With summertime in full swing, the livin’ is, as expressed in song, easy. So let’s go have fun in the sun because we got it made in the shade with all the music being played in and around the area this upcoming week.
Our Thursday Now Playing adventures in the summer begin with a Y-Block located, Levitt AMP concert (last one is on July 30), this week featuring the Lowdown Brass Band doing “their brand of hip hop and reggae” as locally originating, opening act UNCHAiNED gets it going with “rock/funk” originals and covers.
Other Thursday action includes Joel Honey getting hip at the Illinois Product Farmers Market near the Shed on the state fairgrounds, Well City (Dave Mizeur and Matt Hoffman) landing on the patio at Casey’s Pub and Robert Sampson serving up the good stuff at Mother Road Diner.
Motorheads hosts the monthly Thursday Night Live, celebrating its fourth year as this edition showcases the talents of Allison Jones, Rick Hardin, Stefan Huffman, Jeff Massie, Cydney Long, Shelley Tulo, Aley Alvey, Rod VanSandt, Scott Mundstock, Alan Harris, Jake McNamara, Chris Noonan, Jim McCann, Eric Tinsley and Steve Gragert.
Now for a setup segue, let’s move from one “Night Live” to another as we venture to Arlington’s upstairs for the debut of Friday Night Live (the next two Fridays are scheduled to go “Live” as well). Conceived by area attorney Bill Panichi from his longtime commitment to comedy improv performance and brought to fruition by the folks from Capital City Comix, expect edgy skits and satirical news reporting from community and beyond subject matter, plus live music (Mike Burnett’s on tap this week) all done in the tradition of the famed SNL from NBC. Tickets are available at several online locations (IT ads and listings, Facebook, etc.) with general admission as the seating plan. So here’s your chance to be front and center to support, enjoy and even critique hometown humor by design, so “git” on down there.
Friday’s gone wild with nearly 30 shows including Wolf Crick Boys and Los Injectors in a barn burner at George Rank’s, Hat Trick cueing up at Mowie’s, Rudy Boz & Friends doing it to it at American Legion Post 809 and Jameson Freeway driving through at Long Bridge Golf Course, to name only a few.
Racing into Saturday’s nearly 60 listings, Griffin Fenoglio starts us off at 10 a.m. at the Old Capitol Farmers Market, Springfield Uketopians uke it out at Stella Coffee & Tea at the crack of noon, Patrick Grehan plays near Petersburg at West of Wise Winery (1-4 p.m.) and Grant Barnett sings it sweet at Pease’s at BUNN Gourmet (3-5 p.m.) as Downstate heads to Buckhart Tavern (3-6 p.m.) to get us chronologically into the evening. Next, I’m simply presenting a plea for you to peruse the other bazillion gigs and please go see at least one, two or 10.
For some summertime blues, Chris Camp and his Blues Ambassadors, joined by Travis Ried on electric lead guitar, hit at Lime Street on Friday and Saturday while David Lumsden and Reggie Britton bring their “Happy Blues” band featuring Gary Davis, Jim Engels and Kylan Davis at Sunset Inn on Saturday. In the something different department, Midnineties – as far as we know, Springfield’s only full-album cover band – performs Green Day’s “Dookie” in its entirety at Anvil & Forge while Elvis Himselvis with band takes to the outdoor stage at New Salem’s Theatre in the Park in a pop-up concert covering for a rescheduled play.
That leads us to Sunday with some 20 music choices to choose from so you’d better start early and stay late. See you next week.
This article appears in July 9-15, 2026.
