As we head into mid-October, the crisp coolness we expect from fall has settled in with a foreshadowing of the weather to come. We still have a few fests and the fun that follows left for all to enjoy.
Here comes the second Thursday of the month, which tells me there is a concert happening at the Illinois State Museum for the Music at the Museum concert series. October’s selection, booked by host and folk musician-songwriter Chris Vallillo, is Canadian singer-songwriter Noah Derksen. Raised on the British Columbia coast, he performs what he calls “contemplative folk” that pairs introspective lyrics with sparse musical arrangements to present thoughtful and provocative songs, while accompanied by Elise on violin.
The Indian Summer Festival at Lincoln Memorial Garden continues to be one of the area’s longest running and most popular outdoor gatherings. There are plenty of family activities, plus arts and crafts available to peruse and purchase, but here we like to focus on the tunes. Several years ago the powers that be at LMG built an outdoor music stage that sits in a natural amphitheater across the road from the main building. Every time I see or play on that space I wish it was occupied more than one weekend a year, but during the time used for the festival, it’s a keeper, with a good variety of local talent performing in a fine location. This year’s lineup includes Avery Kern (11 a.m.), Burr Oak String Band (12:45 p.m.) and Cactus Ranch (2:30 p.m.) on Saturday, plus Pete Sander (11 a.m.), Jones, Kornfeld & Simpson (12:45 p.m.) and The Deep Hollow (2:30 p.m.) on Sunday.
The folks at Danenberger’s Family Vineyard present a four-day music festival, Thursday through Sunday, to aid winemaker and vineyard owner Susan Danenberger and husband, Doug, in paying off medical costs associated with her battle against cancer. The music lineup includes Fun DMC on Thursday, Brandon Santini and Brushville on Friday, jams all day on Saturday with Mike Burnett, Stuart Smith, Winston’s Weekend and Off the Wall, then a final whoop-ti-do by Captain Geech and the Shrimp Shack Shooters, along with a live auction, on Sunday afternoon. All you need to do is show up to enjoy the amazing lineup of musicians, check out the silent auction items and have a good time to help out a friend in need who is a friend indeed.
This Sunday, it’s bottoms up for the 10th annual BassBerg presented at the Curve Inn from 2 to 7 p.m. by organizers Bill McKenzie and Jeff Cunningham, both bass guitarists by trade. Over the years, as our finest area bassists show how good they can be while seeing how low they can go, the event has raised tens of thousands of dollars for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. The groups and associated bassists for 2019 include The Mazed (Eric Tinsley), The Suburban Mystics (Bill McKenzie), Deja Voodoo (Kortney Leatherwood) and Take 10 (Jeff Cunningham), plus several more bass guitarists joining in the righteous race to the bottom end.
At 6:45 festivities conclude with an auction of two donated bass guitars and a performance by the BassBerg SUBOrchestra as the bassists all prove they can groove to “Rapper’s Delight,” the Sugar Hill Gang classic. Originally conceived by Bill McKenzie as a low-end reply to Guitar Town and DrumFest, Bill says number 10 is his final BassBerg, as he moves on to other projects. We wish him the best from the bottom beat of our hearts for his guidance and goodness as the founder and leader of our humble Berg of Bass.
See you next week for more October music.
