As we wing our way through the last weekend in September, look for more fun in the sun for a bit longer as we transition from the beer gardens gigs and few remaining outdoor festivals back into the more intimate spaces to be seen inside the bar scene. Brace yourself as the 18th annual International […]
Music Features
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Mostly solo
Music is in a constant state of flux. Bands form, perform, break up, get back together and eventually call it quits. Venues become established, switch hands, change names and get torn down. Genres increase and decrease in popularity, and they sometimes end up as dead as disco. Over nearly four decades, as popular music moved […]
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September music mixture
This week we have a large assortment to cover, including anniversaries and inaugurals, a Honky Tonk Circus and a SamJam, a jazz night and an Oktoberfest weekend, plus pet sounds and fancy fiddlin’. So let’s get right to it, shall we? On Saturday, let the celebration begin as Walnut Street Winery commemorates 10 years of […]
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Sadness and celebrations
In several recent columns I’ve had to announce the loss of a community musician. Each time, I continue to talk about other events as life does move on, and I feel that especially with musicians, entertainers and performers, the thought that the show goes on is ever present, vital and necessary. But it sure doesn’t […]
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A multitude of music
Now that we’ve made it through the summer of 2019 with Labor Day weekend behind us, the fall season of music fests begins. For me, it’s really the best time weather-wise and music-wise, as the world slows down a bit, while we roll along toward the waiting wintertime. What do I see while perusing the […]
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Decatur’s Devon Amphitheater
If you think there’s nothing to do in Decatur, I assume you’ve yet to visit The Devon Lakeshore Amphitheater. Tucked away within the winding hills and plateaus that make up Nelson Park on the city’s east side is brand new music venue that has reeled in thousands of attendees and a variety of performers during […]
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Music labors
Welcome to an early bird Labor Day weekend for 2019. Since the first Monday in September is actually the second day of the month this year, the whole shebang is one day away from the earliest possible date it could be. This weekend is officially the end of the summer season by most accounts, and […]
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Au-gusting music
I think we can safely state the Illinois State Fair was more than fairly good this year. It’s fair enough to say, it’s time to move on to other happenings around town, and they are bountiful. First, let us give our sad goodbyes to another member of our music community as Gary “Walnuts” Swaggerty passed […]
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Reba closes fair on a high note
Country music star Reba McEntire graced the stage at the Illinois State Fair on its last day to a sold-out audience. The summer breeze that could be felt in the grandstand was non-existent on the full capacity track area. RCA recording artist Rachel Wammack, born in Muscle Shoals, Alabama, opened the show at 8 p.m. […]
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Shinedown shines on
Shinedown returned to Springfield on Saturday evening, playing the Illinois State Fair Grandstand after their last visit in May 2013 when the band performed at the BOS Center. The band, based out of Jacksonville, Florida, was founded in 2001, although lead singer Brent Smith and drummer Barry Kerch are the only original members remaining. Opening […]
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A smokin’ show by Snoop & Friends
Snoop Dogg announced his arrived in Springfield on Friday morning by posting a video on Instagram of an older black female wearing a muumuu, walking along Adams Street downtown. “My mama used to walk around the living room like that, time to clean up when she come out with this shit on,” said Snoop in […]
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Fair Enough?
As the inimitable entertainment entities of the Illinois State Fair carry on, the local clubs continue to emit large quantities of live music as well, setting us up for a whopper of a weekend, well within your listening grasp. We begin with another loss to our musician community, as we sadly announce the passing of […]
