From his hometown of Augusta, Ga., Eric Lee Beddingfield has scaled the heights of country music stardom to play on the Grand Ole Opry, plus record with George Jones and Dolly Parton, while sharing the stage with many of the big names in the industry. Originally heading for a career in football when a college […]
Tom Irwin
Tom Irwin, a sixth-generation Sangamon County resident, has played his songs and music for nearly 40 years in the central Illinois area with occasional forays across the country. He's contributed to Illinois Times since 2000 by writing Now Playing, a weekly music column, as well as features stories and other articles. He resides on the Irwin family farm in rural Pleasant Plains.
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Talking with Todd
I just had the best time visiting with Todd Snider on the phone. I’ve always heard he was a nice guy and he even wrote a song called “Alright Guy” that made number one on the country charts. Now I know for sure he’s cool as can be and getting along quite well. Even though […]
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Cabin Fever
In 2005 this hardworking, easy-playing quintet of Zach Johnson (vocals, harmonica), Mike Eck (vocals, guitar), Danny Sronce (vocals, guitar), Geoff Ryan (electric bass) and Justin Schmidt (percussion, banjo) joined together to play true blues, country- and folk-based music in the Americana genre. With songs ranging from freshly penned originals to deep-rooted traditionals and covering artists […]
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Elvis by the numbers
As I prepare to research Elvis Presley and numbers, what better snack than one of the King’s favorite repasts. According to one of the many Internet sites on everything-about-Elvis, the recipe is as follows: Peanut butter and banana sandwich3 tablespoons peanut butter2 slices light bread1 banana, mashed2 tablespoons margarine, meltedMix soft peanut butter and mashed […]
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Robert Sampson & Blues Gumbo
Not just another blues band, this group of seasoned area musicians comes together to play music bringing decades of experience in performance, perseverance and practice. With Jacksonville resident Robert Sampson (vocals, songwriter, keyboards, saxophone, guitar, harmonica) leading the way through his spirited performances and multi-instrumentalist capabilities, Blues Gumbo consists of Lorrie Eden (vocals), Art Carey […]
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New Year’s news
Wow, I feel like one of those people saying, “Wow, it’s New Year’s already? I thought we just celebrated the last one.” Or something akin to that exclamation of realization and regret, surprise and sentimentality that mingles into conversation as our society approaches a commemoration of the invented calendar year beginning again. I also feel […]
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Frank Trompeter Quintet
Saxophonist, singer and band leader Frank Trompeter celebrates 200 nights of the Jazz Etc. Happy Hour at Marly’s this Friday. Here’s a breakdown for you math-challenged folks: for the weekly show, take 52 weeks a year rounded off to 50, divided into 200 makes about four years of Friday nights. Figuring about 10 songs an […]
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Holiday music musings
If you want a way to mess up a good weekend for local live music, try putting Christmas Eve on a Saturday night and see what happens. That’s what the calendar gave us for 2011 and the Pub Crawl reflects the effects of that scheduling maneuver. Without a lot of fine entertainment to crow about, […]
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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, conjuring up modern sensibilities within the timeless folk, bluegrass and country idiom. Among a crop of young folks playing old music a new […]
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No Plain Jane
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 everybody has an agenda, often with less than polite means and always with at least a strong purpose of commercial possibilities. […]
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Frank rocks out of town
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 Portland, Ore., in a few weeks. This Friday, Dec. 9, “Frank Rock” plays a fan appreciation and farewell show with the […]
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The Oohs
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 Oohs. Founding members Brian Curtis (keyboards, vocals) and Frank Huston (guitars, vocals) with longtime member Brian Cutright (bass, vocals), plus current drummer Tom […]
