Music

One of our first and foremost Labor Day Weekend events in Springfield is always the After the Mile Party or as it’s usually pronounced the “partaay” with a long “a” on the end. This glorious time celebrates the running of the “Springfield Mile” motorcycle race on the fastest mile dirt track in the good, old […]

It hardly seems a year ago Sonny Landreth tore up the Old Capitol Blues & BBQs stage with his blistering slide guitar work, but here it is time for another action-packed blues night in downtown Springfield. Now in its fifth year, the annual blues bash is nearly an institution with no end in sight and […]

When the Illinois State Fair is going on, many things around here change: Road directions are altered, bars stay open until 3 a.m., strangers are everywhere, and the fly population skyrockets. But life does go on, so here are a few entertainment selections from both inside and outside the fairgrounds. Tonight (Thursday, Aug. 14) at […]

I recently spoke with Joe Saputo, one of the head honchos of the PC3 (much easier on the tongue than “Prairie Capital Convention Center”) about upcoming events at the downtown facility. Unfortunately there’s not a lot on the list other than last week’s professional wrestling match, Winnie the Pooh in November, and the Poison concert […]

In 2006 blues artist Jake La Botz wanted to get on the road and play some paying gigs, but he was tired of the hit-or-miss bar scene, so on a whim he booked himself a cross-country tour of tattoo parlors. The resulting shows were such fun and so successful, he made the event an annual […]

Untitled Document If you’re looking for something cool to do — and who isn’t during July in central Illinois? — here are a few ideas to help you handle the heat. The Uptown Friday Night music series, hosted by the Springfield Area Arts Council at Robbie’s (4 S. Old State Capitol Plaza, 217-528-1901) from 5:30 […]

Untitled Document What do you get when you put five flügelhorns, four tenor horns, a helicon, and several percussion instruments together in the same band? Besides the very good possibility of hearing a terrifically raucous sound and seeing seldom-seen brass instruments, you have the makings of a contemporary gypsy brass band. Believe it or not, […]

Untitled Document There’s a lot going on in this big old world lately. It’s all I can do to just toss out a few events to help you fulfill your entertainment fantasies. The Illinois Central Blues Club invites all interested blues bands to enter the local competition for an ICBC-sponsored spot at the International Blues […]

Untitled Document Yeah, yeah, yeah — it’s like nowhere, man, trying to get the word out across the universe that yesterday I’d needed some help! But, hey Jude, from me to you, I just want to drive my car and get back to where tomorrow never knows. Now that could be here, there, and everywhere, […]

Untitled Document No, I’m not morphing into a nature columnist. I just want to tell you about a band known as Pool of Frogs. The name, the band says, is an allusion to The Frogs, a fourth-century Greek play written by Aristophanes in which the original party god, Dionysus, takes a little trip to Hades […]