Hello and welcome to another edition of Now Playing, your weekly Illinois Times excursion into the music scene surrounding us. The month of May is definitely not a “maybe” this year, as we warm up in a big way to the summer season. Let’s take a walk in the garden and see what’s popping this […]
Music
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May music plays
As our month of May heats up (barely) we’re digging into those outdoor gigs (as weather permits) and looking toward what’s ahead this week in our community music scene. We have some interesting Thursday action happening including the famous 70s Scottish rock band Nazareth – with founding members still on board, plus the addition of […]
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ISO gets its kicks in a roadworthy finale
With renovations of Sangamon Auditorium on the University of Illinois Springfield campus nearing completion, the May 1 finale of this season is likely to be the last time the Illinois Symphony Orchestra will perform at First United Methodist Church, which has served as home away from home for the orchestra since October 2025. The culmination […]
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Into May music
Join me in saying so long to anxious and unusual April and hello to the very, merry month of May. We’re certainly hoping and expecting more consistency as the weather turns toward the summer season, but as we know – who knows? So let’s go take a walk down music lane and see what we […]
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April ending music
As we wind up our last weekend in April for live music adventures, the weather looks good as outdoor events are on the rise. I also see several concerts happening of varying genres, plus a slew of regulars playing up a storm along with a variety of styles at various venues as the Springfield scene […]
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Get Free Music Series: The art of the squirrel call
Now beginning its third year, the Get Free Music Series is a local showcase for free jazz and other fully-improvised music. Presented by the University of Illinois Springfield’s music program, it provides one of the only local platforms for an exciting, though intrinsically non-commercial, form of music. Performers in the series have ranged from local […]
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Music blooms in April
With this warmer than usual weather, we’re seeing early bloomers of outdoor shows ever so slightly. It won’t be long before all the patios, gardens and decks are full of live music at the appropriate venues around town. Let’s see what’s in store for this upcoming warm and maybe wet weekend. Thursdays open our scheduled […]
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Bring on April music
For some reason things feel like they’re moving rapidly right now as we are set up to get into the second full weekend in April already. Time marches on and I guess we just have to keep up with the beat and follow on through to the other side. And, of course, enjoy the many […]
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Midweek music muster
Hello everyone to the month of April and all the music therein. We missed making an April Fool’s Day issue by one day, so no fooling, we’re going to stick to the truth as we see it and report on the happenings going on this Easter weekend and beyond. Oh boy, do I remember a […]
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Music through March
Here we go into the last weekend of March with weather that to say the least – and I always try to say the least – is still unsettled. But never fear my fellow music aficionados, soon our dreams of beer gardens and wineries, fairs and festivals, backyards and block parties all full of live […]
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March to the music
As we leave behind the recent blast of uninvited, somewhat unexpected and definitely unwanted wintry weather and head into the first day of spring (March 20 at 9:46 a.m. for 2026, astronomically speaking), it won’t be long until we’re full on into our outdoor shows. As we impatiently wait for the summer season, let’s see […]
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St. Pat’s parties on
As we continue to march along through the times, the time has come to celebrate the Irish connection with another St. Patrick’s Day parade and party. With the big green show on Saturday, our entertainment scene gets in on the “ceilidh” (just say KAY-lee and don’t look at the spelling), along with plenty of other […]
