Kick off the Halloween weekend at
Andiamo’s Cellar, 206 S. Sixth St., with a spooky
presentation of “Frank’s Funky Filmstrips.” Area
musician Frank Trompeter will show his eclectic collection of odd
bits of old films for children of all ages, 6-8 p.m. Thursday, Oct.
27. The granddaddy of all local Halloween bashes
is Hobgoblinspookadelic, the annual NIL8-headlined show at
Viele’s Planet, 126 E. Jefferson St. An all-ages gathering
runs 5-9 p.m., and the adult entertainment begins around 10. Be
forewarned, though: It’s time for . . . the return of the
sock monster (go get ’em, Tiger).
The Station and Three Amigos jam the
Rendezous Room in the Hilton, 700 E. Adams St., attempting, as
drummer Dave Carter puts it, “to try and bridge the gap
between a concert and a bar show.” In both a trick and a
treat, the Station will perform the Sgt.
Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. No word on
whether they’ll dress the part. Speaking of dressed-up performers, Elvis
Himselvis (always in a jumpsuit) shakes up the Brewhaus, and the
Brat Pack (clad in ’80s garb, of course) whips it good in the
Grand Ballroom in the Hilton. Must be nice to already have a
costume. Hot Property supplies the music for the
Firefighters’ Club Holloween (I have no idea why it’s spelled like that) party
on Lake Springfield, and the Originals Series at the Hoogland Center
for Arts, 420 S. Sixth St., features Senses, the Easily Amused Teen
Comedy Troupe, the Jill Manning Group, and the art of Ashley Thompson. For a night of devilish dichotomy, a Dr.
Disco-and-Mr. Hick kind of thing, head downtown to Catch 22, 11 W.
Old State Capitol Plaza, for the big-beat DJ stuff, then visit the
L&L Stockyards (formerly Billy’s), 3045 Sangamon Ave., and
do some boot-scootin’ boogieing to Still Kick’n. The Springfield Jazz Society holds its second
annual Jack-O-Lantern Jam, 4-7 p.m. Sunday, at Robbie’s, 4 S.
Old State Capitol Plaza. The host band is Bob Katt and the Missing
Lynx. Wear a costume and bring a musician. If none of this is scary enough for you, wait
for Halloween proper, when Club 217, 3075 Normandy Rd., hosts a
metal-music festival featuring the terrifying talents of Field of
Gray, Shattermask, Midshift, and Ozland. Try trick-or-treating
these guys — I dare you. Happy Halloweening.
Unless otherwise mentioned, all shows are on
Saturday, Oct. 29. See Pub Crawl (as in “the worms crawl
out”) for all the gory details.
They’re hot.
They’re smoking. They’re lighting up the neighborhood.
It’s Backyard Tire Fire, burning rubber to Marly’s Pub
(9 W. Old State Capitol Plaza, 217-522-2280) at 9 p.m. Thursday,
Oct. 27. Since first hitting Springfield a couple of years ago, the
scorching trio has toured the country at an alarming rate while
progressing as a band at about the same velocity. Bar Room Semantics,
released in January 2005, has garnered good reviews and placed the
band in the same arena as the likes of the Drive By Truckers and
MOFRO.
Still another
excellent band is playing this weekend at Marly’s, obviously
Springfield’s newest hot spot for up-and-coming traveling
bands. On Friday, Oct. 28, Stone Cat — a St. Louis-based
group that draws a bigger crowd with every show — takes the
corner stage. The group has a rocking original set and tosses in
Led Zeppelin, Heart, and Guns ‘n Roses covers as necessary to
keep that burgeoning crowd interested and coming back for more.
Susan Gibson, who
wrote the huge Dixie Chicks hit “Wide Open Spaces,”
rolls into Elkhart’s Talk of the Town (115 Governor Oglesby
St., 217-947-2770) on Friday, Oct. 28. In the merry land of
celebrated songwriters down Austin, Texas, way, the singing
songwriter is known for her many other wonderful songs and cheery
personality.
Bread Stretchers (322
E. Monroe St., 217-753-3366), a mild-mannered sub shop by day, is
transformed into a rock & roll venue with a wild and crazy (in
a good way, parents) all-ages show at 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 28. Join
Hellfire Trigger, the Timmys, the Gunga Dins (hey, I thought you
guys broke up), and Pound for Pound as they get out in that kitchen
and rattle those pots and pans.
Harmonica players of
all skill levels take note: Harp masters Dennis Gruenling and
Richard Sleigh have agreed to host a workshop in Springfield on
Jan. 30. If you’re interested in perfecting that
tongue-blocking technique, visit the Illinois Central Blues Club
Web site, www.icbluesclub.org, and e-mail a board member soon so
that promoters can gauge the local level of interest.
This article appears in Oct 27 – Nov 2, 2005.
