Band Spotlight

A Fancy Prairie native and Athens High School graduate, Eva got her start in show business with a family band, singing with her sisters. As the emotive vocalist developed into a rhythm guitar player and composer, her path veered toward that of the performing songwriter. Now several years later with five records independently released (the […]

Began in Carbondale and molded in Chicago, the hard driving, pop-rock, soul-funk band Mathien comes back to town on the opening weekend for Donnie’s Homespun nightclub in the Vinegar Hill Mall. With a grand stage and sound system, the large space begins anew as a venue on Friday with The Pimps and The Timmys, then […]

These guys have been playing the popular hits for awhile or, as the promo coyly states, “deez guyz been playing da hits of the 60s, 70s & 80s since 2001,” booking everything from bar gigs to festivals, from political rallies (like for some Barack Obama guy, to mention one) to private functions, all with a […]

Claiming to be “playing more musical styles than a department store soundtrack” and that the band “has musical ADHD,” Room 306 comes a-calling with an attitude ready to take live music to another level of performance and achievement. The brainchild and dream team of frontman B-Train, the band fleshes out the music with a “young […]

When done well, fingerpicking a guitar looks so easy anybody could do it. But the task of convincing several digits to make music while moving simultaneously in different, yet coordinated directions appear effortless, takes a good deal of effort, concentration and practice. David Berchtold, an acoustic guitarist for more than 40 years, makes the process […]

As these two acclaimed singer-songwriters work through an eight-day Midwest tour, the music is not the only thing being celebrated. Birnbaum spent a good part of 2012 recovering from a vocal cord injury and is now back singing again, while Miller is warming up for a Northwest tour that includes a prestigious and intense songwriting […]

The Illinois State Fair has many long-running traditions and in the music department none is more incredible than the run of the Don Smith Band. This year marks 32 straight years of performances on the grounds, far outlasting any other musical act in longevity. The Lincoln native has played the trumpet professionally for nearly six […]

Riverton native and now Nashville resident Lyman Ellerman pays his hometown a visit this weekend with shows at the Illinois State Fair on Friday and Saturday in The Shed venue plus a late-night Saturday gig in Riverton. Ellerman played in many bands around the area before making the career move to relocate to Nashville nearly […]

There are many bands playing original music in the area, but few are more original in character and sound than Hot Bag O’ Donuts. The band describes themselves as “a classic wave combo” with others portraying the music as, “wave jazz, cornFusion, and acid lounge,” all very alternative classifications to begin with, easily avoiding common […]

With a combined musical experience of more than 75 years, Harmony Deep truly brings a deep and lasting sense of melody and harmony to all performances. Former Oohs Brian Curtis (vocals, keyboards) and Brian Cutright (vocals, bass), plus Sam Draper (vocals, guitar) of Royal Pain, each bring at least a quarter of a century of […]

Dream Team Ensemble’s live music performance as described by Richard Gilman-Opalsky, UIS professor of political science and a creative music performer, is “an experimental tapestry of sound, a mostly-minimalist style in the post-John Cage tradition.” Now if that doesn’t help you out much, or even better if it does, come and experience these “sound paintings” […]