Tom Irwin

Yes, my friends, the time has come when Springfield once again plays host to the Illinois State Fair. For those of us who grew up in the area and have gone to the fair from childhood, many of our experiences were connected to live music. Definitely for me and most of my friends and family, […]

There’s something special about live, local music in August. Maybe it’s the end-of-summer feeling creeping in or the upcoming excitement of the State Fair extravaganza. Then again, maybe it’s just my imagination, but this month has always been the busiest for me as a working musician and for many others as well. Let’s take a […]

The next fella who asks, “Is it hot enough for you?” should get sent straight to Arizona or Texas. That mythical place referenced in certain religions could also be a suitable destination. But seriously, folks, it is supposed to be scorching by the time this comes out, so be careful, stay “hello-drated” and get out […]

Come on in and make yourself comfortable while we take a look at some musical happenings in the area during this waning part of July. Off we go to visit two big music festivals just outside Springfield this weekend, one tried-and-true and the other fairly new. First, the Chatham Jaycees present another Sweet Corn Festival […]

If there ever was a time of contrast in weather and circumstances, the last two weekends make for a good study. From power outages and high heat to lovely temps and a return to normalcy, we had it all. I daresay, what’s in store for this week? Let’s take a moment to look ahead for […]

Well, “wow” is all I can say for starters. My column from last week was nearly a wash, mostly because of storm-related cancellations. I’m not really sure what gigs happened and what didn’t at this point. Let’s be thankful for the good help done getting things back to whatever normal is and move on to […]

Join in the fun as we slide from June to July this weekend, then slip on toward the Fourth of July, combining the holiday and the aforementioned weekend into one long whoop-de-do of whatnot and wherevers. And wonder of wonders, live music, per usual, leads the way and becomes the bond that ties all the […]

We could say there’s much, much more music in June and be just fine with that. I’m not kidding folks, the scene is overflowing with all kinds of music in all kinds of places everywhere you look. So let’s go take a look at this wealth of entertainment that sits before us. Instead of going […]

Welcome one and all to our live music roundup in the Springfield area. We’ve got happy times, sad news and plenty of stuff in between, so let’s take a look at what’s happening. First off, we’ve got a singer-songwriter coming into his last days of a Kickstarter campaign as Stuart Smith is in the crowdfunding […]

Here we are rolling the old chariot along through June with a plethora of interesting and exciting music endeavors to fill your entertainment cup to overflowing. A little of this and a lot of that makes for a fine assortment in the upcoming weekend of live music, so let’s do the old look-see and find […]

A blast of June music NOW PLAYING | Tom Irwin Hello to June of 20 and 23 as the sixth month of the year is coming in hot, weather-wise and otherwise. With outdoor temps more akin to late summertime, things certainly feel like we’ve jumped into the fire, and the schedule of music happenings is […]