Welcome to the first full weekend of February in 2020, and it’s chock full of fun fantastically formed to fulfill your most fabulous, not at all fallacious, fantasies of a fine time. Let’s get right to it as we have lots to cover. Thursday gives us a couple of stellar Springfield acts that surely set […]
Newsletter – Event
Posted inSpecial Issues
Family event calendar
Weekly carillon concerts Wednesdays, 12pm, Sundays 2pm and 4pm. Throughout the year you can find Carlo van Ulft, the park district’s carillonneur, playing a variety of classical, folk and popular music. When the carillon is being played, a monitor at the base of the tower allows you to see Carlo in action. Free. Washington Park, […]
Posted inMusic
After School Special
When it comes to doing the duo, this twosome of Aasne Daniels and Jerry Setnicky (both on acoustic guitar and vocals) dig into the popular music of the last several decades to do “acoustified” versions of rock and pop songs by artists such as Guns N Roses, Def Leppard, Smashing Pumpkins and Britney Spears. For […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Ritchie back in comfort zone with clever Gentlemen
To say that Guy Ritchie’s career has been spotty is a bit of an understatement. Bursting on the scene with the brash gangster flicks Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels (1998) and Snatch (2000), his frenetic style and post-modern take on the genre proved to be Britain’s response to the Quentin Tarantino phenomenon. However, a […]
Posted inMusic
John Paul Keith
Since this brilliantly blessed singer-songwriter-guitarist burst from the Memphis music scene in 2009, he continues to play for keeps, keeping it real and really playing music. John Paul Keith rocks a Fender Telecaster like nobody’s business and sings a true song with an R&B sensibility that screams let’s make Memphis in the meantime our motto […]
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Matt Hill
With an outstanding reputation as an energetic performer of the blues, Matt Hill is known for his off-the-wall stage antics, as well as his top-notch abilities on guitar and vocals. He started his musical adventures in North Carolina, forming a blues band with drummer Chuck Cotton that made it to the 2005 International Blues Challenge […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Jojo a powerful piece of timely satire
Taika Waititi pulls off quite the high-wire act both in front of and behind the camera with Jojo Rabbit, an audacious piece of work that looks at Nazi Germany through the eyes of a 10-year-old boy whose imaginary friend just happens to be Adolf Hitler. In adapting Christine Leunens’ dark novel, the filmmaker injects his […]
Posted inMusic
Alec James Payton
A folksinger by calling and by determination, this young man makes music for himself and we’re fortunate to be recipients of the thoughtful and provocative, insightful and superlative work he produces. After Alec James Payton took off a few years ago (was it more or less or less or more?) accompanied by an acoustic guitar, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Abrams delivers spectacle and heart with satisfying Rise
It’s obvious that writer and director J.J. Abrams is a big fan of the Star Wars franchise. His 2015 The Force Awakens resurrected the franchise for a new generation, served as an energetic primer for all things in a galaxy far, far away and introduced a bevy of new characters around which to build future […]
Posted inMusic
Jeremy Pinnell
This Kentucky native, specifically from Burlington about 15 miles from the Ohio River town of Cincinnati, brings the country of his state to the forefront, making compelling music with a distinct sense of place as traveling through time. Jeremy Pinnell does what the folks are calling “hardscrabble honky-tonk” and keeps the country rough and ready […]
Posted inArts & Culture
Eastwood’s Jewell a portrait of naïve heroism
During his long acting career, Clint Eastwood employed the less-is-more approach whenever he appeared on screen. In many ways, he’s done the same where directing is concerned. Never one for needless camera movements, skewed angles, distracting lighting or any other attention-grabbing techniques, Eastwood’s best work is based on solid writing and dynamic performances, a classic, […]
Posted inArts & Culture
City sidewalks dressed in holiday style
Enjoy shopping, dining and holiday cheer at downtown Springfield’s charming shops and restaurants during Saturday’s Old Capitol Holiday Walk. The 2019 holiday walks feature a 12-foot-tall Christmas tree sponsored by Ace Sign Co. and Butler Funeral Homes, complimentary horse-drawn carriage rides around the plaza, holiday lights and music in Union Park and a musical performance […]
