom Irwin | Thursday, March 21,2013

The music calling

By Tom Irwin

After this wonderfully busy, gig-a-day week (with two on Friday and three on Saturday), including venues from first grade classrooms to high class social clubs, barrooms full of temporary drunken sail