Band Spotlight

As The Station, a Springfield-based national touring funk/rock/jam band, celebrates 10 years of being together as a functioning unit in 2009, the nucleus of Dave Littrell (vocals, guitar, sax) and Dave Carter (drums, percussion) with Kevin Lemen (guitar) announces the addition of Springfield bassist, Jeff Cunningham, to the lineup. The Chatham native who plucks the […]

The founding triumvirate of Flatland — Jerry Reno, Bill Dunlap and Gordy Cotter — began playing music together in grade school, shall we say, many years ago. The group, based in west central Illinois around White Hall in the Jacksonville area, formed as Flatland Band in 1980 and continues going strong nearly 30 years later. […]

Lauded as one of the finest blues guitarists performing today by none other than Eric Clapton and encouraged in his youth by the legendary Muddy Waters, Bryan Lee holds high the mantle of the blues as a creative and artistic empowering force for good times and decent living. Lee lost his eyesight at age 8, […]

You don’t talk about blues bands in central Illinois without first mentioning Black Magic Johnson. The sizzling quartet, fronted by drummer Reggie Britton who sings lead vocals and plays harmonica, has been hanging around town in some form or other for about six years. Specializing in Delta and Chicago-style electric bar blues, the rest of […]

Walter Trout may not be a household name, unless your household revels in the history of rock blues from the mid-to-late 20th century. In that case you’d know Trout as an exceptional blues guitarist who spent time working and playing with the likes of John Lee Hooker, Canned Heat and John Mayall’s Bluesbreakers before setting […]

Ultraviolet began with Suzie Stephens’ desire for a live band at her birthday party. For Suzie it just so happened she wanted to be the singer in the band so she started her own and played the party. That was a few years back and personnel has changed some with the current lineup listing Stephens […]

Let’s just dispense with all the female blues guitar player business and forget the tall California blonde girl stuff and get to the heart of the matter right now. Laurie Morvan can play the blues. Go check out some YouTube cuts of her singing and playing and listen to the killer tone she gets on […]

When it came time to seek a band direction, The Backliners decided to “play great rock songs, both classic and new, that we would like to listen to ourselves.” So following this logic you’d find Steve Harvey (guitar, vocals), Greg Harvey (bass, vocals), Aaron Horath (lead guitar, vocals) and Travis Williams (drums) jamming to classics […]

Lead guitarist Robert Beam, an Atlanta, Ga., transplant who made a mark as a professional touring and studio musician over the last 30 some years, sets the tone for Bluesmattic, with bassist Greg Campbell and drummer Scott Henrikson laying down a strong blues foundation for the experienced and talented performer. Beam’s music history includes by […]

Putting together a band is easy. Turning it into a successful venture is not. Red Letter Merchant is determined to take the idea of becoming an all original, modern rock band and make it a reality. After coming together in early 2008 hoping to avoid further, “typical band drama,” Ryan Louis, (piano, vocals), Scott Neuweg […]

Conceived by Bill McKenzie (bass, vocals) as a “collection of local musicians from different bands who get together now and again for recording projects of live performances around particular themes,” the Aspect is not your average, everyday band. Last seen presenting the Beatles catalogue, the Fab Four are so all-encompassing and so ingrained in the […]