Music – Tom Irwin

One of these days this weather will behave as it should, but until then we must continue to grapple with what we got and enjoy the live music where we can. We like to welcome first-time performers to our patch of the world, so drop by Buzz Bomb Brewing Company on Thursday (7-10 p.m.) and […]

From a charity festival in praise of beer and doughnuts to an upcoming summer-long concert series, along with award-winning blues bands and music rumbling at the lake, springtime has clean sprung almost into summertime, making for some fun musical mayhem in May. Early this week we received the long-awaited and much anticipated announcement of the […]

Here we go heading into the merry month of May, busting headlong into music adventures at every turn. First, let’s give shout outs to two guys in the local music scene making a splash in the well-received Blood Brothers musical that debuted last weekend at the Hoogland. Casey Cantrall, songwriter, guitarist and consistent performer around […]

Come along for serious fun and good works as we hang out for the last weekend of April. Amidst the regular happenings of frivolity and frolic are some serious issues that folks in the music world are doing to help out those in need using the curative powers of making music together. In the early […]

Easter weekend is finally here, coming in late due to some lunar versus equinox decisions made by the Catholic Church several hundred years ago, but who’s counting, anyway. Because of the Sunday holiday, this weekend is usually a bit slower than most, but it appears we can find a way to enjoy our live music […]

Let’s take a romp through the scene of live music happenings to see what we can see. Then when we get from here to there, we can hear what we can hear when we see it, too. Thursday kicks off with a rip roaring blast coming on strong as the hip and cool night of […]

It’s April, and the time for fooling is already over, unless you like to keep April Fool’s Day going all month long. Whatever the case, there’s plenty of music happening and that’s no joke. Start your weekly music run on Thursday with a stunning collection of roots, singer-songwriter, Americana-based, guitarist guys to choose from playing […]

As we roll on through the last weekend of March, warm winds blow us toward the outdoor live music entertainment just ahead. But first, let’s get to our big March finale. Supporting the blues scene with amazing dedication for over three decades, the Illinois Central Blues Club continues on in its stated purpose of “preserving […]

With the green blaze (and a wee bit of the orange) of St. Patrick’s Day behind us, as well as the first day of spring, don’t you feel the warmth of summer beer gardens in your toes? Let’s not get too excited just yet, but we’re getting close to the thaw. Hey cowpokes, it’s Roots […]

What a weekend of this, that and the other things, including the Ides of March plopped in there for good measure. Let’s begin, shall we? We must — or so we should — so we shall, start off with our annual review of Irish/Celtic music around town for the big St. Patrick’s Day weekend. Our […]

When (yes, I wrote when, not if) the weather breaks, there is going to be a happy party bursting with warmth somewhere. Let’s just keep dreaming of those hot and sweaty outdoor music events on the way in a couple months to get through these last few wintry weekends. Could there be a better way […]

Well, February 2019 sure came and went in a flash. Let’s see what we can come up with for the first full weekend of March. Not so fast, friends. We just can’t let go of February without mentioning this Thursday, the last day of the shortest month, when The Curve Inn presents their monthly Americana […]