Within the burgeoning Springfield music scene bubbles a wonderful and creative world of hip-hop and rap music that thrives on talent and expression. As the national music direction goes, so goes the flow of local music as it filters down through the airwaves and eardrums to affect the musings of individuals making music with passion […]
Music
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Symphony season goes out on a high note
This past weekend marked the end of the Illinois Symphony Orchestra’s 20th anniversary season, which was the first under the musical direction of Maestro Alastair Willis. Willis did not conduct Saturday’s program, however, handing the baton to renowned conductor Stefan Sanderling of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra. The deliberately paced concert began with the atmospheric, nearly […]
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The Brothers
The Brothers do the Allman Brothers music and do it well. Unlike other tribute bands, they have actual experiences of working with the group they celebrate, as some of the “brothers” actually played with Gregg Allman in the day, and more recently with his son, Devon. Headed by Danny Liston (founder of the legendary 1970s […]
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Josh Catalano and The Dirty Thoughts
A stalwart on the local music scene in performing, writing and recording original, rocking American music, Josh Catalano (guitar, vocals, songwriting) formed The Dirty Thoughts in 2011 with former Damnwell Betters bandmates Patrick Miller (drums) and Jordan Laier (guitar, keys, pedal steel, vocals), then added Keith Voegele (bass, vocals) of the nationally renowned St. Louis-based […]
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20 years of the FTQ
Oh, how we love to measure time, indeed, we live by that desire, but that’s the human way of observing and commemorating movement through our lives. Important events in our travels are designated by counting the years and creating anniversaries. Please join us for one of these milestones as we celebrate 20 years of the […]
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Kirwan, Foster and Lincoln
What do the songs “Oh! Susanna,” “Camptown Races” (“doo-dah, doo-dah”) and “Old Folks at Home” (“… way down upon the Swanee River”) all have in common? Other than most of you are now humming the tunes of these immensely popular songs, they were all written by the famed, mid-19th century American composer, Stephen Foster. Now […]
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CW Ayon
New Mexican bluesman CW Ayon (pronounced “I own”) began his adventure as a one-man band in 2008. Playing what he terms his “Hill Country Blues, Chihuahuan Desert, hook-laden groove,” on two bass drums, a rocking blues guitar and blazing harmonica with a gritty voice rising above it all, CW truly makes one very large sound […]
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Heil, high and hi-fi
During a recent conversation with Illinois Times blogger Scott Faingold, I mentioned that National Record Store Day coincided with what has become national “weed” day (Huffington Post has a good reference article on how 420 became significant in pot culture). Scott, utilizing his acclaimed collection of facts and figures, added Hitler’s birthday to the April […]
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Randy Charles and the Western Angels
This five-piece group are darn good purveyors of country, folk and bluegrass tunes, combining choice covers by the likes of Dwight Yoakam, Johnny Cash and Garth Brooks with a handy bunch of well-suited original music to create a complete package of a heavenly, classic Americana band. Fronted by Randal Charles Hall (Randy Charles) on vocals, […]
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James Armstrong
Some people play the blues and some people listen to the blues, but James Armstrong just is the blues. From starting his first band in seventh grade to traveling the country playing major festivals and shows, Armstrong made music his life’s work and coincidently, Springfield his home. Born in Los Angeles, Calif., as a young […]
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Drum Fest 2013
Back in 2010 for the debut of Drum Fest, I started out with a few typical drummer jokes such as “What do you call someone who hangs around with musicians? A drummer.” And a beauty like this slammer, “How can you tell if there is a drummer at your door? The knocking speeds up or, […]
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Amy Benton
Blessed with a lovely voice, a sweet smile, a creative streak and enough gumption to take on the music business world, Taylorville native Amy Benton lives her dream. Between consistent shows in central Illinois (she’s booked next weekend at the Office and Boondocks), our enterprising singer-songwriter makes steady trips to Nashville, Tenn., pitching songs to […]
