Band Spotlight

Within the vast genre of modern metal bands, The Vile Impurity plays “tech-death metal” promising, as a lyric states, “Devastation which you will never forget!” From origins in 2010 when guitarist Miles Ellegoods joined forces with drummer Pete Rocks, to the signing with Swimming With Sharks Records in 2011 and on to extensive touring upcoming […]

Killinoize Productions of Springfield and Subsequent Vibes of Bloomington began a music series at Bar None several months ago and the success of the venture points to the growing popularity of electronic dance music in the capital city. The DJs, or more aptly, correctly and popularly called producers, mix on the fly, making impromptu live […]

What happens when you take a batch of well-seasoned local musicians and combine them into a brand new concoction? Go see for yourself as SOMA breaks into the Springfield scene with its first full-on public display of live music. Featuring bandmates Brad Beneky on bass (Perfunctory This Band, Sarah Schneider Band, Frantic Sky), Tony Dyer […]

On March 26, 2010, when Bruce Clark, proprietor of Bourbon Street, hosted Lady Carole & Her Knights, the official band began. But the seeds were sown years before when Carole sang and played keyboards as a young girl in school and church. About 12 years ago, after their children left the nest, Carole and husband […]

Now a Nashville recording artist, Jason Bertrand originally came from a small, rural town in Illinois and attended Eastern Illinois University in Charleston. There he spent time working on a cover country band with reckless abandon and also discovered his calling of playing honest country music. The big break came when Jason got to work […]

Originally from South Carolina, a young John Burgin went to the Windy City to study at the prestigious University of Chicago in the early 90s and ending up learning at the equally important reality school of blues, playing with some of the elder statesmen of the genre. After a stint with blues singer Taildragger in […]

The first Guitar Town event held in 2008 featured 13 of central Illinois’ favorite guitar players playing, songs they liked for fellow guitarists. With a backline of Mark LeVault on bass and Bob Young on drums with Ric “Skippy” Major running sound, 2012 continues the tradition. “Mayor” Mark Estill came up with the idea after […]

Originally conceived as a way to bring several styles of popular music under one umbrella, Bill McKenzie’s concept group, The Aspect, continues the tradition by again taking on the Beatles as subject matter. The Lime Street Cafe venue adds to the ambiance with walls full of Beatle-related memorabilia as the Aspect members bring to life […]

How many bands can one guy have? For Josh Catalano, the answer may be in the infinite stars above. From the long gone days of Mugshot and currently of the Damwell Betters and Lazer Dudes, the prolific songwriter and unabashed front man continues a songwriting spree that spans several albums of original material with CD […]

In a Macomb dorm room circa 2008, a struggling college student dreamed of leaving the academic world behind to write and play music. Dog of Panic began when Dan Rohde wrote 15 songs in that lonely room, left school, moved to Springfield, found a job and began the tedious process of forming a band. Through […]

Here’s a music business story with a happy twist and one that continues an upward spiral. Rather than the usual tale of playing music from the cradle, Bleu Edmondson first picked up a guitar and “started writing songs because he didn’t know what else to do” during his college years. After recording a few self-penned […]

If you were from Oklahoma and if you were into hard-rocking, good country music like that of the Red Dirt scene, seeing Mike McClure’s name would send you boot-scootin’ for the ticket booth, if you had boots. The singer, songwriter, guitarist, performer and producer played with The Great Divide, had tunes covered by Garth Brooks […]