Interested in a tour of Springfield’s west side on a Thursday night? Catch Harry O (the artist formerly known as Harry Nino) and Oysters Rockefeller at Mariah’s Restaurant, for some early-in-the-evening blues, then slip in a stop at The Trading Post Saloon for a visit with Antone, singer-songwriter deluxe and keeper of all your favorite […]
Music
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sound patrol 8-19-04
The Naysayer Kitten Time (Red Panda Records) As anyone who has ever sobbed into soft, forgiving feline fur can tell you, there’s nothing like a cat when it comes to free therapy. Take it from Anna Padgett, the Naysayer’s singer, songwriter, and only permanent member: “Kitten time, kitten time/How do you know when it’s kitten […]
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now playing 8-19-04
Hey wandering souls, searching for enlightenment by the seat of your pants, have I got some deals for you. There is music galore at the Illinois State Fair, enough to keep a persistent music lover busy as a state cop on Taintor Road, but take a look at the talent in town, blissfully unaware of […]
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sound patrol 8-12-04
Jolie Holland Escondida (Anti) With her languid drawl, her vintage guitars, and her penchant for ancient parlor tunes, Jolie Holland traffics in what rock scribe Greil Marcus once called “the old, weird America.” But don’t think for a minute that she’s some dusty period piece. On Escondida, her second album and her first for Anti, […]
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Lovett or leave it
Perhaps he is best known by the masses as half of the beauty-and-the-beast story that played weekly in the tabloids during his brief marriage to actress Julia Roberts. Fortunately, Texas-based Lyle Lovett is also justifiably recognized as the author of some of the finest songs penned in the last 20 years. Flirting with traditional country […]
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Now playing 8-12-04
I hope you got some rest this past week or you’re going to be plain pooped out for the next week’s festivities surrounding the great and glorious Illinois State Fair. There are almost as many bands playing at various venues around the grounds as there are houseflies coming to enjoy the fine delicacies offered by […]
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sound patrol 8-5-04
The Roots are, among other things, exhibit A when earnest white National Public Radio members try to argue that not all contemporary rap is crass consumerist crap: “They rail against the system! They make with the uplifting messages! They’ve got a real live drummer and everything!” But, unfortunately for the Roots — six records in […]
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Now playing 8-5-04
As the brave and belligerent Captain Beefheart once said, “It’s hot, it’s so hot.” But — and the good Captain did not say this — “That’s the way, uh-huh, uh-huh, we like it, uh-huh, uh-huh.” Or at least that’s the way it is and just in time for the Decatur Celebration (this weekend) and the […]
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Now playing 7-29-04
Feeling lost and confused, cast adrift in a sea of fests, fairs, fries, and other assorted outdoor music events? Pull yourself together, friend. You’ll need your wits about you to navigate the many out-of-doors musical experiences that lie dead ahead. First comes the Divernon Homecoming, with Strange Brew, Lost Boys, and Hot Property on Thursday, […]
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Now playing 7-22-04
Hey you! Gently place your shoulder against that rock you’ve been hiding under and give it a shove. We’re out here having fun and would like you to join us. Springfield favorites The Blazers return for a Thursday night visit to the Underground City Tavern. The “other group from East LA” is often likened to […]
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Sound patrol 7-22-04
A.C. Newman The Slow Wonder (Matador) The problem with the “pop” tag is that it’s essentially meaningless: J.Lo is pop. Elvis Costello is pop. OutKast is pop. Bing Crosby is pop. And A.C. Newman is pop. Of course, a literalist might argue that pop music is popular music, by which standard Newman’s, alas, is disqualified. […]
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The more things change. . .
Getting old sure can blow sometimes. You feel kinda smart and all, telling the shiny-eyed kid that her favorite new band (a) isn’t reinventing music as we know it, (b) isn’t even inventing a new hybrid of existing musics, and (c) isn’t doing anything that someone else didn’t already do better 100 years ago. But […]
