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Before you dive into this week’s installment of
the greatest story ever told, make a note to check out the blog entry about
yours truly at www.MySpace.com/scotteeerock. I’m not exactly sure how
this member of the Lost Boys discovered my deepest, darkest desires, but
now the whole world knows about my love of hairspray and spandex. What a
relief! I no longer must carry around this terrible burden on my folk-fried
shoulders. Thank you, Scotteee, for a refreshing and informative analysis.
By the way, the proper spelling of the band’s name is Grateful Dead,
not “Greateful Dead” and I prefer a bong over a one-hitter any
day.
Chloe Day, that scintillating electro-folk-pop diva
in training, drops in at the Underground City Tavern (700 E. Adams St.,
217-789-1530) at 9 p.m. Thursday, July 5. Day, per her press release,
promises us that “her summer tour will incorporate video arrangements
unique to every song, some of which can be previewed on her Web
site.” I’m curious to see how she’ll pull it off live,
but she always does the trick and captivates the crowd, no matter who or
how many. On Tuesday, July 10, also at the seemingly revived
UCT, the gloriously lascivious Candye Kane favors us with an appearance
during her international summer tour. The blues-blessed mama is a
one-of-a-kind sweetheart guaranteed to please the boogie-woogie in you. Her
music’s fun to dance to, too. I won’t say much about the Taste of Downtown
Springfield (noon-midnight July 7) except that if you think headlining act
the Romantics is a one-hit wonder (well, two- or three-hit wonder) with a
bunch of filler, you are wrong. They are a consummate rock & roll band,
getting better by the decade, and will rock your socks off. Fans of the
1980s Champaign-Urbana band the Elvis Brothers take note: The great Brad
Elvis is the drummer for the Romantics. The first group playing, local
wonder the Damwell Betters, will perform songs off its upcoming CD, due for
public consumption around the first of August. Anyone out there remember Kenny Carlyle and the
Cadillac Cowboys? The wild and crazy country combo from central Illinois
played all over America while scaling the dizzying heights of the
entertainment world during the 1980s and ’90s. Kenny and the guys
went to great lengths to entertain, but best of
all was their topnotch musicianship that
validated all the incredible showmanship. After a couple years’ rest
in the Rushville countryside, Carlyle is back out this summer for a few
shows, including a headlining slot at the Wine & BBQ Festival at the
Hill Prairie Winery (Oakford, 217-635-9900) on Saturday, July 7. Robert
Sampson, an amazing talent and brilliant entertainer from the Jacksonville
area, opens the show at 2 p.m., with Carlyle scheduled for 6 p.m. On
Sunday, the festival continues with the Mudbugs Unplugged playing some
excellent acoustic-based music at 2 p.m. Corky’s BBQ is the other
main attraction. The whole shebang is held outside, under a tent, on the
beautiful winery grounds.
Oh, did I mention that the Lost Boys are playing July
14 at the Christian County Fair, in Taylorville? I didn’t think so.
Contact Tom Irwin at tirwin@illinoistimes.com.
This article appears in Jun 28 – Jul 4, 2007.
