Things are rolling along as our clubs and venues continue to get back to a degree of normalcy, with schedules chock-full of acts that truly exemplify the amazing diversity of music in our area. And just look at that Live Music calendar growing like a weed with more gigs added every week showing off what’s going on.
Take this for a good example of something interesting you may not know about. Were you aware that the Lucky Moon Saloon near Glenarm on the I-55 frontage road (actually part of old Route 66) past Chatham also houses a museum for the ’60s Chevrolet Corvair in the same building as the bar? This weekend, CORSA (Corvair Society of America) hosts a convention in Springfield, then convenes at the museum on Friday afternoon. Now here comes the music connection, as Positively 4th Street plays at the Lucky Moon from 6 to 10 p.m.
And not too far from there, in Pawnee on the north side of the town square, Locals Bar debuts their brand-spanking new beer garden outdoor stage area on Saturday night with a visit by the Damned Torpedoes, a locally based Tom Petty Celebration group.
You know we’re getting back on track when Sunday gives us a couple of benefit fundraiser shows to show our concern for good causes and folks in need. Come support our friend and stalwart of the music community, Mike “Mikey” Austin, at the Curve Inn from 2 to 8 p.m. The event will feature three bands, Lady Luck, NCR and the Get Down, plus a silent auction, live auction and booze cart auction, as well as big raffles and 50/50 drawings with a generous percentage of the proceeds from bar sales being donated to the cause. Mike is fighting a nasty cancer and needs all the help we can muster. You may not know his face, but he’s the guy behind many of the bookings and bands around town, keeping the wheels turning so you can enjoy live music.
Next up on Sunday is a fundraiser for all local veterans’ organizations held at the VFW hall on Old Jacksonville Road featuring music by the Wolf Crick Boys and running from 3 to 6 p.m. Get on it, fellers.
After graduating from college in Athens, Georgia, Jimmy Riemer, an exceptionally talented singer-songwriter and musician, returns home for a visit with a string of shows nine miles long including Sunday at Danenbergers with Kyle Smith, Tuesday at Boone’s with the Boat Drink Caucus and Wednesday at The Office. Then it’s back to the mines next week with gigs Friday at Papa Frank’s, Saturday at Sheedy Shores WineGarden and Sunday at Motorheads. After a Thursday, June 3, spot at Danenbergers with friend and mentor Micah Walk, young Jim heads back to Atlanta to start his first “real adult job” and we wish him well in all his endeavors.
Here are a few cool events outside the bars. On Saturday night, the Sherman Village Park Amphitheater hosts the Blooze Brothers with Downstate, a hometown acoustic trio featuring Conor McCormick along with Griffin and Garrett Eggleston, for the park’s 2021 inaugural event.
The Devon Lakeshore Amphitheater in Decatur has an incredible lineup for the summer, kicking it off with Tracy Byrd and Lainey Wilson on Friday. Join in the celebration for the reopening of The Mill Museum on Route 66 at their Backyard Bash on Saturday afternoon with the Thornhill Band playing from 12-2 pm, plus all kinds of other fun stuff happening.
And I am so happy to report, there’s a boatload of other music items in our Live Music listings for you to peruse and enjoy.
This article appears in Born in a pandemic.
