The Emerald Underground As witnessed above, this is definitely the busiest band in Celtic show business during the St. Patrick’s Day celebrations in Springfield. 2016 marks the 15th year in the existence of The Emerald Underground concept and experience. 2016 also marks the second year the lineup of Megan Turner (fiddle, vocals), Bill McKenzie (bass, […]
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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March music is on
Off the Wall celebrates Steve Marvel’s birthday at Crow’s Mill Pub, Friday, Mar. 4. Photo by Scott Hammann, Clear Focus Photography. Here comes the first weekend in March of 2016, and it’s in like a lion with music happenings. Start your weekend on Thursday with a visit to The Alamo where Mary Jo Curry and […]
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Dan Baird & Homemade Sin
Original lead singer, songwriter and rhythm guitarist of popular 80s roots-rock band The Georgia Satellites (Yes, the “Keep your hands to yourself” guys), Dan Baird is a fixture in American roots-rock music. After the official disbanding of The Georgia Satellites in the 90s, Baird did successful solo work with Rick Rubin of Def American and […]
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Open those mics
Among the many open mics in town, John Brillhart and Geoff Ryan host one every Tuesday at George Rank’s. What a lovely time of year, as the winter winds down with flurries of fury but mostly hints of hello to the warm weather to come. This week let’s look at those famed and ridiculed open […]
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Ben Bedford
Ben Bedford A stalwart on the local scene while playing folk music on regional, national and international levels, Springfield-based singer-songwriter Ben Bedford writes songs and sings them for folks. The Chatham native has toured in Scotland, England, Western Europe plus New Berlin, Kansas, Idaho, Michigan and other points across the country, making friends and music […]
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Nature’s friends
Vern LaGesse, executive director of Friends of Sangamon Valley. PHOTO BY PATRICK YEAGLE Wherever you are right now, odds are the world surrounding you is made of human-designed objects. With a stretch of the imagination, perhaps this world can become one of nature, filled with acres of prairie, woods and wetlands, inhabited by creatures of […]
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Music goings on
Melanie Delaney comes from Iowa way to play George Ranks on Sun., from 7 to 10 p.m. In the new record category, folk-based singer-songwriter Ben Bedford launched a Kickstarter project last week to fund his latest recording. The album, The Pilot and the Flying Machine, was recorded live in early January in the sanctuary of […]
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Fun DMC
Take the cover band concept of playing popular songs and combine it with a DJ-style song mashup to make an “oddly entertaining blend of musical alchemy”, and there you have the design behind Fun DMC. Combined artists include Journey and Metallica, Nelly and The Bee Gees, Run-D.M.C. and Avril Lavigne, Usher and Michael Jackson, LMFAO […]
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Americana attack
Hot Club of Cowtown performs for the Bedrock 66 Live! concert series on Sat., Feb. 13 at Casey’s Pub with Burr Oak String Band opening at 8 p.m. As we thaw through a snowy and cold week of February, live music keeps coming on hot and heavy to warm your bones and melt your mind. […]
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Old Smoke Band with Trina Madonia
Coming from nearby Bloomington to celebrate Old Abe’s birthday, Old Smoke Band invited Springfield’s own Trina Madonia to sing some lead and background vocals for the occasion. Starting out in 2013 as a duo called The Armadillo Brothers, the two soon grew into the Americana fivesome of Adam Humphreys (guitar, vocals), Jeremy Myers (guitar, vocals), […]
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Music losses and gains
Old Salt Union plays with Sunshine Daydream on Thursday Feb. 4 at Bar None. This week finds us celebrating various ends of the music spectrum. As usual, if you want to do it, there is plenty to do. Let’s begin with the life of Riley; Mark, to be exact. Area musician Mark Riley, 67, passed […]
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Dan Hubbard
Dan Hubbard Known to Springfield fans as a headline performer at SOHO festival pasts, as well as other venues with his band The Humadors, Dan Hubbard is on a brand new adventure and invites you to come along. Now playing as a solo artist, in 2015 Hubbard recorded an album of a lifetime with Ken […]
