How many “r’s” in your “brrrr” this week? Well, it’s too cold to count them so let’s just be thrilled and chilled to the bone that the upcoming weekend and forthcoming week will be much, much warmer. While we’re waiting to thaw out, let’s see what’s on the books for live music. Thursdays are still […]
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
Valentine’s week music
Hey, there, won’t you “be my valentine” for the time being or at least until this column is over? Now, let’s take a peek at the goings on that are going on, the happenings happening and all the whatevers we can find wherever they are and make plans to go experience them. Thursdays are at […]
Posted inMusic
February music arrives
Here we go into our first full February weekend and it looks like a well-played hand with plenty of bands, if you understand the lay of the land. Don’t ask me why we’re rhyming stuff here, but you can ask me what’s going on in live music this weekend and I’ll do my best to […]
Posted inMusic
Friday Night Live
Well, we’re not having any cold weather discussions this week in our music column, so all excuses, pretensions and collateral damage are off the table as we finish up our January and move into February. The where and when is mostly what we’re concerned about, because we already know the why is because that’s what […]
Posted inMusic
More music warmups
I started last week’s column with a nod to the chilly weather, but this week it’s downright frigid, to put it nicely. The good news is both last weekend and the upcoming one brings a warmup just in time for all the live music action. Let’s go scrape the frost from the music listings and […]
Posted inMusic
Music heats up
“Brrrrrr and boooo,” says the little guy inside me. And you know what, he’s right, though we did get a break from the cold stuff in time to somewhat enjoy last weekend. This upcoming one gives us Friday and Saturday with considerably higher temps, hopefully tempting you to live a little with some live music. […]
Posted inMusic
January music doings
Here’s to all that holiday Happy New Year hodgepodge being gone and moving on to the regular music-making we do here in Now Playing land. We’re past the sizable snowfall earlier this week while anticipating a wee warmup just in time to make a break for live music doings this weekend. Let’s have a little […]
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2025 music is here
Yeah, I feel the same way as you do. How the heck did it get to be 2025 already? The last thing I remember was going to concerts promoted by Len Trumper at the Armory, and the next thing here we are fixing up the Armory, and it’s 50 years later. Oh well, all I […]
Posted inSpecial Issues
BILL EVANS July 29, 1939-Oct. 15, 2024
Have guitar, will play, could perhaps be the calling card of Bill “Mr. Machine Gun” Evans, one of the Springfield area’s most renowned, respected and revered guitarists ever to pick on those six strings. William J. Evans was born in Topeka, Illinois, and along with his lifetime pursuit of music-making, worked at Springfield Memorial Hospital […]
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Betwixt holidays and NYE
As far as entertainment factor times go, having Christmas on a Wednesday works very well to get the holiday behind us before the weekend appears, and this year that’s the case. The only problem comes with covering New Year’s Eve in the same issue as that night of all nights pops up next Tuesday. Let’s […]
Posted inMusic
Twas the weekend before Christmas music
Yo, ho, ho (plus another ho) and a bottle of Christmas cheer will get you here, there and nearly everywhere this weekend as we wind our way through the Yuletide season. With the big day on a Wednesday this year, our upcoming weekend of entertaining entertainment opportunities has been left unscathed from the actual celebrated […]
Posted inMusic
December-ing music
Hello, fellow music appreciators and participators, who are perhaps currently all decked out with lovely to-do lists accompanied by less and less time to accomplish said lists. As we approach mid-December, I invite you to join me in experiencing the wonders of the season as seen through our Springfield music scene and forget about those […]
