Last week sure seems like a lot longer ago than just last week, but time is relative and it’s been in a relatively strange and peculiar mode as of late. I have no desire to dwell upon the recent changes that each of us has experienced in some form or another, but there’s no way […]
Music
Posted inArts & Culture
Want to know what’s going on in the virtual world of events and activities?
Click here for an up-to-date list of online events and activities. Let us know and we will include it in the Illinois Times online calendar. Many organizations and businesses may have temporarily closed their physical doors, but they are opening the doors into their virtual events. From kid’s art contests to online learning resources to […]
Posted inMusic
Not playing now
I know it’s not the time to be flippant, but perhaps it’s okay to make a joke and say that my Now Playing column could be retitled “Not Playing Now” or something else involving silly, somewhat clever wordplay. But in all seriousness, it’s a brand-new world for at least a few weeks, no matter how […]
Posted inMusic
Get your green on
Yes, my friends, it’s that time of year where many of us become beguiled with all things related to the annual St. Patrick’s Day celebration centered around our local parade which starts on Saturday “promptly at noon” on the streets of lovely downtown Springfield. There’s plenty of local Celtic music going on, but first let’s […]
Posted inMusic
The Emerald Underground
For nearly two decades, this group of kilt-wearing cohorts has combined forces to be the hardest-working band during the High Holy Days of the Celtic party centered around St. Patrick’s Day and Springfield’s long-running downtown parade. Members come and go, and come back and go again, but The Emerald Underground, and its immediate predecessor, Stone […]
Posted inMusic
March music making
Here we go into the first full weekend of March and with some nicer weather happening, you can almost feel the outdoor venues popping up to prepare for a summer of fun. In the meantime, let’s see what marches on in the music scene for now. Thursdays continue to shine and this week we have […]
Posted inMusic
Kurt Crandall
Considered a master of the blues harp, this bluesman does devilish duty on the chromatic harp, as well as the more commonly played diatonic harmonica. With credentials earned from decades of tours through Europe and America, relocations with dedication to blues hotbeds around the country and stellar songwriting, arranging and performing, Kurt Crandall in his […]
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Blues in the schools
The blues man begins by looking over the students in the room. It’s dead silent. James Armstrong is cool, presenting himself in a John Lee Hooker style three-piece suit and black shades. He talks to the kids about music, the instrument he plays, the places he’s traveled and why he plays blues music. He performs […]
Posted inMusic
Tim Neuman
A central Illinois farm boy, born and raised, this singer-songwriter-performer takes those well-engrained country roots and adds an “eclectic mix of rock and pop” to create his signature sound. Now based in the Indianapolis area, in the last decade Tim played over there with several bands before recently launching his own Tim Neuman Band. He […]
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Leap into the music
Welcome to the end of February, and with this being 2020 – which is a Leap Year – welcome to Leap Day Weekend. To me, and by extension, hopefully to you, it’s an extra special February 29 because said day falls on a Saturday. That is good for getting out to see live music since […]
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Romance and bombast
The Illinois Symphony Orchestra returned to the UIS Performing Arts Center Saturday, Feb. 15, with a spirited Valentine’s Day-themed program entitled “Love Notes.” Things got underway with an enthusiastic performance of Richard Strauss’s 17-minute tone poem “Don Juan” (1888), introduced in amusing fashion by ISO music director Ken Lam, who illustrated each stage of the […]
Posted inMusic
Mardi Gras and more
Here we are at Mardi Gras time already with much more included in a week full of fabulous times, fun happenings and February at its finest. Shall we partake? Thursdays keep rolling on as a good night for live music and this week is no exception. Over at the Butternut Hut, Jeff Berendt (of The […]
