I’ve never been sure why, since it is the Illinois State Fair, that most all the bands playing at the beer tents come from the ranks of Springfield cover bands, but that’s the norm at the ISF and has been for years. This is no complaint mind you just an observation on the situation. In […]
Music
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Laurie Morvan Band
Let’s just dispense with all the female blues guitar player business and forget the tall California blonde girl stuff and get to the heart of the matter right now. Laurie Morvan can play the blues. Go check out some YouTube cuts of her singing and playing and listen to the killer tone she gets on […]
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Hodgepodge of hot August entertainment
The weather may be slightly sluggish in participating in the average August heat and humidity we’re familiar with, but the hot music happenings are typical for the approaching end-of-summer season. Please allow me to enumerate a few for you. This Friday, Aug. 7, from 6 to 8, visit the Three Legged Dog on the south […]
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Slaid’s back with a new record
That may not be the most exciting headline ever printed for a Now Playing column, but fans of Slaid Cleaves will find the news thrilling enough. Not only does Cleaves hold an avid fan base in Springfield, more than five years have elapsed since the release of Wishbones, his last recording of self-penned tunes. Cleaves, […]
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The Backliners
When it came time to seek a band direction, The Backliners decided to “play great rock songs, both classic and new, that we would like to listen to ourselves.” So following this logic you’d find Steve Harvey (guitar, vocals), Greg Harvey (bass, vocals), Aaron Horath (lead guitar, vocals) and Travis Williams (drums) jamming to classics […]
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Go! Tsunami mingles with Carillon
When planning this week’s column, I found we had two very deserving bands hosting CD release parties at the same bar on different weekend nights. Please welcome the odd pairing of Go! Tsunami and Carillon, bound together by nothing more than circumstance. Let’s take the Friday night spectacle first and discover the peculiar world of […]
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Bluesmattic
Lead guitarist Robert Beam, an Atlanta, Ga., transplant who made a mark as a professional touring and studio musician over the last 30 some years, sets the tone for Bluesmattic, with bassist Greg Campbell and drummer Scott Henrikson laying down a strong blues foundation for the experienced and talented performer. Beam’s music history includes by […]
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Summertime blues
Eddie Cochran famously claimed in his 1958 classic rockabilly hit that, “there ain’t no cure for the summertime blues,” and from the looks of the upcoming blues events for central Illinois we’re in for an epidemic. From the Chatham Sweetcorn Festival to the Old State Capitol Blues & BBQs, with several Blue Monday jams tossed […]
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Red Letter Merchant
Putting together a band is easy. Turning it into a successful venture is not. Red Letter Merchant is determined to take the idea of becoming an all original, modern rock band and make it a reality. After coming together in early 2008 hoping to avoid further, “typical band drama,” Ryan Louis, (piano, vocals), Scott Neuweg […]
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The Remedy
Are you “Certified Remedy Rocked” yet? Be sure to get your official recognition from the band at The Remedy show this weekend. The fun-rocking, six-piece group, including Steve Simac (bass), Joey Cavatorta (guitar), Harlin Swofford (drums), Dan Gordon (rhythm guitar and vocals), Don Stimac (vocals), and Lynn Saputo (vocals), live and work in the Springfield […]
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Hail the Great American Taxi
Back in March of 2005, Vince Herman and Chris Staehly needed a band to play for a Rainforest Action Group benefit concert in Boulder, Colo. The two musicians put together Great American Taxi and have been riding in the cab with the meter running ever since. Herman, best known for his work as frontman for […]
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Brad Elvis of The Handcuffs
Honestly Abe, what an incredible selection of live music goings on are going on around Springfield this weekend. From shows around the lake and neighboring town fireworks shindigs, the downtown Capital City Bicentennial Celebration and American Music Stage to all the regular bar business bands, it’s a regular once in a 200-year gala event. Plenty […]
