Band Spotlight

After friends submitted one of his songs to a local radio station contest and listeners liked what they heard, PJ Summers, the music minister of Koke Mill Christian Church, felt the calling and added acoustic Christian rocker to his God-given and driven work. With Summers covering the songwriting duties plus acoustic guitar and vocals, the […]

This Sunday, the New Goat Ensemble celebrates 20 years of making the most marvelous and mischievous music this side of Pan himself. Always perpetrators of off-the-wall cover songs, the Jacksonville-based band became one of central Illinois’ most endearing original bands of the 90s through the songwriting of Jeff Davidsmeyer. With Davidsmeyer on rhythm guitar, piano, […]

With a name only a southern Illinois band mother could love, Kentucky Knife Fight arose from a raucous open mic night at the legendary Stagger Inn Again in Edwardsville to become one of the hardest rocking and most up and coming bands in the alt-country vein from the St. Louis area. Jason Holler (vocals), Nate […]

Fresh from their Springfield debut at last week’s SOHO Music Festival, the Max Allen Band (MAB) drops into Marly’s on June 17 for a night of funk-blues-jam-jazz-rock songs. A seasoned group on the Midwest jam-rock music scene, the trio of Max Allen (guitar, vocals), Shaan France (drums, percussion) and Dace Robie (bass) tours regularly performing […]

Based in not-so-faraway Normal, Dan and the gang list themselves as an original rock and roll band, which is pretty cool when you think about it. No hyphens or hype, invented categories or inverted genres, just a guy writing good songs with a fine band backing him up. They claim influences from Tom Petty, Neil […]

Normally this space is reserved for “Springfield’s Celtic house band” during the week of St. Patrick’s Day festivities, but the show at Celtic Mist’s monthly “Hooley” on Thursday is a special one for this Celtic-rock group. The band plays on but the members change and the present incarnation of The Emerald Underground is no more […]

The harmonica surely must be the easiest instrument to learn and the most difficult to master, thereby giving the world a glut of mediocre harp blowers and a handful of skillful players. Kurt Crandall, included in the latter category of harmonica enthusiasts, plies his trade across the U.S. and Europe on a regular basis from […]

Hailing from a region of Connecticut and western Massachusetts called Connectivania by this six-member rock band, the group claims to “introduce elements of epic ambience and melody unseen by most bands in today’s realm of heavy music.” Relentless touring coupled with a penchant for the grandiose both musically and lyrically earned the group praise for […]

This rock quintet dominated the band scene in Springfield around the turn of the century with energetic live shows, exciting original songs and an incredible base of friends and fans. Originally an acoustic guitar/vocal duo with Doug Gholson and Troy Roark, after scoring a local radio hit with Lisa’s Shirt the twosome became a quartet […]

For a couple of decades now, saxophonist Frank Trompeter has continually leveled a creative blast upon the local landscape. From involvement in several popular bands, including elevator shoe and Razin’ Kane to his own respected, eponymous jazz groups, along with inventing nefariously humorous lounge singer Frankie Rambelon, originating Frank’s Funky Filmstrips, plus presenting and performing […]

The Six-String Princess of Texas (Aug. 31, 2006, was Rosie Flores Day in Austin) and Ms. Mighty Music Maker herself made a sparkling Springfield appearance. She was sighted playing a remote corner of the Illinois State Fair last year and now she’s back for a Bedrock 66 Live! show with Bloodshot Records compatriot Jon Langford. […]