• If you wanted to pick a pair of choirs, you couldn’t do any better
than the Vienna Boys Choir and the African Children’s Choir. Now give them back-to-back
shows in central Illinois and go look for a blue moon. The Europeans sing in
harmony starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 9, at Illinois College’s Rammelkamp
Chapel in Jacksonville (217-245-3069). The youngsters from Africa do their thing
at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 10, at Westminster Presbyterian Church, at the
corner of Walnut and Edwards streets. Go figure.
• Please don’t attempt to aurally fixate on the name of this band. The
Oohs (correct spelling) take their moniker from oohs and ahhs,
as in exclamations, not from gooey, sticky stuff. Once you hear the band perform
originals and renditions of rock classics, you may find yourself oozing into
the blissful land of ahhs, filled with desire for more of the Oohs. Slip
into Lucky’s (131 E. Jefferson St., 217-753-3521) on Friday night for a listen.
• John Johns first wowed Springfield listeners at a classical-guitar
concert two years ago. He is known for his “beautifully poetic playing,” according
to Russel Brazzel, a fellow plucker and coordinator of the city concerts. Rumor
has it that the young pups of today like to show off their chops, whereas Johns,
an old dog at this art, takes a subtler approach to his music. Under his direction,
the guitar program at the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt University in
Nashville has gained international acclaim. His fingers will do the talking
at a 3 p.m. show this Sunday at the First Presbyterian Church, 321 S. Seventh
St. ($12; 217-726-8991).
• Now, does this sound like fun or what? You get on a bus with a bunch
of friends, plus a few strangers to spice things up, then you ride from bar
to bar around Springfield, checking out bands, staying a while or waiting for
the next bus. This is no fantasy — it’s a music-marathon pub-crawl bar-band
extravaganza held to raise money for Crimestoppers. The good-time caravan starts
at 8 p.m. Saturday, and $15 takes care of your cover charges at each nightclub
and helps out our hardworking pals at the crime-prevention organization. Go
to your local watering hole for complete instructions, or try the Curve Inn,
Underground City Tavern, or one of the other seven bars with bands on the agenda.
• What’s a Silvertide, and why is it in Springfield? Boy, you’re nosy!
Silvertide is a band. If you’ve heard of them, you’ll probably want to go see
them, and if you haven’t, who cares? Those who care to know should direct themselves
to the Exposition Building on the Illinois State Fairgrounds at 6:30 p.m. Thursday,
Nov. 4.
This article appears in Nov 4-10, 2004.
