The blues speaks to all and Rockin’ Johnny knows the language better than most. The Chicago-based singing guitarist plays the blues with an edge, not over the top or in your face, but in the groove and to your soul. Johnny came on strong in the 90s playing all over with everybody, then took a […]
Band Spotlight
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New City Road
Truly a representation of the interplay of generations in the Springfield music scene, New City Road, a new band in town, combines family members with longtime local players to create a special blend of musical magic. Featuring three members of the Mundstock family, dad Scott (former Post War Fords drummer) on vocals and rhythm guitar, […]
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Anni Piper
Australia’s First Lady of the Blues rolls into town, rocking the house with her raw and raucous, right on, down and dirty, down under playing of the blues. Anni started on guitar at age 12, but switched to bass at 14 and started singing the blues. In 2004, she released Jailbait, her first recording of […]
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What thou Will
When the “about” section of a band’s Facebook page says, “A malicious onslaught of diabolical debauchery and brutal blasphemy!!!!!” you know they mean business. What thou Will, a Springfield-based metal band that “combines traditional and nontraditional elements of death, thrash, melodic and black metal to create a unique brand of metal,” began in 2004 as […]
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Bill Price
Based out of the Indianapolis area, Bill Price discovered early on a fascination and respect for the songwriting of both Bob Dylan and the Beatles that led to a lifetime of chasing the song muse. After decades of performance, songwriting and recording, his goal is the same, “I was inspired by certain music to try […]
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Mr. Opporknockity
The origins of Mr. Opporknockity’s peculiar moniker remains a conundrum, but the Springfield-based, five-piece rock band continues to attract fans and gain attention some 15 years after hitting the local scene. First configured as a two-guitar, singing duo with Troy Roark and Doug Gholson, they scored an actual hit on WDBR-FM with the bouncy “Lisa’s […]
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Great American Taxi
Considered some of the best Americana artists touring today, the “Americana Without Borders” music of Vince Herman, Chad Staehly, Jim Lewin, Chris Sheldon and Brian Adams sparkles with rock-n-roll raunchiness, subtle piano nuances, blazing folk splashes and jam-band freedoms, roiling into a creative melting pot of brilliant music-making. The effervescent live performances bubble over with […]
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Whiskey of the Damned
Take an Irishman, drop him in Milwaukee and let him go wild in a Celtic-influenced rock band, and that’s Whiskey of the Damned. With Eoin McCarthy (guitar, vocal), Blaine McQuinn (fiddle, bagpipes, banjo, vocals), Michael Favaro (accordion), Tim McQuinn (drums, bodhran) and Chaughn Hoffman (bass, vocals) knocking out the music, these guys went from bar […]
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ZZ Tripp
Springfield’s ZZ Tripp with Brad Alan (as Billy Gibbons on guitar), Dan Kress (as Dusty Hill on bass) and Tom Summerlin (as Frank Beard on drums) gives ZZ Top a tremendous tribute treatment. With songs “structured like their studio work, but with some of ZZ Top’s signature live elements added in,” the trio spans “over […]
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The Brothers
The Brothers do the Allman Brothers music and do it well. Unlike other tribute bands, they have actual experiences of working with the group they celebrate, as some of the “brothers” actually played with Gregg Allman in the day, and more recently with his son, Devon. Headed by Danny Liston (founder of the legendary 1970s […]
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Josh Catalano and The Dirty Thoughts
A stalwart on the local music scene in performing, writing and recording original, rocking American music, Josh Catalano (guitar, vocals, songwriting) formed The Dirty Thoughts in 2011 with former Damnwell Betters bandmates Patrick Miller (drums) and Jordan Laier (guitar, keys, pedal steel, vocals), then added Keith Voegele (bass, vocals) of the nationally renowned St. Louis-based […]
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CW Ayon
New Mexican bluesman CW Ayon (pronounced “I own”) began his adventure as a one-man band in 2008. Playing what he terms his “Hill Country Blues, Chihuahuan Desert, hook-laden groove,” on two bass drums, a rocking blues guitar and blazing harmonica with a gritty voice rising above it all, CW truly makes one very large sound […]
