The Forty-Niner Bye-Bye (518 Bruns Lane, 787-4937) has a long and storied past in Springfield bar history. Now new owners are celebrating the next chapter in the colorful tale of the historic libation dispenser. Groove Daddies, a local band with quite a storied past of their own, have been chosen to herald in the new […]
Music
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now playing 5-12-05
Micah Walk, a native of Girard, plays acoustic guitar, and writes and sings songs. He recently graduated from the University of Illinois in Springfield, as a communications major (“I’m just trying to get a degree, make my dad happy, and get the heck out”). The 23-year-old musician answered some questions via e-mail last week. Influences: […]
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sound patrol 5-5-05
Since releasing his first cassette in 1991, John Darnielle, a singer/songwriter who records as the Mountain Goats, has authored more than 400 songs, most of which are better than any number of songs you’re likely to hear. Don’t beat yourself up for overlooking his brilliance, though. For more than a decade, Darnielle hid his light […]
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now playing 5-5-05
Take nine guys, mix in a strong desire to play funk and fusion music, and you’ve got a Public Display of Funk. The Bloomington-based group has been together for five years with only a few personnel changes. Drummer Darin Holthaus credits the strong bonds among the group’s members for PDF’s longevity. “About half the band […]
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music notes 5-5-05
Direct from the self-proclaimed “Live Music Capital of the World” comes Austin’s roots-music darling Elizabeth McQueen for a one-night stand at Underground City Tavern (700 E. Adams St., 789-1530) on Friday, May 6. McQueen’s band, the Firebrands, is stacked with glorious Austin musicians who help support the roots pop diva on her latest Freedom Records […]
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music notes 4-28-05
The anticipation is over, and the 2005 Illinois State Fair Grandstand lineup is out. Gov. Rod Blagojevich, our Illinois leader and proud owner of a score of 18 on the ACT, claims the fair staff “has done an excellent job, and “the lineup appeals to a broad range of music fans [and] will not only […]
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now playing 4-28-05
Lots of guys are out there playing the blues — just check the weekly local bar listings, listen to TV commercials, or check out the neighborhood kid. But only a few of the musicians who’ve played with the creators of the modern electric blues are still alive and pickin’. John Primer began playing guitar as […]
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sound patrol 4-28-05
A paraplegic since 1983 and an acclaimed singer/songwriter since 1988, when he was Officially Discovered by Michael Stipe, Vic Chesnutt has enjoyed a long, prolific, and adventurous career. He’s cut albums with scores of supporting musicians — from countrypolitan iconoclasts Lambchop to jam-band stalwarts Widespread Panic — but no matter how dramatically his sound has […]
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sound patrol 4-21-05
It’s a shame that Martha Wainwright is blessed with such hypeworthy DNA. There are many other interesting, even important things to say about the Brooklyn-based, Montreal-reared singer/songwriter, but her genes won’t cooperate. Demanding obeisance, they elbow their way into the listening experience and prevent us from hearing things we might have noticed if we didn’t […]
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now playing 4-21-05
>What’s the point of having a two-night music fest for someone just turning 2 years old? First, the kid doesn’t get a real choice in who performs, so the selection is left to the parents. Second, the whippersnapper won’t be there because the shows begin after his bedtime. Third, who cares what the fest is […]
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music notes 4-21-05
Fans of contemporary rock and metal should be thrilled about this Low as I Friday night show at Viele’s Planet (126 E. Jefferson St., 525-9029). The local group recently toured briefly with platinum-selling act Saliva. Now with the major label band on hiatus, drummer Paul Crosby formed Solace for Now with old buddies and bandmates […]
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now playing 4-14-05
Those of you gazing and gawking this Saturday at the downtown Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum festivities will sooner or later need nourishment and refurbishment, both mental and physical. If sooner is better — say, 12:30-2 p.m. — drop by the Trout Lily Café, just two blocks south of the Lincoln Presidential Palace on […]
