Members of the Allen Street String Band, for
many years the unofficial keepers of the old-time-music flame in
central Illinois, are having a reunion, and you’re invited. The combo was originally formed sometime
around 1981 with Bill Rintz on fiddle, Dave Landreth on banjo, and
Ed Hawkes on guitar. All were accomplished players of the
public-domain songs called old-time music — not bluegrass,
mind you, but a precursor of that modern invention by at least 50
years and often by centuries. After settling on a name (in addition
to the one they kept, they also tried “Lincoln Log
Rollers” and “Lincoln Log Rounders”), the group
quickly became known as one of the Midwest’s go-to bands for
old-time traditional music done right. From 1983 to 1995 the group
was a staple of the music festival at Silver Dollar City in
Branson, Mo. They also performed at the Illinois State Fair (not
the beer tents), the Old State Capitol, and folk festivals
throughout the Midwest, and they were favorites at contra and
square dances. The folk and old-time music tradition is based
on the generational passing of songs through listening and
learning. The band members respected this tradition and sought out
folk musicians Ivan Dodge of Waverly, the Rev. Jim Howie of
Donnellson, and Floras Lamb of Springfield, plus others in southern
Illinois, to learn songs from them. As the trio continued learning and performing
various songs of days gone by for fun and profit, an assortment of
area musicians joined in the melodic frolicking. The band’s lineup, which varied from gig to gig,
depending on member availability, has included Dale C. Evans on
hammered dulcimer, Martha Tyner on standup bass, and Steve Staley on
English concertina. Chicago fiddlers Chirps Smith and Joe Samojedny
became regular fill-ins after founding fiddler Rintz sustained a stroke
in 1995. The original members and most of the players
who worked with Allen Street through the years are planning on
participating in the reunion, celebrating the legacy of one of
central Illinois’ most enjoyable, long-lasting, and vital
bands.
The Allen Street String Band and special guests
perform during a Prairie Grapevine Folklore Society concert at the
Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregration, 745 Woodside
Rd., at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 14. Adult admission is $6; tickets
for students and seniors cost $4, and admission for society members
is $5. I’m not kidding:
If you haven’t seen Thornhill the band and heard Tina
Thornhill the singer/songwriter, you are missing out, big-time. An
unsung heroine of the Springfield music scene, she is good but
doesn’t play out very often. Do yourself a favor and head to
Café Kanichi-Wa (1117 S. Grand Ave. E., 217-544-3500),
around 9:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 14, to see Thornhill the group,
fronted by Thornhill the singer/songwriter. The band’s new
CD, Center of Town, is not yet available, but demand it anyway.
Blue Monday
attendees, prepare yourself for a great shock. After 20 years of
paying one measly buck to hear some of the finest blues being
played in America today, you’ll be asked to fork over twice
as much money to join the weekly gathering of the Illinois Central
Blues Club. As ICBC president Steve Truesdale so eloquently put it
in the January/February newsletter, it’s still “less
than the cost of a Big Mac.” That’s not to compare the
quality of Mickey D’s with extraordinary blues music, but it
does put things in perspective.
Here’s wishing
Sally Weisenburg good fortune in her quest at the 2006
International Blues Challenge, Jan. 26-28, in Memphis. This is the
22nd year the IBC has searched nationally through a
battle-of-the-bands-type contest to find worthy artists needing a
little extra help to break into the big time. Sally, we’re
not worthy, we’re not worthy.
This article appears in Jan 12-18, 2006.
