Bex Marshall comes all the way from London to play the blues at the Walnut Street Winery on Sunday, The Alamo on Monday and Tuesday at Coz’s Pizza & Pub. With one of the strangest weather periods for a Fourth of July weekend that I can remember behind us, we look forward to that good, […]
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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The Suburban Mystics
The Suburban Mystics Formed by friends interested in playing interesting music together, this local Springfield group includes members of such renowned area bands as The Aspect, Mr. Opporknockity, Winky and the Love Buddhas, Daddy$ Money, The LandSharks, The Emerald Underground, The Tongue Puppets and many more. Bandmates Lori McKenzie (vocals, percussion), Bill McKenzie (bass, vocals), […]
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Friend of bees
Arvin attaches a rubber band to hold pieces of honey comb to a hive frame during a recent feral bee removal. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE As Arvin Pierce and I pull up to a house in Virden and step out of his small red pickup truck, a young boy cowers near the back steps. He […]
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July music is here
The “Watch Them Burn” tour heats up Thirdbase Sports Bar on Friday night with The Convalescence, plus Nethersphere, Dedwayte and Green Messiah. PHOTO BY RACHEL WILLIAMS Happy upcoming Fourth of July! When America’s Independence Day lands on a Monday, many folks receive a generous gift of a three-day weekend and maybe more. Those of us […]
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The Dead Hands
The Dead Hands PHOTO BY JENNIFER LUBBS These Chicago guys got a good start in the business by winning WGN’s Breakthrough Band competition in 2014 with their first single, “Grind Your Teeth.” After spending 2015 promoting and playing the latest release, Shiny Things, the guys headed back into the studio last February to start on […]
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June bugs me
The Blue Eyed Bettys play the Paris-Belle House on Friday, June 24. PHOTO BY SILVERMORE PHOTOGRAPHY Well, June doesn’t really bug me, except it’s one of my favorite months and goes by so quickly. Plus, I wanted to get a June bug reference in since I haven’t seen many in 2016. Now, let’s get on […]
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Joel DaSilva & the Midnight Howl
Joel DaSilva & the Midnight Howl Using Chicago and Florida as home bases, this traveling, genre-hopping roots rocker is calling the road home these last few months. Fresh from an Alamo Blue Monday show, Joel and the boys made a run to Canada last Sunday and now are working back south. With Joel manning the […]
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June jams
Bones Jugs play Bar None on Thursday, June 16, at 8 p.m. PHOTO BY SNK PHOTOGRAPHY Welcome to mid-June in central Illinois. The weather is heating up along with the music scene, save for the occasional thundershower that washes out a performance. Here comes the Sangamon County Fair with plenty of hot, modern country in […]
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New City Road
photo courtesy of Scott Hammann / Clear Focus Photography Named after a blacktop south of town heading out to the country through New City, this band is like family to each other and plays to the crowd with the dedication and closeness of relatives. With the active stage presence and powerful lead vocals of the […]
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Music blooms in June
The Suburban Mystics host a BassBerg pre-party, Sat., June 11, 6 to 10 p.m. at The Curve Inn. What wonderful weather we’ve been blessed with this week. Let’s hope the atmospheric conditions continue for a bit to get us through the wonderful music we’ve been given as well. The weekend brings along a couple of […]
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John Byrne Band
John Byrne Band Born in Dublin, Ireland, and now living in Philadelphia, Penn., John Byrne takes Celtic and American music of folk origins and keeps it alive by continuing musical traditions while making it all sound fresh through original songwriting and covers of the old songs. Playing a mix of self-penned compositions and interpretations of […]
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SOHO and so much more
Good Times and Company play SOHO Music Festival, 3 p.m. Sat., June 4 on the Main Stage. This week, music brings the SOHO Music Festival to downtown. There are also a few other big-time happenings, a bunch of cool regular stuff and a grievous occasion. We are so sad to tell of the passing of […]
