Tonight is the beginning of a three-part school supply drive from the local hip-hop community .Due to budget issues the district closed three elementary schools in the city and are sending all of those students to Feitshans. With such an influx of low income students at one place the need for supplies is at an […]
IT Overflow
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That’s a wrap
TWO (2) — “The journey not the arrival matters,” wrote poet T.S. Eliot. “All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware,” stated philosopher Martin Buber. Anytime I go anywhere, it is unexpected beauty or inspiration that I eagerly anticipate. The fair is large enough there’s sure to be adventure. Unfortunately the day […]
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Great rock show at Bar None tonight:
Middle Class Fashion Acclaimed St. Louis band Middle Class Fashion describe themselves as “sugar sweet pop with a secret dark side.” The Luzhin Defense The Luzhin Defense (a/k/a the extravagantly talented Rogers brothers of Springfield) modestly describe their output as “an oddly familiar landscape of pop music.” FUCK///MOUNTAIN When Brandon Carnes (owner-operator of […]
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Yeah, I went there
While the idea behind my You had to be there column is to shine a bitter, vindictive light on a sampling of musical, artistic and other cultural events you probably missed out on in Springfield the previous weekend, it must be acknowledged that some things just don’t ever make their way to town, for a […]
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Kindness matters
Robin Williams – yup, here, too — my mind is full of him today. A friend and I had lunch recently. He was troubled deeply, cried as he told me his mother-in-law had killed herself while drunk. There seemed to be no clue — She had a boyfriend, passions to fill her life …. Folks […]
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A look at 311
Springfield’s Thao Le ventured out to Three Sisters Park in Chillicothe this weekend to the 311 concert. Formed in the ’90s, the five-member alternative rock band is wrapping up their summer tour. Le reports that “the show was amazing. From the stunning light production to the lively instrumental solos, 311 knows how to entertain. New and […]
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You had to be there: A column of sour grapes
NIL8 at Downhome Festival Saturday night “Perhaps contrary to accepted wisdom, a lot actually happens in Springfield during any given week. In “You had to be there,” a new recurring feature on the Faingold at Large blog, I will take on the role of reader’s surrogate as I report on musical, theatrical, artistic, or even just spontaneous […]
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Torch Tuesday Open Mic Tonight!
Torch Tuesday master of ceremonies Uncanny. Photo: Picture Perfect Photography Do you have the skills to pay the bills? Do you drop science as part of your daily routine? Is spitting bars as natural to you as drawing breath? Okay, do you at least know what the phrase “spitting bars” means? If you answered yes […]
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“You had to be there”: A column of sour grapes
Jessica Knight and Brandon Carnes of Looming Perhaps contrary to accepted wisdom, a lot actually happens in Springfield during any given week. In “You had to be there,” a new recurring feature on the Faingold at Large blog, I will take on the role of reader’s surrogate as I report on musical, theatrical, artistic, or […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Eternal contemporary question
This is Kevin Stein. Who is Kevin Stein? He is the Illinois Poet Laureate, and has been since 2003. Stein teaches English at Bradley University. So why I am telling you about Kevin Stein? Because The New York Times today has an article (“Is Poetry Dead? Not if 45 Official Laureates Are Any Indication,” Jennifer Schuessle, July […]
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Until next time
The black tent was the closest shelter. I was worried about my phone and purse contents. Folks were crowded under the Myers Building overhang. It was really starting to pour. The sky was dark. Two people under the black tent trying to paint the pavement welcomed me. Ah, lucky me I thought, nice folks. Scanning […]
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Monty Python to perform live on Wabash Avenue Today
The surviving members of Monty Python, beloved and venerable British comedy troupe (OK, Terry Gilliam originally hails from Wisconsin) recently reunited for a series of stage shows in the UK. Today marks the final show in that sold-out run. Local fans of the silly-walking, cheese-shopping, Spanish Inquisitioning, dead-parroting, cross-dressing satirists are being afforded a […]
