‘Tis the season to be whatever works for your holidays, but it is most definitely “the season” as ubiquitous decorating, non-stop shopping and most importantly to us, literal live music permeates the landscape with complete abandon. The aforementioned season, as the song says, only comes once a year so let’s get out and see what […]
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.
Posted inMusic
December music arrives
As we dig out from the record snowfall of last weekend while dealing with “adding insult to injury” cold temperatures, those insistent makers of music will continue to plow through all kinds of weather to bring you joy-filled and jolly times here in this first weekend of December. Unfortunately, meteorological conditions mess with our scheduled […]
Posted inMusic Features
Thanks for live music
As we take the time to say thanks for the multitude of blessings in our lives this Thanksgiving, let’s give a shout out to the music-makers that make said lives more interesting, inviting and illuminating while also aiding to avoid those unbearably intolerable times that sometimes come along for the ride. You can best thank […]
Posted inMusic Features
Rolling through November
Oh yeah, it’s true that Thanksgiving is coming up soon and the holiday season is upon us. With that comes lots and lots of extra live music-making in all kinds of ways. Remember that it’s out there, but you have to make the effort to go experience the events. As obvious as that sounds, it […]
Posted inMusic Features
Incoming November music
Look out folks, we’ve got a bunch of stuff happening this week, but then again, we seem to find a ton or two of things to do every time we look for live music in Springfield and the surrounding area. Let’s see what we can find to hear out there in this week’s search. Thursdays […]
Posted inMusic Features
Into November we go
Yes, we’re into November already and I don’t even want to know how many shopping days there are until Christmas. So far, the weather hasn’t quite caught up with the season, but as most of our outdoor-ish gigs are gone with the wind, let’s see what’s left in this live music world. I’d like to […]
Posted inMusic Features
October music wraps up
As we slide into the last full weekend of October, the fests are fading, the outdoor stages are dwindling and next week we run smack dab into November. That means it’s close to the end of the season for our outside entertainment. But as we well know, there ain’t no stopping the music biz around […]
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October music rolls on
Merrily we roll along through the autumnal time of October, experiencing the full effect of unseasonably warm temps with some possibility of much needed rain by Saturday. Hopefully the precipitation will hold off until the outdoor activities are completed but we know how that can end up. Let’s find out what’s on tap. Our first […]
Posted inMusic Features
Mid-October music
As we fall into the autumn season (couldn’t help myself), the weather continues with not particularly fall-like conditions, but most excellent temps for our remaining outdoor activities. Come on along as we experience the wide and wonderful world of our live music community. First, it’s the second Thursday of the month so that means Thursday […]
Posted inMusic Features
October music arrives
Well, hello October, how are things? Good to see you again, and keep up the good work of September, weather wise. The inevitable colder days are just ahead, but since we’re gifted with unseasonably warm weather, let’s get out there for our remaining outdoor shows. Thursdays are still hanging around for now as we see […]
Posted inMusic Features
September music moves along
As we roar on into the last weekend of September for 2025, fall is in the air and live music in the outdoor spaces is slowly coming to a close. For now, let’s enjoy what we have left of the season to the utmost, with almost complete abandon and definitely the most fun we can […]
Posted inMusic Features
Music in the making
Greetings, my fellow tune-sters. We all know how this works with live music in and out, all around, up and down, just about everywhere and anywhere you’d like it to be, so let’s get to searching for what’s out there and when it’s happening. Thursdays start with some downtown action as Third Thursdays Jazz at […]
