Viele’s
Planet (126 E. Jefferson St., 217-525-9029), long the last refuge of
Springfield’s still-performing original rock bands, hosts three of
the best this Friday, March 18: the Timmys, Abe Lincoln Continental, and
Resident Genius. Jay
Vanselow of ALC, who is now also a member of Resident Genius, will be doing
double duty. But don’t worry, folks — he’s been training
his whole life for this opportunity.
Holler out “Happy Anniversary” to the Price Street Pub (2815
Price St., 217-523-6995) this Saturday, March 19, as the South Side bar
celebrates six years in the libation-distribution business. Springfield
Shaky, the pub’s famous neighbor and frequent customer, brings in his
Whorehouse Band (Dennis, we had no idea) to party it up with some hot
rockin’ blues from 8 p.m.-midnight.
How empty life would be without the once-a-month swinging visit from the
Bowling Alley Big Band at Spillway Lanes Lounge (1025 Outer Park Dr.,
217-546-5221). John Sluzalis emcees the 17-piece group, which features top
area jazz players and makes the sounds of the big-band era come alive. The
show is free, but please make a donation to the Jazz Society of Greater
Springfield to help keep the good stuff coming and going.
REO Speedwagon and Styx, two Illinois bands that made it big, may be
dinosaurs to some, but they certainly aren’t extinct. The two groups,
who first met in a Chicago battle of the bands way back in the 1960s, each
carved a niche in the pop/rock big-time arena. In fact, in an amazing piece
of Springfield trivia, REO (then out of Champaign) played the Spillway
Lanes in the late ’60s, and Styx did the capital-city ice-rink tour
more than once during the mid-’70s. Obviously someone is still
sensitive about who goes first — the billing for the current tour
lists the bands as “co-headliners.” Get your tickets for the
March 17 show, held at the Assembly Hall Star Theater, in Champaign-Urbana
from any Ticketmaster outlet, or call 217-333-5000.
This article appears in Mar 17-23, 2005.
