Jordan Feliz joins with for KING & COUNTRY to headline the Powerlight Fest on the Lincoln stage at the Illinois State Fair on Sunday. As we wind our way through the second Thursday of the Illinois State Fair, let’s see what we can find to do at the fair and otherwise. Fair enough? With the […]
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
More than fair
Copper Canyon plays cool country at The Shed, 2 p.m., on Friday, August 12 at the Illinois State Fair. Here comes the Illinois State Fair, ready or not. Not long ago, many wondered if the fair would even happen with all the state budget nonsense but never fear, folks, the fair is here. Due to […]
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The Cell Phones
Rolling in from Chicagoland to promote their sophomore release, No, out this fall on No Trend Records, this “extreme pop power” trio stakes claim to playing “aggressive rock and roll with a precision and intensity not often heard outside of the metal genre” and makes good on said claim. On a Midwest run through Wisconsin, […]
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The Legacy Theatre comes of age
Wendy Hayward, Susan Collier, Nick Williams, Judy Denton and Scott Richardson on the steps of the Legacy Theatre. PHOTO BY TOM IRWIN Five years after local theater mainstay Scott Richardson quipped to friends, “I bought a theater. Won’t this be fun!” the Legacy Theatre is alive and well. Thriving under the watchful care of Richardson, […]
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August music awes
Turnpike Troubadours detour into Boondocks on Friday, August 5. After the super summer so far, you might think we’d be slowing down a bit but things look to be charging full speed ahead into those august days of August. Onward into the music, my friends. I’m proud to announce two special gigs I have this […]
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Sally Barris
Sally Barris PHOTO BY ADAM FREHM A Minnesota native, this class act singer and songwriter moved to Nashville many years ago and carved out a comfortable niche as a personality, performer and writer. With her songs covered by the likes of Martina McBride, Lee Ann Womack, Trisha Yearwood and Kathy Mattea, as well as being […]
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Downhome and doings
Ayo Abitogun and HISO music groups play Wet Bar in downtown Springfield on Friday night. Ready or not, here comes the last weekend in July 2016, jam-packed with all kinds of cool music events to make the time fly by even faster. The sixth annual Downhome Music, Beer and Art Festival held at Seventh and […]
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Kelsey Hickman
From her days as a teenage singer fronting Still Kickin’, the popular Midwest band based out of Springfield, Kelsey Hickman seemed poised for stardom. After Still Kickin’ split in 2013, Kelsey did what many aspiring country singers before her have done and headed for the bright lights of Music City, USA, Nashville, Tenn. After a […]
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Hot dang music
Ashley Riley plays at 3 p.m. on Saturday in downtown Springfield for WUIS Bedrock 66 Live! during the Bacon Throwdown. Is it hot enough for you? If I hear that phrase one more time … Anyway, onward to the music, please. In the parade of weekend festivals that comes each July in our community, the […]
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Reed Turchi & The Caterwauls
Native of the Asheville, North Carolina, Swannanoa Valley area, Reed Turchi grew up playing boogie-woogie blues piano, became infatuated with the slide guitar sounds of Northern Mississippi and just kept going into blues, rock and soul. From 2012 until 2014, his group Turchi rocked the blues world with solid releases plus hard touring in the […]
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Bright, shiny music
Gin Palace Jesters go honky tonkin’ at Bar None on Friday, July 15, 9 p.m. The future sure looks bright, but maybe not bright enough to wear shades, as Pat McDonald once informed us. Did you know Timbuk3, Pat’s duo with his then-wife plus a tape player (they did that memorable hit song) played one […]
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Rockin’ Johnny Burgin & Aki Kumar
Rockin’ Johnny Burgin & Aki Kumar A true dynamic duo, Rockin’ Johnny Burgin and Aki Kumar come ready to play at the weekly Blue Monday jam hosted by our Illinois Central Blues Club. Johnny has graced us before with his peculiarly wonderful, expressionistic way of doing real Chicago blues. Now he brings along his pal […]
