Music – Tom Irwin

Here we are rolling into Labor Day weekend 2018, signalling the end of summertime and the beginning of autumn, if not by weather, at least by date and tradition. Let’s go out and in with a band and a bang, becoming a blustering, beautiful beacon of believers in our musical labors on this celebratory day […]

Let’s offer hearty congratulations to David Casper for his victory on August 17 in the Illinois State Fair karaoke competition. In return for his afternoon triumph, David reaped the rewards of performing that evening at the Grandstand, opening for Brett Eldredge. Casper, the youthful, talented and mostly-country singer who fronts the local group Casper’s Kountry […]

As we move into the second and final weekend of the Illinois State Fair, the fun keeps on coming, even as the original excitement wears down. I think 10 days is a fair amount of time for a fair. Any more just wouldn’t be fair to all those involved in keeping the fair going. Does […]

Yes, folks, it’s that time of year when the Illinois State Fair comes a-callin’ and dominates the atmosphere of the local music scene like nothing else. There’s plenty of live music on our north side fairgrounds, and no matter who or what, where or when, musicians should take pride in knowing that live performances are […]

Here it is in fine fashion as we roll into August 2018 with Mars and the moon at midnight behind us, plus good music and fine times straight ahead. Who could ask for more? This weekend Decatur is hosting their fabulously famous “Celebration” from Friday through Sunday. It all happens in the downtown area with […]

What a weekend this is with stuff happening everywhere, especially events reliving highlights of the past. But rest assured that the music will be firmly in the present and well-directed toward the future of the scene. Let us first honor two local musicians we’ve lost too soon. John Brillhart, our singer-songwriter who passed last fall, […]

Here we go again with another week of local music news, happenings, and coming and goings, sometimes filled with sadness and other times bounding with joy. With a heavy heart we report the loss of another Springfield area musician as bassist Scott Leach of Rochester passed away at his home last week. Scott was in […]

Per usual, there are many happening things going on this weekend (and during the week for that matter), so get yourself together and get out to experience what you can while you can. In the plethora of activities occurring within our community over the next days, few can compare with the size and complexity of […]

Once the famed Fourth of July flies by and the corn is several feet past knee height, the summer season kicks into to overdrive, setting up a midsummer sensation of live music revelations. Thursdays are turning into a hotbed of music making “pert near smack dab” in the middle of the week, and this one […]

Here we go into the last weekend of June, soaking up fun in the sun, sliding into neon-lit nightclubs, and generally having a whale of a good time swimming in this sea of lively and lovely live music. Friday sets things off in a good direction when the Fabulous Hoedads show up at the VFW […]

Welcome to the Springfield music scene, all you friendly Illinois Times readers and supporters! This week is another adventure in the diverse and plentiful supply of live music performances in our local arena of bars, plazas, barns, gardens, fields, fairs, parks and other assorted venues. Start off your week with a Thursday visit to the […]

Here comes the ides of June on Friday along with Father’s Day on Sunday and a plain-old Saturday sandwiched in between, all filled with glorious and wonderful live music to share. Let’s go straight to Sunday when the Curve Inn hosts a tribute to Shane Shomidie on Father’s Day from 2 to 8 p.m. in […]