Band Spotlight | Thursday, December 15,2011

The Farewell Drifters

This Nashville-based band comes on with feet and fingers, music and minds in several generations. Members of the Farewell Drifters, born in the 80s and 90s, reach into the past for inspiration, conjur

Music - Tom Irwin | Thursday, December 15,2011

No Plain Jane

By Tom Irwin

When I first saw Nora Jane Struthers she was standing around at a Folk Alliance conference in Memphis, Tenn., in February of 2010, passing out promo EPs of her upcoming CD. At those get-togethers ever

Band Spotlight | Thursday, December 8,2011

The Oohs

By Tom Irwin

From the extraordinary and challenging cover song choices to the brilliant, self-penned power pop pieces, no other rock band in Springfield has ever come close to achieving the sonic reality of the Oo

Music - Tom Irwin | Thursday, December 8,2011

Frank rocks out of town

By Tom Irwin

Whenever area guitar players get mentioned, Frank Huston’s name is sure to come up early in the conversation. Huston, now into his fourth decade of playing music on the local scene, is moving to

Music - Tom Irwin | Thursday, December 1,2011

December goodies

By Tom Irwin

I got started on one thing and that led to another and, before you know it, so many cool things were going on now and through the next week I just had to write about as many as I could. Let’s ch

Band Spotlight | Thursday, December 1,2011

Next of Kinn

By Tom Irwin

Once a band, always a band, former members of Next of Kinn could say. The rocking country, old-fashioned funk and classic rock combo recently re-formed to rekindle the magic from when fans voted the g

Music - Tom Irwin | Wednesday, November 23,2011

Get your thanksgiving on

By Tom Irwin

What with all the thanks givings going on I thought I’d chime in with my two cents worth, which in this economy and adjusting for inflation and all that rot, may not amount to a hill of beans. N

Band Spotlight | Wednesday, November 23,2011

Lyal Strickland

By Tom Irwin

A singer-songwriter with multi-generational farm roots from the Missouri Ozarks, Lyal Strickland brings a staunch sense of stability and well-worn sensitivity to the performance of his self-penned mat

Band Spotlight | Thursday, November 17,2011

The Backliners

By Tom Irwin

Self-described as “Great Rock and Roll!!!,” the Backliners certainly live up to their billing, getting better and better as proven by the growing list of 2012 bookings already in the works

Music - Tom Irwin | Thursday, November 17,2011

On the way to Thanksgiving Eve

By Tom Irwin

Looks like that time is here again, when the biggest party night of the year rolls around on next Wednesday, Thanksgiving Eve. For the last several years I’ve been saying the night before Thanks