Over the past year or so, Torch Tuesday at Bar None has steadily transformed from a rap-oriented open mic night into a varied and exciting place for all elements of hip-hop culture — not just MCs and DJs but poets, visual artists, photographers, fashion designers, and more –to gather and find expression. There’s a lot […]
Scott Faingold
Scott Faingold is a journalist, educator and musician. He has been director of student media at University of Illinois Springfield, founding editor of Activator magazine, a staff reporter for Illinois Times and co-host of Old School Bleep, a music-centered podcast.
Posted inArts & Culture
Sensorium
In a 1981 case study conducted at the University of Kansas, researchers described the experiences of a woman with the neurological condition called chromesthesia, which caused her to experience sound as a visual color experience as well as an auditory sensation. Chromesthetics describe every sound they hear as triggering a simultaneous visual component. It is […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Pharmacy Guest Artist: Heather Brammeier
This is the fourth in a series of posts leading up to this evening’s (Saturday, March 9) group exhibit of work by members of local art collective The Pharmacy. Installation Sketch 1 by Heather Brammeier It’s basically a painting in space, says Heather Brammeier of the installation work she plans to show at tonight’s Pharmacy […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Pharmacy Member Artist: Jeff Williams
This is the third in a series of posts leading up to tomorrow’s (March 9) group exhibit of work by members of local art collective The Pharmacy. Last August, I had the privilege of interviewing post-punk musician, artist, bicyclist, Springfield icon and Pharmacy member Jeff Williams for an Illinois Times cover story, which you can […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Comedy Tonight!
No Name Comix Illinois, like so many great ideas, came into existence out of necessity. There were no places in Springfield to get stage time, says comedian, founder and First Thursday Comedy Showcase host Derek Bennet. We were having to drive for everything. The other thing was, everywhere we went we saw these really hilarious […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Foreign Flick Fix
It has been a long winter, perhaps even more so for Springfield’s fans of independent, foreign and other ‘art house’ cinema. Outside of the ongoing noble efforts of the Springfield Art Association’s Molly Schlich Film Series – acclaimed Japanese drama I Wish screens this Sunday and Tuesday – AMC’s always minimal booking of non-blockbuster titles […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Pharmacy: Member Artist Rachel Jennings
“Glowing, Them All” by Rachel Jennings This is the second in a series of posts leading up to the Saturday March 9 group exhibit of work by members of local art collective The Pharmacy. “This is my first experience out of school,” enthuses Pharmacy member Rachel Jennings, who graduated from U of I in Champaign […]
Posted inArts & Culture
The Pharmacy: Member Artist Philip Ackerman
“Laura Coffey” by Philip Ackerman This is the first in a series of posts leading up to the Saturday March 9 group exhibit of work by members of local art collective The Pharmacy. Philip Ackerman co-founded the group back in 2011, and his distinctive work both in watercolor portraiture and tile mosaic have been touchstones […]
Posted inArts & Culture
TONIGHT: Torch Tuesday Concert Series at BarNone
This week marks the return of the Torch Tuesday hip-hop concert series, featuring a local favorite, a consummate up-and-comer and a visitor from up North. Headlining the show is Black Steel (a.k.a. Young Twizz). “I wouldn’t call it gangsta rap, but he raps about his experiences and what he has witnessed, so there’s stuff about […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Group Exhibit at the Pharmacy this Saturday!
Thrice each year, the artists of local grass roots collective The Pharmacy put their best work on display for all to see. All four of the previous exhibitions have been watershed events, brimming with stimulating images and textures, virtually vibrating with enthusiasm. This excitement doesn’t just come from the artists proudly showing their most recent […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Feet first
Midway through the filming of Jump In, director Kimberly Conner of Springfield faced a day of personal reckoning. “We were on day five of a 10-day shoot,” she recalls. “My emotions were basically everywhere, I was facing my greatest fears.” It had become clear that the tightly budgeted film was going to require several more […]
Posted inNews
Housing with Hope
“I love this palace,” beams Joann, sitting on a flower-patterned couch as mid-morning sunlight floods her one-bedroom apartment. A Spongebob Squarepants episode plays muted in the background. She happily explains it is her canary’s favorite show. “Where I used to live, I had a lot of trouble, people picked on me over there and pushed […]
