Tom Irwin

Tree frogs croakin’, fireflies flittin’ and June bugs jivin’ are all sure signs that the natural world is headed toward the summer season. All signs in our live performance world also point in the same direction with outdoor gigs galore in store for you and all who choose to join in the seasonal fare. And […]

Let’s take a walk (don’t run) through our upcoming entertainment adventures for this week in the capital city. It’s time to stop and smell the roses as we enjoy all the enticing excitement available for partaking if you make the choice to participate. So off we go to see what’s out there. Thursdays are on […]

As the merry month of May comes to a close this weekend, we can look back on a fast-moving, extraordinary time of live music experiences. Heading into June and the summer season next week, our regular outdoor venues are in full swing while festivals, fairs, fish fries, homecomings, burgoos, farmers markets and various celebrations of […]

Mayday, mayday! Look out, folks, it’s already Memorial Day weekend with summer time fun just around the corner, over the hill and down the block, with a stop off at Aunt Martha’s house to see Cousin Fred first. However you slice or dice it, cut or shut it, it’s here so here we go. From […]

Hello and welcome to another edition of Now Playing, your weekly Illinois Times excursion into the music scene surrounding us. The month of May is definitely not a “maybe” this year, as we warm up in a big way to the summer season. Let’s take a walk in the garden and see what’s popping this […]

As our month of May heats up (barely) we’re digging into those outdoor gigs (as weather permits) and looking toward what’s ahead this week in our community music scene. We have some interesting Thursday action happening including the famous 70s Scottish rock band Nazareth – with founding members still on board, plus the addition of […]

Join me in saying so long to anxious and unusual April and hello to the very, merry month of May. We’re certainly hoping and expecting more consistency as the weather turns toward the summer season, but as we know – who knows? So let’s go take a walk down music lane and see what we […]

As we wind up our last weekend in April for live music adventures, the weather looks good as outdoor events are on the rise. I also see several concerts happening of varying genres, plus a slew of regulars playing up a storm along with a variety of styles at various venues as the Springfield scene […]

With this warmer than usual weather, we’re seeing early bloomers of outdoor shows ever so slightly. It won’t be long before all the patios, gardens and decks are full of live music at the appropriate venues around town. Let’s see what’s in store for this upcoming warm and maybe wet weekend. Thursdays open our scheduled […]

For some reason things feel like they’re moving rapidly right now as we are set up to get into the second full weekend in April already. Time marches on and I guess we just have to keep up with the beat and follow on through to the other side. And, of course, enjoy the many […]

Hello everyone to the month of April and all the music therein. We missed making an April Fool’s Day issue by one day, so no fooling, we’re going to stick to the truth as we see it and report on the happenings going on this Easter weekend and beyond.  Oh boy, do I remember a […]