Hey there, all you beer-swilling, shot-swigging, music-loving barflies. What’s going on this week? Yes, the rest of you are also welcome to come out and enjoy the tunes, too. We never mean to exclude responsible imbibers or teetotalers from our music club travels. It’s just more fun to talk about the guzzlers. First and foremost, […]
Music
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Now playing 3-11-04
Things are greening up outside a bit, just in time for the annual celebration of St. Patrick’s Day. And to us in the nightlife (and daylife) business that means an excuse (like we need one) to hit the bars, down some suds, and catch tunes by the barrelful. As the luck o’ the Irish would […]
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Tarbox Ramblers’ fired-up blues turn despair in joy
When the Tarbox Ramblers first escaped from Boston bars and ran into the national music scene several years ago, it was as if they were let out of a cage — wary at first, scary to see, and waiting to feel free enough to pounce. They won critical acclaim with a simply stunning self-titled debut, […]
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Now Playing 3-4-04
Hey there, buckaroos! Let’s saddle up for a romp through the badlands of our bars and clubs, where the night never ends and the music never stops or, more than likely, the band starts late and the morning comes way too soon. Regardless, you only live once — so pack your bags and mosey on […]
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Now playing 2-26-04
Time flies when you’re having fun — or so they say. And as we leap through February and land into March, I hope you’re having fun, ’cause time does fly whether the fun is there or not. Maybe this will help to expand your pleasure capacity while you’re spending your moments here on earth. It’s […]
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Her Reputation precedes her, and it’s all good
At age 19, Elizabeth Elmore was in a band. Sounds like a lot of 19-year-olds in college at the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign, right? That’s where the similarity ends. Elmore’s group, Sarge, became a darling of the critics, getting write-ups in Rolling Stone, Spin, Playboy, and kudos from Greil Marcus, granddaddy critic of the […]
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A fast-fingered hotshot, but classy to the core
When Johan Fostier performs Friday in Springfield, the young Belgian will be filling in for scheduled artist Dimitri Illarinov, a Russian who found himself waylaid by an immigration glitch this year. Imprecise wording on Illarinov’s passport, it seems, stopped the performer “in his treks.” “Dimitri’s papers didn’t state he was coming to the U.S. to […]
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Now playing 2-19-04
Take a deep breath. Let’s dive deep to find the hidden treasures beneath the still waters of the capital city’s nightlife. Can you hope for a better way to start your weekend than a visit to Robbie’s and a listen to the swingin’ strains of Dick Garretson’s Little Big Band? I think not. Garretson’s name […]
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Now playing 2-12-04
Good day, fair citizens of Illinois’ capital city, Mr. Lincoln’s hometown, and keepers of the best-kept secrets of the finest in Midwest entertainment. Well, two out of three ain’t bad. And as you should know, we do get our reasonable share of the good stuff. If you don’t believe me, pull your slumbering body out […]
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A contrast in blues
Otis Taylor plays the blues. The hurtin’ blues, not happy, well-polished, barroom blues for the beer swigging, fun-loving crowd. He sings of lynchings, dying children, murder, race relations, social problems, and other incidents of life not always covered in the “I-got-the-blues-so-bad-but-not-that-bad” whitewashed versions popularized by rock bands parading as blues purveyors. After a brief stab […]
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Now Playing 2-5-04
Are you ready for another action-packed, fun-filled, adventure-laden week in the bars and clubs of Illinois’ capital city? Well, it’s coming your way regardless of how you act, so why not open your arms and ears and embrace the inevitable with all the full-blown passion available in your heart and soul. Or just go out […]
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Now Playing 1-29-04
Now we can officially call it winter — sensuous silver shadows dance as the brilliant snow cascades through the moonlit air. Crystal reflections of soft sunlight dazzle the senses with untold beauty. Oh yeah, and iced-over windshields, salt-filled gray mounds of half-frozen slush, and the inconvenience of slippery traveling. Take the good with the bad; […]
