Howdy hey, nightlifers. Let’s take at little trip around the farm and see
what’s shakin’. Just watch where you step.
We’re still receiving fallout from the April Fool’s column. Denby of Rockhouse reports a few frantic phone calls from astonished fans about the band’s decision to quit music and start a stone store. Here’s the truth, I swear: the fellows from the house of rock have been working in their new bass player, Brian Phillips, and are back better than ever (or at least as good) as always. They’re playing this Friday at the other bar in a bowling alley, Sluggo’s, at Strike-n-Spare West. Rock on.
If ’60s-type country music is your cup of tea, Roger Wallace, the Texas country crooner, is ready to serve you a pot full at the Underground City Tavern on Thursday. Wallace is praised up and down by critics and fans alike for practically perfecting the nearly lost art of performing classic country music.
Reggae makes a splash in town this weekend when the Rum Runners dive into Jazz Central Station Friday night and float over to Dempsey’s on Saturday. The group is a revamped version of Terra Firma, one of last year’s most popular bands during Red Stripe’s reggae nights at Jazz Central Station. It’s good stuff, man.
Here are a few music quick takes that fans in the know would like to know about. Local sound guru, Ric Major, whose list of live sound jobs is an amazing rundown of Springfield’s most popular bands and shows over the last 20 years, has opened a recording studio. We’ve often wished for a local, well-stocked studio to fix a hole in our music scene and Skippy is up and ready to plug it. It’s called Middle Option Studio after his philosophy of making a living in the middle of the music world, between the weekend warriors and the superstars. Call 522-0490 and ask for a studio tour. Chris Camp, harmonica player and percussionist for Mr. Opporknockity, recently had good fortune with another of his talents. After years of whip cracking (the kind with a long bullwhip), he headed to Las Vegas for the Wild West Arts Club International Convention and came back home with several first places wrapped around his long, leather whip, including Best New Whipcracker of 2004. Could those years in the band Cheezy Messiahs, snapping cigarettes out of Phil Seabrook’s mouth, aided our Illinois Jones in his search for the perfect crack? We can only hope. Remember Marina V, the Russian-born singer-songwriter who left Jacksonville for Los Angeles and hopeful rock stardom? She came one step closer a few weeks ago by recording with legendary producer Jack Douglas (John Lennon, Aerosmith, George Harrison, and Cheap Trick). Douglas is pals with Marina’s new manager and has taken a liking to her music. Keep your radio on.
In a combination of live music and local news, John McDermott, a Springfield singer-songwriter of note, announces the release of his daughter’s CD, Distracted. Check out John at Breaktime on Wednesday from 6 to 8 p.m. for all the details.
There you have it, direct from the farm, all the news that’s fit to print (well, some of it) on Springfield’s busting-at-the-seams music scene.
This article appears in Apr 22-28, 2004.
