There’s so much to talk about I’m not going to pretend to fabricate an introduction or lead you down a merry path of assumed meticulous and attempted mellifluous wordplay and just get on with the long to-do list for this week. First up is a memorial show for Jim Pearl hosted by Johnny Slu and […]
Music
Posted inMusic
What thou Will
When the “about” section of a band’s Facebook page says, “A malicious onslaught of diabolical debauchery and brutal blasphemy!!!!!” you know they mean business. What thou Will, a Springfield-based metal band that “combines traditional and nontraditional elements of death, thrash, melodic and black metal to create a unique brand of metal,” began in 2004 as […]
Posted inMusic
John Byrne brings on the Irish
From centuries-old songs and tunes performed in traditional ways to the adaptation of instruments and melodies to the new land, Irish music certainly infused itself into the American consciousness throughout our history and seems even stronger today than ever before. In central Illinois we have at several Irish-influenced groups playing out regularly, numerous public events […]
Posted inMusic
Bill Price
Based out of the Indianapolis area, Bill Price discovered early on a fascination and respect for the songwriting of both Bob Dylan and the Beatles that led to a lifetime of chasing the song muse. After decades of performance, songwriting and recording, his goal is the same, “I was inspired by certain music to try […]
Posted inMusic
So goes SOHO so far
Here it is the first of June already and time for another SOHO music fest and, for some reason or another, time for more controversy surrounding the charity-driven event. Regardless of the obstacles, from the early days of getting permits and establishing credentials, to last year’s misbegotten and seemingly random decision by the mayor, disclosed […]
Posted inMusic
Mr. Opporknockity
The origins of Mr. Opporknockity’s peculiar moniker remains a conundrum, but the Springfield-based, five-piece rock band continues to attract fans and gain attention some 15 years after hitting the local scene. First configured as a two-guitar, singing duo with Troy Roark and Doug Gholson, they scored an actual hit on WDBR-FM with the bouncy “Lisa’s […]
Posted inMusic
Chris Vallillo makes music work
Macomb resident and working folk musician Chris Vallillo (sounds like pillow), has spent a lifetime making a living making music. Anyone who’s tried knows what a trying time that can be, and anyone who has even thought about it likely came to the conclusion the attempt was not worth the risk. Chris did it, does […]
Posted inMusic
Great American Taxi
Considered some of the best Americana artists touring today, the “Americana Without Borders” music of Vince Herman, Chad Staehly, Jim Lewin, Chris Sheldon and Brian Adams sparkles with rock-n-roll raunchiness, subtle piano nuances, blazing folk splashes and jam-band freedoms, roiling into a creative melting pot of brilliant music-making. The effervescent live performances bubble over with […]
Posted inMusic
Whiskey of the Damned
Take an Irishman, drop him in Milwaukee and let him go wild in a Celtic-influenced rock band, and that’s Whiskey of the Damned. With Eoin McCarthy (guitar, vocal), Blaine McQuinn (fiddle, bagpipes, banjo, vocals), Michael Favaro (accordion), Tim McQuinn (drums, bodhran) and Chaughn Hoffman (bass, vocals) knocking out the music, these guys went from bar […]
Posted inMusic
Memorable Memorial Day Weekend
Yes, friends and neighbors, the official beginning of the summer season is upon us as we celebrate Memorial Day with a weekend of fun and excitement. Please remember to remember your lost loved ones as Grandma used to do on “Decoration Day,” the old school holiday name for the last Sunday in May. Our family […]
Posted inMusic
From Perkins to Presney
John Michael Presney spent the better part of the last two years on the road in the first national touring production of the Tony award-winning musical Million Dollar Quartet portraying the “father of rockabilly,” Carl Perkins. The Rochester native, talking to me by phone from poolside in Tucson, Ariz. as he prepared for his final […]
Posted inMusic
ZZ Tripp
Springfield’s ZZ Tripp with Brad Alan (as Billy Gibbons on guitar), Dan Kress (as Dusty Hill on bass) and Tom Summerlin (as Frank Beard on drums) gives ZZ Top a tremendous tribute treatment. With songs “structured like their studio work, but with some of ZZ Top’s signature live elements added in,” the trio spans “over […]
