David Cain is an artist, and with that title bears the weight of discovering ways to make ends meet both creatively and financially. As the president and chief employee of UMEDIA, his multimedia compa]]> It’s out with the old and in with the new as we hop on board the 2011 train to continue our wondrous trip through time and space. Every civilization develops a calendar of sorts and they all see]]> When it comes to outdoor music festivals in Springfield, only one event supports live, original music with predominantly area talent. The SOHO Music Fest is a treasure chest of up and coming locals, o]]> Untitled Document When the Illinois State Fair comes to town, the local nightlife business changes. With the extra entertainment booked at the fair, the influx of thousands of st]]> Untitled Document Here is a striking example of the incredible and profound talent floating around the universe that occasionally ends up on our doorstep, as three good songwriters st]]> Yes, fair citizens of central Illinois and other creatures making a beeline for the Illinois State Fair, the time is upon us. Once again Springfield buzzes with underlined excitement, all the hotels f]]> What do the songs “Oh! Susanna,” “Camptown Races” (“doo-dah, doo-dah”) and “Old Folks at Home” (“… way down upon the Swanee River”) a]]> 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]]> The blues style of music originated as a form of deep therapy that allowed people to self-proclaim problems through lyric, rhythm and melody in the hopes of dispelling those troubles. The blues is a w]]> When I saw the famous and fantastic band Asleep at the Wheel scheduled to perform at the Kirkland Fine Arts Center of Millikin University in Decatur, that alone seemed to be enough for a ]]> Here we go again with a hodge-podge of happenings. This time of year it’s “all good” as the kids say and apparently there is so much good going on, one subject does not g]]> 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 ]]> With great honor and satisfaction, plus considerable fanfare, let us announce the release of The Blue G’s debut recording. The self-titled CD, almost two years in the making, holds a wonderful a]]> In these days of well-planned careers featuring well-manicured appearances and well-kept personalities, designed by well-managed curators of societal conveniences meant to make all things acceptable, ]]> 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]]> 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]]> According to the group’s Web site, St. Louis-based Field of Grey wants “to bring the rock back to radio and make people think about the world surrounding them wit]]> Hark, is that the sound of the evening's wind blowing across the prairie, or perhaps it's the cacophony of a summer pond? Nay, my friend, it is but the music of the capital city pouring forth in all i]]> Some ancient and deep desire must come forth in the warm weather that forces humans outside to listen to music. Perhaps the old days of dancing around the fire and drumming across the hills linger on ]]> I’m telling you what – I had a whale of a time last Saturday night right here in lovely, downtown Springfield. From first being one of “those guys” not wanting to leave the hou]]>